He is represented as a liar, a braggart, a
coward, a glutton, &c., and yet we are not offended but delighted
with him; for he is all these as much to amuse others as to gratify
himself, He openly assumes all these characters to show the humorous
part of them. The unrestrained indulgence of his own ease,
appetites, and convenience, has neither malice nor hypocrisy in it.
In a word, he is an actor in himself almost as much as upon the
stage, and we no more object to the character of Falstaff in a moral
point of view than we should think of bringing an excellent
comedian, who should represent him to the life, before one of the
police offices. We only consider the number of pleasant lights in
which he puts certain foibles (the more pleasant as they are opposed
to the received rules and necessary restraints of society) and do
not trouble ourselves about the consequences resulting from them,
for no mischievous consequences do result. Sir John is old as well
as fat, which gives a melancholy retrospective tinge to the
character; and by the disparity between his inclinations and his
capacity for enjoyment, makes it still more ludicrous and
fantastical.
The secret of Falstaff's wit is for the most part a masterly
presence of mind, an absolute self-possession, which nothing can
disturb. His repartees are involuntary suggestions of his self-love;
instinctive evasions of everything that threatens to interrupt the
career of his triumphant jollity and self-complacency.
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