¿whole vol. 1845

TWELFTH SERIES.-VOLUME II.

JULY-DECEMBER, 1916.

VIRGINIE

ARY

7819

LONDON:

PUBLISHED AT THE

OFFICE, BREAM'S BUILDINGS, CHANCERY LANE, E.C.

By J. EDWARD FRANCIS.

AG

305

177

118004

v.134

1916

of increasing the price of the volume at any time. The DIS

The DISRAELI

LONDON, SATURDAY, JULY 1, 1916.

CONTENTS.-No. 27.

NOTES:- Falstaff and the Fleet Prison, 1-An English

Army List of 1740, 3-Panoramic Surveys of London

Streets, 5-Heart-Cherries, 6-Milton's Sonnet on Tetra-

chordon": "Like"-Torpedo: Early Reference-Chrono-

grams in Oxford and Manchester, 7.

-

QUERIES:-"Oorlog," Dutch for "War"-William
Holloway-Fireplaces: Aitch Stones, Northumberland-
Ford Castle, 8- Watch House," Ewell-Richard Swift
Theager's Girdle-W. Vaux and N. Ridley Northanger
Abbey'-Peat and Moss: Healing Properties-St. Ma-
dron's Well, 9-"Nihil ardet in inferno," &c.-Prof. F.
Grandineau-Sir Patrick Walsh-Family Likeness-
Cecilia Maria De Candia-Seats in Church
Rabbit in

Britain-Trusty Servant,' 10"Sick as a Landrail "-

Lost Life of Hugh Peters-"Every Englishman is an

Island"-Waterloo Heroes'-Portrait: Capt. Taylor, 11

REPLIES:-John Ranby: Fielding, 11-Admiral Haddock
-"Bevere"-Medieval Latin-Pace-Egging, 12-Gorges
Elizabeth Evelyn-Touching for Luck-Pin

Pricked Lace Patterns-Vanity Fair," 18-"Laus Deo "—

Village Pounds-Kerry Place-Names-"Government for

the people," &c.. 14-Lord Bacon-Accidental Likenesses

-Gavelkind-Archer and Bowman, 15-Working-Man's

Way in the World'-Fieldingiana: Miss Hand

Jennings Property-Herb Tobacco-Wanted a Governess'

-"Agnosco," 16-" How not to do it"-Fact or Fancy?-

English Carvings of St. Patrick, 17-"Loke"-" Braid St.

Catherine's Tresses"-"Three-a-penny colonels "-Walter

Scott: Unpublished Letter-William Mildmay, 18-Latin

Contractions-Playing Cards, 19.

Brass

-

NOTES ON BOOKS:-European Characters in French

Drama-Sappho in English'-'Influence of Ancient

Egyptian Civilization.'

Notes.

FALSTAFF AND THE FLEET PRISON

"I do not see why Falstaff was carried to the
Fleet. We have never lost sight of him since his
dismission from the King; he has committed no
new fault, and therefore incurred no punishment;
but the different agitations of fear, anger, and
surprise in him and his company made a good
scene to the eye of our author, who wanted them
no longer on the stage, and was glad to find this
method of sweeping them away.'

This comment on the last scene of

2 Henry IV.' was written by Dr. Samuel
Johnson, and was probably the first of
many expressions of perplexity. One of the
latest is from the pen of Prof. Bradley, who
writes thus :-

impression that they are satisfied with their
own reasoning.

The episode is undeniably painful and

out of keeping with Prince Hal's attitude to

Falstaff, which throughout had been tolerant

and kindly. It is true that, as the drama

proceeds, he learns more and more of the

worthlessness of the old knight's character,

and, as his own affairs become increasingly

serious, the sparkling wit loses much of its

glamour; still his intention had evidently

been to dismiss the old man privately and

kindly while making sure of his future means

of living. The publicity of the dismissal

was forced upon him by Falstaff's own

action, and Henry seems to be seeking to

avoid this when he says to Gascoigne

(presumably in an undertone) :-

My Lord Chief Justice, speak to that vain man

upon which the Justice addresses Falstaff,

probably in an urgent whisper :—

Have 'you your wits ? Know you what 'tis you

speak?

:-

But Falstaff forces the King's attention, and

draws from him an answer stern enough to

repress the unseemly jests that are rising to

his lips. It is a repetition, enhanced by

circumstances, of the scene in the tavern

'1 Henry IV.,' II. iv. 536).

But that the young King should have

aimed a further blow at his old companion

is almost incredible. Need one believe it?

The proposition I venture to make is that

the supposition is an error, and the scene

incorrectly interpreted.

66

When reading our modern editions of

Shakespeare it is certainly difficult to come

to any but the generally accepted conclusion.

The episode occurs in the fifth scene of

the last act of 2 Henry IV.,' and is

opened by the stage direction: Enter

King Henry V. and his train, the Lord Chief

Justice among them." Falstaff shouts his

greeting to the King; the King rebukes him

and sentences him to banishment, and then

follows the direction : "Exeunt King

Henry V. and his train." Of course, as the

Remembering his father's words about Henry,

Lord Chief Justice has just been described

"Being incensed he's flint,' and remembering in

as being among his train, we are com-

Henry V. his ruthlessness in killing the prisonerspelled to conclude that he departed with the

when he is incensed, we may imagine that, after others, although his royal master has just

he had left Falstaff, and was no longer influenced commanded him to

by the face of his old companion, he gave way to tenour" of his word with regard to Falstaff.

see performed the

anger at the indecent familiarity which had

provoked a compromising scene on the most The conversation between Sir John and

ceremonious of occasions, and in the presence Justice Shallow about the borrowed thousand

alike of court and crowd, and that he sent the pounds next takes place, occupying about

Chief Justice back to take vengeance."

twenty lines, and then occurs a fresh stage

direction: "Re-enter John of Lancaster, the

Lord Chief Justice, Officers with them.'

66

Neither explanation sounds convincing,

nor do the writers themselves give the

66