The

finding nothing done, funk into dejection. His friends endeavoured to divert him. earl of Burlington fent him (1716) into Devonshire; the year after, Mr. Pulteney took him to Aix; and in the following year lord Harcourt invited him to his feat, where, during his vifit, the two rural lovers were killed with lightning, as is particularly told in Pope's Letters.

Being now generally known, he published (1720) his Poems by subscription with fuch fuccefs, that he raised a thousand pounds; and called his friends to a confultation, what use might be best made of it. Lewis, the steward of lord Oxford, advised him to intrust it to the funds, and live upon the intereft; Arbuthnot bad him intrust it to Providence, and live upon the principal; Pope directed him, and was feconded by Swift, to purchase an annuity.

year

Gay in that disastrous * had a present from young Craggs of fome South-fea-stock, and once fuppofed himself to be mafter of twenty thousand pounds. His friends perfuaded him to fell his fhare; but he dreamed of dignity

and splendour, and could not bear to obstruct his own fortune. He was then importuned to fell as much as would purchase an hundred a year for life, which, fays Fenton, will make you fure of a clean shirt and a shoulder of mutton every day. This counsel was rejected; the profit and principal were loft, and Gay funk under the calamity so low that his life became in danger.

By the care of his friends, among whom Pope appears to have shewn particular tendernefs, his health was reftored; and, returning to his ftudies, he wrote a tragedy called The Captives, which he was invited to read before the princess of Wales. When the hour came, he faw the princefs and her ladies all in expectation, and advancing with reverence, too great for any other attention, ftumbled at a ftool, and falling forwards, threw down a weighty Japan fcreen. The princess started, the ladies fcreamed, and poor Gay after all the disturbance was ftill to read his play.

The fate of The Captives* I know not; but he now thought himself in favour, and

* It was acted at Drury-Lane in 1723.

under

undertook (1726) to write a volume of Fables for the improvement of the young duke of Cumberland. For this he is faid to have been promifed a reward, which he had doubtless magnified with all the wild expec tations of indigence and vanity.

Next year the Prince and Princess became King and Queen, and Gay was to be great and happy; but upon the fettlement of the houfehold he found himself appointed gentleman ufher to the princefs Louifa. By this offer he thought himself infulted, and fent a meffage to the Queen, that he was too old for the place. There feem to have been many machinations employed afterwards in his favour; and diligent court was paid to Mrs. Howard, afterwards countess of Suffolk, who was much beloved by the King and Queen, to engage her intereft for his promo; but folicitations, verfes, and flatteries were thrown away; the lady heard them, and did nothing.

tion

All the pain which he suffered from the neglect, or, as he perhaps termed it, the in-. gratitude of the court, may be fuppofed to VOL. III.

K

have

have been driven away by the unexampled fuccefs of the Beggar's Opera. This play, written in ridicule of the mufical Italian Drama, was firft offered to Cibber and his brethren at Drury-Lane, and rejected; it being then carried to Rich, had the effect, as was ludicrously faid, of making Gay rich, and Rich gay.

Of this lucky piece, as the reader cannot but wish to know the original and progrefs, I have inserted the relation which Spence has given in Pope's words..

"Dr. Swift had been obferving once to "Mr. Gay, what an odd pretty fort of a "thing a Newgate Paftoral might make. "Gay was inclined to try at fuch a thing "for fome time; but afterwards thought it "would be better to write a comedy on the "fame plan. This was what gave rise to "the Beggar's Opera. He began on it; "and when firft he mentioned it to Swift, "the Doctor did not much like the project. "As he carried it on, he fhewed what he "wrote to both of us, and we now-and"then gave a correction, or a word. or two

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"of advice; but it was wholly of his own writing. When it was done, neither of us thought it would fucceed.-We fhewed it to Congreve; who, after reading it over, faid, It would either take greatly, or be damned confoundedly. We were all, at the first night of it, in great uncertainty of the event; till we were very much encouraged by overhearing the duke of Argyle, who fat in the next box to us, fay,

It will do-it muft do! I fee it in the eyes “of thèm.' This was a good while before "the firft Act was over, and fo gave us eafe "foon; for that duke (befides his own good

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tafte) has a particular knack, as any one

now living, in difcovering the tafte of the publick. He was quite right in this, as ufual; the good nature of the audience appeared ftronger and ftronger every act, and ended in a clamour of applaufe."

Its reception is thus recorded in the notes to the Dunciad:

"This piece was received with greater applaufe than was ever known. Befides being acted in London fixty-three days