The Lives of the Poets of Great Britain and Ireland/Volume 4/Mr. John Gay
Mr. John Gay.
This eminent Wit was deſcended of an ancient family in Devonſhire, and educated at the free-ſchool of Barnſtaple in the ſame county, under the care of Mr. William Rayner, an excellent maſter.[1]
Mr. Gay had a ſmall fortune at his diſpoſal, and was bred, ſays Jacob, a Mercer in the Strand; but having a genius for high excellences, he conſidered ſuch an employment as a degradation to it, and relinquiſhed that occupation to reap the laurels of poetry.
About the year 1712 he was made ſecretary to the ducheſs of Monmouth, and continued in that ſtation ’till he went over to Hanover, in the beginning of the year 1714, with the earl of Clarendon, who was ſent there by Queen Anne; upon whoſe death he returned to England, and lived in the higheſt eſteem and friendſhip with perſons of the firſt quality and genius. Upon Mr. Gay’s arrival from Hanover, we find among Mr. Pope’s letters one addreſſed to him dated September 23, 1714, which begins thus,
- Dear Gay,
‘Welcome to your native ſoil! welcome to your friends, thrice welcome to me! whether returned in glory, bleſſed with court-intereſt, the love and familiarity of the great, and filled with agreeable hopes; or melancholy with dejection, contemplative of the changes of fortune, and doubtful for the future. Whether returned a triumphant Whig, or a deſponding Tory, equally all hail! equally beloved and welcome to me! If happy, I am to ſhare in your elevation; if unhappy, you have ſtill a warm corner in my heart, and a retreat at Binfield in the worſt of times at your ſervice. If you are a Tory, or thought ſo by any man, I know it can proceed from nothing but your gratitude to a few people, who endeavoured to ſerve you, and whoſe politics were never your concern. If you are a Whig, as I rather hope, and as I think your principles and mine, as brother poets, had ever a bias to the ſide of liberty, I know you will be an honeſt man, and an inoffenſive one. Upon the whole, I know you are incapable of being ſo much on either ſide, as to be good for nothing. Therefore, once more, whatever you are, or in whatever ſtate you are, all hail!’[2]
In 1724 his tragedy entitled the Captives, which he had the honour to read in MS. to Queen Caroline, then Princeſs of Wales, was acted at the Theatre-Royal in Drury Lane.
In 1726 he publiſhed his Fables, dedicated to the Duke of Cumberland, and the year following he was offered the place of gentleman uſher to one of the youngeſt Princeſſes, which, by reaſon of ſome ſlight ſhewn him at court, he thought proper to refuſe. He wrote ſeveral works of humour with great ſucceſs, particularly The Shepherd’s Week, Trivia, The What d’ye Call It, and The Beggars Opera, which was acted at the Theatre in Lincoln’s-Inn-Fields 1728.
The author of the Notes on this line of the Dunciad, b. iii. l. 326.
Gay dies unpenſioned with a hundred friends;
obſerves that this opera was a piece of ſatire, which hits all taſtes and degrees of men, from thoſe of the higheſt quality to the very rabble. “That verſe of Horace
Primores populi arripuit populumque tributim,
could never be ſo juſtly applied as in this caſe. The vaſt ſucceſs of it was unprecedented, and almoſt incredible. What is related of the wonderful effects of the ancient muſic, or tragedy, hardly came up to it. Sophocles and Euripides were leſs followed and famous; it was acted in London ſixty three days uninterrupted, and renewed the next ſeaſon with equal applauſe. It ſpread into all the great towns of England, was played in many places to the thirtieth and fortieth time; at Bath and Briſtol fifty. It made its progreſs into Wales, Scotland and Ireland, where it was performed twenty-four days together. It was laſtly acted in Minorca. The fame of it was not confined to the author only; the ladies carried about with them the favourite ſongs of it in fans; and houſes were furniſhed with it in ſcreens. The girl who acted Polly, ’till then obſcure, became all at once the favourite of the town, her pictures were engraved, and ſold in great numbers; her life written; books of letters and verfes to her publiſhed; and pamphlets made even of her ſayings and jeſts. Furthermore, it drove out of England, for that ſeaſon, the Italian Opera, which had carried all before it for ten years; that idol of the nobility and the people, which Mr. Dennis by the labours and outcries of a whole life, could not overthrow, was demoliſhed by a ſingle ſtroke of this gentleman’s pen.”
Dr. Swift in his Intelligencer Numb. 3. has given us a vindication of Mr. Gay, and the Beggars Opera; he obſerves, ‘that though an evil taſte be very apt to prevail both in Dublin and in London; yet, there is a point which whoever can rightly touch, will never fail of pleaſing a very great majority; ſo great that the diſlikers, out of dullneſs, or affectation, will be ſilent, and forced to fall in with the herd; the point I mean is, what we call humour, which, in its perfection, is allowed to be much preferable to wit, if it be not rather the moil uſeful, and agreeable ſpecies of it.Now I take the comedy, or farce (or whatever name the critic will allow it) called The Beggar’s Opera, to excel in this article of humour, and upon that merit to have met with ſuch prodigious ſucceſs, both here and in England.’ The dean afterwards remarks, ‘that an opinion obtained, that in this opera, there appears to be ſome reflexions on courtiers and ſtateſmen. It is true indeed (ſays he) that Mr. Gay hath been ſomewhat ſingular in the courſe of his fortunes, attending the court with a large ſtock of real merit, a modeſt and agreeable converſation, a hundred promiſes, and five hundred friends, hath failed of preferment, and upon a very weighty reaſon; he lay under the ſuſpicion of having written a Libel, or Lampoon, againſt a great miniſter; it is true that great miniſter was demonſtratively convinced, and publickly owned his conviction, that Mr. Gay was not the author, but having laid under the ſuſpicion, it ſeemed very juſt that he ſhould ſuffer the puniſhment, becauſe in this moſt reformed age the virtues of a great miniſter are no more to be ſuſpected, than the chaſtity of Cæſar’s wife.’
The dean then tells us, that our author in this piece has, by a turn of humour entirely new, placed vices of all kinds in the ſtrongeſt, and moſt odious light, and thereby done eminent ſervice both to religion and morality. ‘This appears from the unparalleled ſucceſs he has met with; all ranks, parties, and denominations of men, either crowding to ſee his Opera, or reading it with delight in their cloſets; even miniſters of ſtate, whom he is thought moſt to have offended, appearing frequently at the Theatre, from a conſciouſneſs of their own innocence, and to convince the world how unjuſt a parallel, malice, envy and diſaffection to the government have made.In this happy performance of Mr. Gay, all the characters are juſt, and none of them carried beyond nature, or hardly beyond practice. It diſcovers the whole ſyſtem of that commonwealth, or that imperium in imperio of iniquity eſtabliſhed among us, by which, neither our lives, nor our properties are ſecure, either in highways, or in public aſſemblies, or even in our own houſes; it ſhews the miſerable lives and conſtant fate of thoſe abandoned wretches; for how ſmall a price they ſell their ſouls, betrayed by their companions, receivers, and purchaſers of thoſe thefts and robberies. This comedy contains likewiſe a ſatire, which though it doth by no means affect the preſent age, yet might have been uſeful in the former, and may poſſibly be ſo in ages to come, I mean where the author takes occaſion of comparing thoſe common robbers of the public, and their ſeveral ſtratagems of betraying, undermining, and hanging each other, to the ſeveral arts of politicians in the time of corruption. This comedy likewiſe expoſes, with great juſtice, that unnatural taſte for Italian muſic among us, which is wholly unſuitable to our Northern climate, and the genius of the people, whereby we are overrun with Italian effeminacy. An old gentleman ſaid to me many years ago, when the practice of an unnatural vice grew ſo frequent in London, that many were proſecuted for it; he was ſure it would be the forerunner of Italian operas and ſingers, and then we ſhould want nothing but ſtabbing, or poiſoning, to make us perfect Italians. Upon the whole I deliver my judgment; that nothing but ſervile attachment to a party, affectation of ſingularity, lamentable dullneſs, miſtaken zeal, or ſtudied hypocriſy, can have any objection againſt this excellent moral performance of Mr. Gay[3].’
The aſtoniſhing ſucceſs of the Beggar’s Opera induced our author to add a ſecond part, in which, however, he was diſappointed, both in profit and fame. His opera entitled Polly, deſigned as a ſequel of the former, was prohibited by the lord chamberlain from being repreſented on the ſtage, when every thing was ready for the rehearſal of it, but was ſoon after printed in 4to. to which the author had a very large ſubſcription. In the preface Mr. Gay gives a particular account of the whole affair in the following manner; ‘On Thurſday December 12 (ſays he) I received this anſwer from the chamberlain, that it ſhould not be allowed to be acted, but ſuppreſſed. This was told me in general without any reaſons aſſigned, or any charge againſt me of my having given any particular offence. Since this prohibition I have been told, that I am accuſed, in general terms, of having written many diſaffected libels, and ſeditious pamphlets. As it hath ever been my utmoſt ambition (if that word may be uſed upon this occaſion) to lead a quiet and inoffenſive life, I thought my innocence in this particular would never have needed a juſtification; and as this kind of writing is what I ever deteſted, and never practiced, I am perſuaded ſo groundleſs a calumny can never be believed, but by thoſe who do not know me. But when general aſperſions of this ſort have been caſt upon me, I think myſelf called upon to declare my principles, and I do with the ſtricteſt truth affirm, that I am as loyal a ſubject, and as firmly attached to the preſent happy eſtabliſhment, as any of thoſe who have the greateſt places or penſions. I have been informed too, that in the following play I have been charged with writing immoralities; that it is filled with ſlander and calumny againſt particular great perſons, and that Majeſty itſelf is endeavoured to be brought into ridicule and contempt.
‘As I know that every one of theſe charges was in every point abſolutely falſe, and without the leaſt grounds, at firſt I was not at all affected by them; but when I found they were ſtill inſiſted upon, and that particular paſſages which were not in the play were quoted, and propagated to ſupport what had been ſuggeſted, I could no longer bear to lye under thoſe falſe accuſations; ſo by printing it, I have ſubmitted, and given up all preſent views of profit, which might accrue from the ſtage, which will undoubtedly be ſome ſatisfaction to the worthy gentlemen, who have treated me with ſo much candour and humanity, and repreſented me in ſuch favourable colours. But as I am conſcious to myſelf, that my only intention was to laſh in general the reigning and faſhionable vices, and to recommend, and ſet virtue in as amiable a light as I could; to juſtify and vindicate my own character, I thought myſelf obliged to print the opera without delay, in the manner I have done.’
The large ſubſcription Mr. Gay had to print it, amply recompens’d any loſs he might receive from it’s not being afted. Tho’ this was called the Sequel to the Beggar’s Opera, it was allowed by his beſt friends, ſcarce to be of a piece with the firſt part, being in every particular, infinitely beneath it.
Beſides the works which we have already mentioned, Mr. Gay wrote ſeveral poems, printed in London in 2 vol. 12mo.
A Comedy called The Wife of Bath, firſt acted 1715, and afterwards revived, altered, and repreſented at the Theatre Royal in Lincoln’s-Inn-Fields.
Three Hours after Marriage, a Comedy; acted at the Theatre-Royal, in which he was aſſiſted by Pope and Arbuthnot, but had the mortification to ſee this piece very ill received, if not damned the firſt night.
He wrote likewiſe Achilles, an Opera; acted at the Theatre in Covent Garden. This was brought on the ſtage after his death, and the profits were given to his Siſters.
After experiencing many viciſſitudes of fortune, and being for ſome time chiefly ſupported by the liberality of the duke and ducheſs of Queenſberry, he died at their houſe in Burlington Gardens, of a violent inflammatory fever, in December 1732, and was interred in Weſtminſter, by his noble benefactors juſt mentioned, with the following epitaph written by Mr. Pope, who had the ſincereſt friendſhip for him on account of his amiable qualities. ‘Of manners gentle, of affections mild;
In wit a man, ſimplicity a child;
Above temptation in a low eſtate,
And uncorrupted even amongſt the great;
A ſafe companion, and an eaſy friend,
Unblamed thro’ life, lamented in thy end:
Theſe are thy honours! not that here thy buſt
Is mix’d with heroes, or with kings thy duſt,
But that the worthy and the good ſhall ſay,
Striking their penſive boſoms—here lies Gay;’
Then follows this farther inſcription,
Here lie the aſhes of Mr. John Gay;
The warmeſt friend;
The moſt benevolent man:
Who maintained
Independency
In low circumſtances of fortune;
Integrity
In the midſt of a corrupt age;
And that equal ſerenity of mind,
Which conſcious goodneſs alone can give
Thro’ the whole courſe of his life.
Favourite of the muſes
He was led by them to every elegant art;
Refin’d in taſte,
And fraught with graces all his own:
In various kinds of poetry
Superior to many,
Inferior to none,
His works continue to inſpire
What his example taught,
Contempt of folly, however adorned;
Deteſtation of vice, however dignified;
Reverence of virtue, however diſgraced.
Mr. Gay’s moral character ſeems to have been very amiable. He was of an affable, ſweet diſpoſition, generous in his temper, and pleaſant in his converſation. His chief failing was an exceſſive indolence, without the leaſt knowledge of œconomy; which often ſubjected him to wants he needed not otherwiſe have experienced. Dean Swift in many of his letters entreated him, while money was in his hands, to buy an annuity, leſt old age ſhould overtake him unprepared; but Mr. Gay never thought proper to comply with his advice, and choſe rather to throw himſelf upon patronage, than ſecure a competence, as the dean wiſely adviſed. As to his genius it would be ſuperfluous to ſay any thing here, his works are in the hands of every reader of taſte, and ſpeak for themſelves; we know not whether we can be juſtified in our opinion, but we beg leave to obſerve, that of all Gay’s performances, his Paſtorals ſeem to have the higheſt finiſhing; they are perfectly Doric; the characters and dialogue are natural and rurally ſimple; the language is admirably ſuited to the perſons, who appear delightfully ruſtic.
