even when the intention was to fhow them groveling and degraded; and The Shepherd's Week was read with delight, as a just representation of rural manners and occupations, by those who had no intereft in the rivalry of Pope and Philips.

The most promifing views of preferment now opened to him at court. He was careffed by Bolingbroke, Swift, and the leading perfons in the Tory Ministry, and his patronefs rejoiced to see him taken from her service to attend the Earl of Clarendon, as Secretary to his embassy to the Court of Hanover, in the last year of Queen Anne's life.

This was a station that naturally gave him hopes of kindness from every party; but the Queen's death, which happened fifteen days after his arrival at Hanover, put an end to her favours, and the dedication of his Shepherd's Week to Bolingbroke, is supposed to have obstructed all kindness from the houfe of Hanover.

His office, however, made him perfonally known to the royal family; and his Epifile to a Lady occafioned by the arrival of ber Royal Highness the Princess of Wales, procured him a favourable admittance at the new court.

In 1715, he brought on the stage his What-d'ye-Call-it, a tragi-comic-pastoral Farce, which was acted with great applause, and honoured with the attendance of the Prince and Princess of Wales. The novelty of this mock tragedy, the images of which were comic, and the action grave, and the favour with which it was received by the audience, produced a pamphlet against it, called, “The Key to the What-d'ye-Call-it," written by Griffin, a player, in conjunction with Theobald. The exhibition of The What-d'ze-Call- it, pleased the town and the court, and advanced the repatation of its author, but failed to raise his fortune.

Places he found were daily given away,

And yet no friendly gazette mentioned Gay.

The profits, however, recruited his finances; and his poetical merit being endeared by the fweetnefs and fincerity of his disposition, made him the general favourite of the whole affociation of wits, and the companion of persons of the highest distinction, both ́in rank and abilities.

In 1716, he made a vifit to Devonshire, at the expence of the Earl of Burlington, whom he repaid with an Epifle, containing an humorous account of his journey.

The year following, he made a fimilar return to the kindness of Mr. Pulteney, who, on resigning is place of Secretary at War, took him to Aix.

Soon after his return from France, he endeavoured to entertain the town with The Three Hours after Marriage, á Comedy, written by the joint affistance of Pope and Arbuthnot, which was defervedly driven off the flage with general condemnation. It was printed under the name of Gay, but his hand is not very difcernible in any part of it. The character of Sir Tremendous, being apparently designed for Dennis, was probably introduced by Pope. Fofile, who was meant to ridicule Dr. Woodward, a man not really nor justly contemptible, might have been the production of Arbuthnot, whofe knowledge in his profeffion would farnifh a fufficient train of phyfical terms and ob fervations. Phabe Clinket also fhould seem to have been intended to ridicule one of the females, whofe petulant attacks had irritated Pope. Cibber fays, that his own quarrel with him was occafoned by a joke thrown into the "Rehearsal," at the expence of this unsuccessful performance.

In 1718, he accompanied Pope on a visit to Lord Harcourt, at his feat in Oxfordshire, where he confecrated to posterity the death of two rural lovers, unfortunately killed in the neighbouring fields by a Atroke of lightning, in his letter to Fentón, printed among Pope's Letters.

In 1720, he published a collection of his Poems, with Dioné, a pastoral-tragedy, in 4to, by subfeription, which, as he was generally known, was fo fuccessful, that he raised a thousand pounds, with which Pope advised him, and was feconded by Swift, to purchase an annuity; but the advice was thrown away.

Mr. Secretary Caggs having made him a present of fome South Sea stock, he fell into the general Infatuation of that difaftrous year, and once fuppofed himself to be master of twenty thousand yonnés.

His friends endeavoured to perfuade him to fell his fhare; but he could not bear to obftruct his own fortune. He was then importuned to fell as much as would purchase a hundred a-year for life, “which," fays Fenton," would make you fure of a clean shirt and a shoulder of mutton every day." This advice was rejected; the profit and pri principal were loft; and he funk under the calamity

fo low, that his life became in danger.

After languishing fome time, he removed to Hampstead, in 1722, where, by the care of his friends, among whom Arbuthnot and Pope appear to have fhown particular tenderness, his health was restored; and returning to his studies, he wrote The Captives, a Tragedy, which he was invited to read to the Princess of Wales, at Leicefter-houfe.

On this occafion Mr. Victor relates, that when the hour came, and he faw the Princess and her ladies all in expectation, advancing with reverence, too great for any other attention," he did not fee a low foot-ftool that happened to be near him, and stumbling over it, he felf against å largé fcreen, which he overfet, and threw the ladies into no fmall diforder."

The Captives was brought on the ftage at Drury-Lane, in 1723, and acted eleven nights with great applause. The author's third night, was, by the express command of the Prince and Princefs of Wales.

He now thought himself in favour; and having promifes made him of preferment, he undertook to write Fables for the improvement of the young Duke of Cumberland, which he published, with dedication to that Prince, in 1726. In fome of the Fables" he was thought to be fomething too bold with the court," and in The Hare with many Friends, he figuratively described his own dependence on the promiles of the Great.

Upon the accession of George II., the year following, his patronefs became Queen, and he expected to be provided for in fome office fuitable to his inclination and abilities; but, on the fettlement of the household, 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. Remonstrances and folicitations were afterwards employed in his favour, and verfes and Batteries were addressed to Mrs. Howard, afterwards Countefs of Suffolk, who was much beloved by the King and Queen, to engage her intereft in his promotion; but remonstrances and folicita tions availed him nothing, and the verses and flatteries were thrown away.

The public favour, however, made him ample amends for the neglect of the court; and the pain which he suffered from his private disappointment, may be supposed to have been driven away by the unprecedented, and almost incredible fuccefs of the Beggar's Opera, written in ridicule of the musical Italian drama, and acted at Lincoln's Inn-fields, in 1727. It was firft offered to Cibber and his brethren at Drury-Lane, and rejected; it being then carried to Rich, had the effect, as was luditrously faid, of making Gay rich, and Rich gay.

Of the original and progress of this new fpecies of compofition, Spence has given the relation in Pope's words.

"Dr. Swift had been obferving once to Mr. Gay, what an odd pretty fort of a thing a Newgate pastoral 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 rife 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 showed it to both of us, and we now and then gave a correction, or a wor or two of advice; but it was wholly of his own writing.—When it was done, neither of us thought it would fucceed-We showed it to Congreve, who, after reading it over, faid, it would éither take greatly, or be damned confoundedly.-We were all at the first night of it, in very 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 them." This was a good while before the first act was over, and to gave us eafle foon; for that Duke (befides his own good taste) has a particular knack, as any one living, in difcovering the taste of the public, He was quite right in this, as ufual; the good nature of the audience appeared stronger and strenger eve, ry act, and ended in a clamour of applaufs."

And, in the “ Epiftle to Arbuthnot," he has this tender and indignant apostrophe

Of all thy blameless life the fole return,

My verfe, and Queensb'ry weeping o'er thy urn!

As a poet, he is characterised by variety, sprightliness, ease, and elegance. His compositions though original in fome parts, are not of the highest kind. They are, in general, more diftinguished by vivacity, penetration, good sense, and perfpicuity of expreffion, than by fublimity, ten. derness, imagination, and strength or harmony of numbers. His Paftorals, Fables, and Beggar's Opera, are the chief foundation of his fame. His paftorals seem to have the highest finishing. They are perfectly Doric. The rural fimplicity neglected by Pope, and admired in Philips, appears in its true guife in the Shepherd's Week: "There only nature is feen exactly such as the country affordeth, and the manner meetly copied from the ruftical folk therein." His Fables have obtained more popularity. They are the favourites of the nursery and of the school, and the delight of perfous of every rank and of every age. The verification is polished, the apologues, in general, are corre&; they poffefs originality, wit, and humour; and to these is fuperadded, a confierable portion of poetical fpirit. He is fometimes, however, deficient in that quality, and in the harmony of his numbers; but he is, upon the whole, the most agreeable metrical fabulift in our language. The merits of the Beggar's Opera are univerfally acknowledged. "We owe to Gay," fays Dr. Johnson, "the Eallad Opera: a mode of Comedy, which at first was supposed to delight only by its novelty; but has now, by the experience of half a century, been found so well accommodated to the difpofition of a popular audience, that it is likely to keep long poffeffion of the ftage. Whether this new drama was the product of judgment or of luck, the praise of it must be given to the inventor: and there are many writers read with more reverence, to whom fuch merit of originality cannot be attributed."

Of his Tales, Epifles, Eclogues, Songs, &c. it would be fuperfluous to enumerate the brighter paffages. Many of thefe little compofitions are favourites with the public. His Tales and Eclogues unite a confiderable portion of the grace and cafe of Prior, with the humour of Swift; but they are not remarkable for the beauty of their images, or the harmony of their numbers. His Pastoral Tragedy of Dione is claffical and elegant; but will not greatly entertain without the proper embellishments, acting and mufic. His Contemplation on Night, and Thoughts on Eternity, merit the highest praise. His Sweet William's Farewell, is one of the most popular ballads in the English language.

The estimate of his poetical character, as given by Dr. Johnson, is, in some instances, too fevere to be approved by readers uncorrupted by literary prejudices.

"As a poet, he cannot be rated very high. He was, as I once heard a fernale critic remark," of a lower order." He had not, in any great degree, the mens divinior, the dignity of genius. His first performance, the Rural Sports, is fuch as was easily planned and executed: it is never contemptible, nor ever excellent. The Fan is one of those mythological fictions which antiquity delivers ready to the hand, but which, like other things that lie open to every one's use, are of little value. His Fables feem to have been a favourite work. Of this kind of fables he does not appear to have formed any diftin&t or fettled notion. For a Fable he gives now and then a Tale, or an abstracted Allegory; and from fome, by whatever name they are called, it will be difficult to extract any mo ral principle. They are, however, told with liveliness; the verfification is smooth, and the diction, though now and then a little contrained by the measure or the rhyme, is generally happy. To Trivia may be allowed all that it claims: it is fprightly, various, and pleasant. The subject is of that kind which Gay was, by nature, qualified to adorn; yet fome of his decorations may be juftly wifhed away. The appearance of Cloacina is naufeons and fuperfluous. Dione, is a counterpart to "Amyuta" and "Paftor Fido," and other trifles of the fame kind, easily imitated, and unworthy of imitation. What the Italians call Comedies, from a happy conclufion, Gay calls a Tragedy, from a mournful event; but the ftyle of the Italians and of Gay is equally tragical.

"Of his little poems the public judgment feems to be right; they are neither much efteemed, nor totally defpifed. The Story of the 'pparition is borrowed from one of the tales of Poggio. Those that please leaft, are the pieces to which Gulliver gave occafion; for who can much delight the echo of an unnatural fiction ?”

POEMS BY MR. GAY.

RURAL SPORTS:

A GEORGIC.

INSCRIBED TO MR. POPE, 1713 *.

"Securi prælia ruris
Pandimus."