1688-1732.

8

'THE SHEPHERD'S WEEK.'

285

remote from London. Steele, in some papers of The Guardian," had praised Ambrose Philips as the pastoral writer that yielded only to Theccritus, Virgil, and Spenser. Pope, who had also published Pastorals, not pleased to be overlooked, drew up a comparison of his own compositions with those of Philips, in which he covertly gave himself the preference, while he seemed to disown it. Not content with this, he is supposed to have incited Gay to write The Shepherd's Week,' to show, that if it be necessary to copy nature with minuteness, rural life must be exhibited such as grossness and ignorance have made it. So far the plan was reasonable; but the Pastorals are introduced by a 'Proeme,' written with such imitation as they could attain of obsolete language, and by consequence in a style that was never spoken nor written in any language or in any place.

But the effect of reality and truth became conspicuous, even when the intention was to show them grovelling and degraded. These Pastorals became popular, and were read with delight as just representations of rural manners and occupations, by those who had no interest in the rivalry of the poets, nor knowledge of the critical dispute.

In 1713 he brought a comedy, called The Wife of Bath,' upon the stage, but it received no applause: he printed it, however; and seventeen years after, having altered it, and, as he thought, adapted it more to the public taste, he offered it again to the town; but, though he was flushed with the success of The Beggar's Opera,' had the mortification to see it again rejected."

In the last year of Queen Anne's life (1714) Gay was made secretary to the Earl of Clarendon, ambassador to the court of Hanover. This was a station that naturally gave him hopes

7 The Guardian,' 15 and 17 April, 1713. The numbers in question were, I believe, written by Tickell.

8 'The Guardian,' 27th April, 1713.

9 It was brought out at Drury Lane 12th May, 1713, and had a run of three nights.

10 It was acted, however, at Lincoln's-Inn-Fields 19th January, 1729–30, and was played for three nights.

of kindness from every party; but the Queen's death put an end to her favours, and he had dedicated his 'Shepherd's Week' to Bolingbroke, which Swift considered as the crime that obstructed all kindness from the house of Hanover.

He did not, however, omit to improve the right which his office had given him to the notice of the royal family. On the arrival of the Princess of Wales [1714-15], he wrote a poem, and obtained so much favour, that both the Prince and Princess went to see his 'What d'ye call it,' a kind of mock-tragedy, in which the images were comic, and the action grave; so that, as Pope relates, Mr. Cromwell, who could not hear what was said, was at a loss how to reconcile the laughter of the audience with the solemnity of the scene."1

Of this performance the value certainly is but little; but it was one of the lucky trifles that give pleasure by novelty, and was so much favoured by the audience, that envy appeared against it in the form of criticism; and Griffin, a player, in conjunction with Mr. Theobald, a man afterwards more remarkable, produced [1715] a pamphlet called 'The Key to the What d'ye call it ;' which, says Gay, "calls me a blockhead, and Mr. Pope a knave."12

But Fortune has always been inconstant. Not long afterwards (1717) he endeavoured to entertain the town with "Three Hours after Marriage;' a comedy written, as there is sufficient reason for believing, by the joint assistance of Pope and Arbuthnot. One purpose of it was to bring into contempt Dr. Woodward the Fossilist, a man not really or justly con

11 The What d' ye call it,' a tragi-comi-pastoral farce, was acted for the first time at Drury Lane 23rd Feb. 1714-15.

"A famous poet was certainly in the right, when giving an account why his 'What d' ye call it was hissed off the stage: 'D-n them,' said he, they have not wit enough to take it.'"-ARBUTHNOT's Works, i. 110. Gulliver Decyphered. Lintot's Account Book, under the 14th Feb. 1714-15, exhibits a payment to Gay of 167. 2s. 6d. (fifteen guineas) for the What d' ye call it.'

12 Gay and Pope to Congreve, April 7, 1715. He published, January 1715-16, 'Trivia, or the Art of Walking the Streets of London. By Mr. Gay. London: printed for Bernard Lintott, at the Cross Keys, &c.' 8vo. n. d. Lintot's Account Book, under 22nd Dec. 1715, exhibits a payment to Gay of 431. for 'Trivia.' The third ed. of Trivia' appeared in 1730, 8vo.

1688-1732.

FAILURE OF HIS COMEDY.

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temptible. It had the fate which such outrages deserve: the scene in which Woodward was directly and apparently ridiculed, by the introduction of a mummy and a crocodile, disgusted the audience, and the performance was driven off the stage with general condemnation.13

Gay is represented as a man easily incited to hope, and deeply depressed when his hopes were disappointed. This is not the character of a hero; but it may naturally imply something more generally welcome, a soft and civil companion. Whoever is apt to hope good from others is diligent to please them; but he that believes his powers strong enough to force their own way, commonly tries only to please himself.

6

He had been simple enough to imagine that those who laughed at the What d'ye call it' would raise the fortune of its author; and, finding nothing done, sunk into dejection. His friends endeavoured to divert him. The Earl of Burlington [the architect] sent him (1716) into Devonshire; the year after, Mr. Pulteney [afterwards Earl of Bath] took him to Aix ;1 and in the following year Lord Harcourt invited

13 It was acted for the first time at Drury Lane 16th January, 1716-17, and was played for seven nights. Cibber played Plotwell.'

This comedy (Three Hours after Marriage') occasioned two pamphlets, or libels, as Pope would have called them:-I. "The Confederates, a Farce. By Mr. Gay.' With a preface signed Joseph Gay. 8vo., 1717, price 1s. And II. A Letter to Mr. John Gay concerning his late Farce, entituled a Comedy.' 8vo., 1717, price 6d. On the title page of the former (it was written by Breval) is a wood-cut of Pope as a diminutive between Gay with a foolscap in his hand, and Arbuthnot as a Highlander. Both pamphlets are personal enough, but both are destitute of wit.

For the more serious and lasting quarrel between Pope and Cibber, which would appear to have originated in this comedy, see 'Life of Pope,' in vol. iii. "Mr. Addison and his friends had exclaimed so much against Gay's Three Hours after Marriage' for obscenities, that it provoked him to write A Letter from a Lady in the City to a Lady in the Country' on that subject. In it he quoted the passages which had been most exclaimed against, and opposed other passages to them from Addison's and Steele's plays. These were aggravated in the same manner that they had served his, and appeared worse. Had it been published, it would have made Addison appear ridiculous, which he could bear as little as any man. I therefore prevailed upon Gay not to print it, and have the manuscript now by me."-POPE: Spence by Singer, p. 202.

14 In the 'Suffolk Papers,' i. 32, is a letter from Gay to Mr. Howard, dated Dijon, Sept. 8, 1719.

him to his seat [in Oxfordshire], where, during his visit, 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 such success, that he raised a thousand pounds; and called his friends to a consultation, what use might be best made of it.15 Lewis, the steward of Lord Oxford, advised him to intrust it to the funds, and live upon the interest; Arbuthnot bade him intrust it to Providence, and live upon the principal; Pope directed him, and was seconded by Swift, to purchase an annuity.

Gay in that disastrous year 16 had a present from young Craggs of some South-sea-stock, and once supposed himself to be master of twenty thousand pounds. His friends persuaded him to sell his share; but he dreamed of dignity and splendour, and could not bear to obstruct his own fortune. He was then importuned to sell as much as would purchase an hundred a year for life," which," says Fenton, "will make you sure of a clean shirt and a shoulder of mutton every day." This counsel was rejected: the profit and principal were lost, and Gay sunk under the calamity so low that his life became in danger.

By the care of his friends, among whom Pope appears to have shown particular tenderness, his health was restored; and, returning to his studies, he wrote a tragedy called The Captives,' which he was invited to read before the Princess of

15 Poems on Several Occasions.' By Mr. John Gay. 2 vols. 4to., 1720 (Tonson and Lintot). Lord Burlington's name occurs among the subscribers for 50 copies.

16 Spence by Singer, p. 214.

17 I live almost altogether with Lord Burlington, and pass my time very agreeably. I left Chiswick about three weeks ago, and have been ever since at the Bath for the colical humour in my stomach, that you have heard me often complain of. Here is very little company that I know. I expect a summons very suddenly to go with Lord Burlington into Yorkshire. You must think that I cannot be now and then without some thoughts that give me uneasiness, who have not the least prospect of ever being independent; my friends do a great deal for me, but I think I could do more for them.-GAY to Francis Colman, Bath, 23rd Aug. 1721: Peake's Colman, i. 7.

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Wales, 18 When the hour came, he saw the Princess and her ladies all in expectation, and advancing with reverence, too great for any other attention, stumbled at a stool, and falling forwards, threw down a weighty Japan screen. The Princess started, the ladies screamed, and poor Gay, after all the disturbance, was still to read his play.

The fate of The Captives,' which was acted at Drury-lane in 1723-4, I know not ;19 but he now thought himself in favour, and undertook (1726) to write a volume of Fables for the improvement of the young Duke of Cumberland. For this he is said to have been promised a reward, which he had doubtless magnified with all the wild expectations of indigence and vanity.

Next year [1727] the Prince and Princess became King and Queen, and Gay was to be great and happy; but on the settlement of the household he found himself appointed gentleman usher to the Princess Louisa. By this offer he thought himself insulted, and sent a message to the Queen, that he was too old for the place. There seem 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 interest for his promotion; but solicitations, verses, and flatteries were thrown away; the lady heard them, and did nothing.2

20

All the pain which he suffered from neglect, or, as he perhaps termed it, the ingratitude of the Court, may be sup-posed to have been driven away by the unexampled success of

18 Afterwards Caroline, Queen of George II.

19 It was acted seven nights: the first night was 15th Jan. 1723-4. The author's third night was by command of the Prince and Princess of Wales. Dr. Young, in a letter to Lady Mary Wortley Montagu, says that "The Captives' brought its author above 10007.

20 Not from unwillingness, but inability. Swift and Pope over-rated her influence with the King, which it now appears from the 'Suffolk Papers' and Lord Hervey's 'Memoirs' was powerless, from the predominant influence of the Queen and Sir Robert Walpole in all State matters, and even in minor appointments. Of the sincerity of Lady Suffolk in Gay's behalf there can be no doubt whatever.

VOL. II.

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