John Gay Biography and List of Works

English poet and dramatist, friend of Pope and Swift. Gay is remembered from his play THE BEGGAR'S OPERA (1728), which has been basis for Bertold Brecht's classical work The Three penny Opera (1928).

My lodging is on the cold ground,
And hard, very hard, is my fare,
But that which grieves me more
Is the coldness of my dear.
(from My Lodging Is on the Cold Ground, 1720)

John Gay was born at Barnstaple in Devon, as the youngest son of William Gay. He lost his parents in the early age and was brought up by his uncle. Gay started as an apprentice to a silk merchant in London. He worked in 1712-14 as a steward in the household of the Duchess of Monmouth. He then became secretary to Lord Clarendon, Tory envoy to Hanover, but with the death of Queen Anne and the fall of Tory government he was left on his own resources. In his last years Gay lived mainly with two of his patrons, the Duke and Duchess of Queensbury in Wiltshire. In 1732 he returned to London, where he died on December 4. Gay was buried in Westminster Abbey.

In 1708 Gay published 'Wine', a poem to celebrate the Act of Union between England and Scotland and in 1711 he published a pamphlet THE PRESENT STATE OF WIT. During these years he met Pope and began to visit the fashionable coffeehouses. In London Gay supported himself by working as a journalist. His first important poem, THE RURAL SPORTS, appeared in 1713, and was dedicated to Pope. The long poem comically glorifies descriptions of hunting and fishing. THE WHAT D'YE CALL IT (1715) was Gay's first satirical play, which he finished at age 30. The Beggar's Opera was first performed when the author was 43. The story of highwaymen and corrupt law keepers is still performed. Its sequel, POLLY (1729) was supposedly banned by the Prime Minister Robert Walpole. In was published with the help of the Duchess of Queensbury, who was dismissed from court for her actions in favour of Gay.

Among his other works are his finest poem: TRIVIA: OR, THE ART OF WALKING THE STREETS OF LONDON (1716), a survey of the conditions of life in the capital, THE SHEPHERD'S WEEKS (1714), a series of mock-classical poems in pastoral settings, and FABLES (1727-38), brief moral tales, often satirical in tone. Gay wrote the libretto for Händel's work Acis and Galatea. With POEMS ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS (1720) Gay enjoyed financial success for a short time. He invested the money in the South Sea Company, which promised to bring in huge profits from new trade routes to South America. When the 'Bubble' burst, Gay was temporarily ruined. In 1727 Gay wrote the FIFTY-ONE FABLES IN VERSE, which he dedicated to six-year-old Prince William. His reward was the post as Gentleman Usher to the two-year-old princess Louisa - Gay declined.

"Life is a jest, and all things show it; I thought so once, and now I know"
- writers epitaph

The Beggar's Opera (1728) - the earliest of the 'ballad operas', which were meant as entertainment as, opposed to the serious Italian operas. The play partly attacked on the Prime Minister Robert Walpole and the ruling party, who restricted the activities of theatre. The sequel, Polly (1729), was banned. Gay's work was a mock-heroic as Fielding's Jonathan Wild the Great (1734), which is about a master criminal. Gay inverted the heroic values of polite society by translating hypocrisy into the underworld of London's criminals. The idea for the opera was provided by Swift. In the story the receiver of stolen goods, Peachum, has a profitable business arrangement with Macheath, a highwayman. However, Peachum's daughter Polly falls in love with the criminal and Peachum informs against Macheath who is imprisoned in Newgate. The warden's daughter Lucy Lockit also falls for him and Macheath takes his opportunity to escape. Recaptured in a brothel, Macheath is saved again from the gallows - now his release is demanded on behalf of the audience by one of the players.

For further reading: Lives of the Poets by S. Johnson (first edition 1781); The Life and Letters of John Gay by L. Melville (1921); Mr. Gay by O. Sherwin (1929); John Gay by P.F. Gaye (1938);Gay, Favourite of the Wits by W.H. Irving (1940); Mr. Gay's London by A.P. Herbert (1948); John Gay, Social Critic by S.M. Armens (1954); John Gay, Favourite of the Wits by W.H. Irving (1962); John Gay by P.M. Spacks (1965); John Gay and the London Theatre by Calhoun Winton (1993)

WINE, (1708)