All the pain which he fuffered from the neglect, or, as he perhaps termed it, the ingratitude of the court, may be supposed to have been driven away by the unexampled fuccefs of the Beggar's Opera. This play, written in ridicule of the mufical Italian Drama, was first offered to Cibber and his brethren at Drury-Lane, and rejected; it being then carried to Rich, had the effect, as was ludicroufly 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 inferted the relation which Spence has given in Pope's

words.

.❝ Dr.

“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 after"wards thought it would be better to "write a comedy on the fame plan. "This was what gave rife to the Beg

gar's Opera. He began on it; and "when firft he mentioned it to Swift, "the doctor did not much like the pro"ject. As he carried it on, he shewed "what he wrote to both of us, and we "now-and-then gave a correction, or a "word or two 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 Con

« greve; 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 σε uncertainty of the event; till we were very much encouraged by overhearσε ing the duke of Argyle, who fat in "the next box to us, fay," It will do

f

it muft do! I fee it in the eyes of << them." This was a good while before 66 the first Act was over, and fo gave us eafe foon; for that duke (befides his

own good tafte) has a particular "knack, as any one now living, in dif66 covering the tafte of the publick. He was quite right in this, as ufual; the "good nature of the audience appeared

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"ftronger and stronger 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 "applause than was ever known. Befides

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being acted in London fixty-three days " without interruption, and renewed the "next feafon with equal applause, it "fpread into all the great towns of Eng"land; was played in many places to "the thirtieth and fortieth time; at "Bath and Bristol fifty, &c. It made "its progress into Wales, Scotland, and "Ireland, where it was performed twen"ty-four days fucceffively. The ladies "carried about with them the favourite "fongs of it in fans, and houfes were ❝ fur

I

"furnished with it in fcreens. The fame "of it was not confined to the author

only. The person who acted Polly, "till then obfcure, became all at once "the favourite of the town; her pic"tures were engraved, and sold in great "numbers; her Life written, books of "letters and verfes to her published, "and pamphlets made even of her fay"ings and jefts. Furthermore, it drove "out of England (for that season) the "Italian Opera, which had carried all "before it for ten years."

Of this performance, when it was printed, the reception was different, according to the different opinion of its readers. Swift commended it for the excellence of its morality, as a piece B 2

that