, what pleased him as much, it filled
his purse, which he always liked to fill, apparently for the joy of
emptying it as soon as possible. Also, it greatly enhanced his
reputation: from a writer of minor importance, he now took his place as
a personage. After a long apprenticeship, he had at length "arrived."

Thus encouraged, he promptly composed a sequel to "The Beggar's Opera,"
which he called by the name of the heroine of that piece, that is to
say, "Polly." The best summary of "Polly" has been given by Mr. Paull,
in his interesting paper on Gay[6]:--

"Macheath has been transported across the herring-pond ... He succeeds
in escaping from the plantations, and has become the leader of a band of
pirates, under an assumed name, and disguised as a black man. Jenny
Driver is now his mistress (presumably he has forgotten her treachery in
'The Beggar's Opera'). Polly sails across the ocean to find him, but is
entrapped by Mrs. Trapes, a procuress, who sells her to Ducat, a rich
merchant. Mrs. Ducat, who is jealous, helps Polly to escape; she assumes
a boy's dress and continues her search for Macheath. She is captured by
the pirates, and she and Macheath meet, neither recognising the other.
The pirates are attacking the English settlement; the Indians are
helping the settlers. At first the pirates are successful, and the young
Indian Prince is captured, but ultimately they are defeated, Polly
herself capturing Macheath, who is condemned to death by the Indian
Prince. Then she learns from Jenny Driver who the pirate chief is, and
his life is promised her as her reward; but his execution has already
taken place, and she has to console herself with the hand of the Indian
Prince, who has fallen in love with her. Even this skeleton will show
that the novelty and unity of design which counted for so much in 'The
Beggar's Opera' are changed for intricacy of plot. There is no cohesion
in the story: there is no reason why the catastrophe should be brought
about in one way rather than another; what interest there is turns on an
improbable story rather than on the development of character. Evidently
Gay reckoned largely on the opportunities he had afforded himself for
satire on the Court, and for contrasting the noble and untutored savage
with the man tainted by the vices of civilisation."

"Polly" was accepted for production by Rich at the theatre in Lincoln's
Inn Fields: the subsequent proceedings are but told by the author
himsel