s. George Routledge and Sons, Ltd.,
from the "Poems of John Gay," edited by Mr. John Underwood, in "The
Muses' Library." Mr. John Murray has kindly allowed me to quote
correspondence to and from Gay printed in the standard edition of Pope's
works, edited by the late Rev. Whitwell Elwin and Professor Courthope,
and published by him.

LEWIS MELVILLE. LONDON, _April_, 1921.

[Footnote 1: Swift: _Works_ (ed. Scott), XVIII, p. 65.]

CONTENTS

CHAP. PAGE

PREFACE vii

I.--EARLY YEARS 1

II.--GAY COMMENCES AUTHOR 7

III.--"RURAL SPORTS"--"THE FAN"--"THE WIFE OF
BATH"--ETC. 18

IV.--"THE SHEPHERD'S WEEK"--"A LETTER TO A LADY" 24

V.--"THE WHAT D'YE CALL IT"--"AN EPISTLE TO THE
RIGHT HONOURABLE THE EARL OF BURLINGTON"--"TRIVIA,
OR, THE ART OF WALKING THE STREETS OF
LONDON"--"THREE HOURS AFTER MARRIAGE" 36

VI.--"POEMS ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS"--GAY INVESTS
HIS EARNINGS IN THE SOUTH SEA COMPANY--THE
SOUTH SEA "BUBBLE" BREAKS, AND GAY LOSES ALL
HIS MONEY--APPOINTED A COMMISSIONER OF THE
STATE LOTTERY--LORD LINCOLN GIVES HIM AN
APARTMENT IN WHITEHALL--AT TUNBRIDGE
WELLS--CORRESPONDENCE WITH MRS. HOWARD 50

VII.--"THE CAPTIVES"--THE FIRST SERIES OF
"FABLES"--GAY AND THE COURT--POPE, SWIFT AND
MRS. HOWARD 65

VIII.--"THE BEGGAR'S OPERA" 78

IX.--"POLLY" 92

X.--CORRESPONDENCE (1729) 105

XI.--CORRESPONDENCE (1730) 115

XII.--CORRESPONDENCE (1731) 126

XIII.--DEATH 133

APPENDIX:--
I.--NOTES ON THE SOURCES OF THE TONES OF
"THE BEGGAR'S OPERA," by W.H. GRATTAN
FLOOD, Mus.D. 150

II.--A CHRONOLOGICAL LIST OF THE CORRESPONDENCE
OF JOHN GAY 156

III.--PROGRAMME OF THE REVIVAL OF "THE BEGGAR'S
OPERA," LYRIC THEATRE; HAMMERSMITH,
JUNE 7th, 1920 162

INDEX 163

CHAPTER I

1685-1706

EARLY YEARS

The Gays were an old family, who settled in Devonshire when Gilbert le
Gay, through his marriage