Page:The lives of the poets of Great Britain and Ireland to the time of Dean Swift - Volume 4.djvu/263

Rh and outcries of a whole life, could not overthrow, was demoliſhed by a ſingle ſtroke of this gentleman’s pen.”

Dr. Swift in his Intelligencer Numb. 3. has given us a vindication of Mr. Gay, and the Beggars Opera; he obſerves, ‘that though an evil taſte be very apt to prevail both in Dublin and in London; yet, there is a point which whoever can rightly touch, will never fail of pleaſing a very great majority; ſo great that the diſlikers, out of dullneſs, or affectation, will be ſilent, and forced to fall in with the herd; the point I mean is, what we call humour, which, in its perfection, is allowed to be much preferable to wit, if it be not rather the moil uſeful, and agreeable ſpecies of it.Now I take the comedy, or farce (or whatever name the critic will allow it) called The Beggar’s Opera, to excel in this article of humour, and upon that merit to have met with ſuch prodigious ſucceſs, both here and in England.’ The dean afterwards remarks, ‘that an opinion obtained, that in this opera, there appears to be ſome reflexions on courtiers and ſtateſmen. It is true indeed (ſays he) that Mr. Gay hath been ſomewhat ſingular in the courſe of his fortunes, attending the court with a large ſtock of real merit, a modeſt and agreeable converſation, a hundred promiſes, and five hundred friends, hath failed of preferment, and upon a very weighty reaſon; he lay under the ſuſpicion of having written a Libel, or Lampoon, againſt a great miniſter; it is true that great miniſter was demonſtratively convinced, and publickly owned his conviction, that Mr. Gay was not the author, but having laid under the ſuſpicion, it ſeemed very juſt that he ſhould ſuffer the puniſhment, becauſe in this moſt reformed age the virtues of a great miniſter are no more to be ſuſpected, than the chaſtity of Cæſar’s wife.’ The