1688-1732
[Sidenote: Coxe’s _Life of John Gay_.]
“His physiognomy does not appear to have been remarkable for
strong lines or expressive features, it rather denoted benignity
and meekness.... In his person Gay was inclined to corpulency; a
circumstance which he humorously alludes to in his Epistle to Lord
Burlington:
‘You knew fat bards might tire,
And mounted sent me forth your trusty squire.’
His natural corpulency was increased by extreme indolence, for which
his friends often rallied him. Swift, in a letter to the Duchess of
Queensberry, thus expresses himself on this subject: ‘You need not be
in pain about Mr. Gay’s stock of health; I promise you he will spend
it all upon laziness, and run deep in debt by a winter’s repose in
town; therefore I entreat your Grace will order him to move his chaps
less, and his legs more, the six cold months, else he will spend all
his money in physic and coach-hire.’--8th October 1731.... In the early
part of his life Gay was extremely fond of dress.... Pope also touches
upon this weakness in a letter to Swift.--18th December 1713.
... “‘One Mr. Gay, an unhappy youth, who writes pastorals during the
time of divine service; whose case is the more deplorable, as he hath
miserably lavished away all that silver he should have reserved for his
soul’s health in buttons and loops for his coat.’”
[Sidenote: Thackeray’s _English Humourists_. *]
“In the portraits of the literary worthies of the early part of
the last century, Gay’s face is the pleasantest perhaps of all. It
appears adorned with neither periwig nor nightcap (the full dress
and _négligée_ of learning without which the painters of those days
scarcely ever pourtrayed wits), and he laughs at you over his shoulder
with an honest boyish glee--an artless sweet humour. He was so kind,
so gentle, so jocular, so delightfully brisk at times, so dismally
woe-begone at others, such a natural good creature, that the Giants
loved him.”