1714
"THE SHEPHERD'S WEEK," "A LETTER TO A LADY."
The outstanding literary event in Gay's career in 1714 was the pastoral,
"The Shepherd's Week," which was published by R. Burleigh on April 15th,
which contained a "Proeme to the Courteous Reader," and a "Prologue to
the Right Honourable the Lord Viscount Bolingbroke," which was, in fact,
a dedication:--
Lo, I who erst beneath a tree
Sung Bumkinet and Bowzybee,
And Blouzelind and Marian bright,
In apron blue or apron white,
Now write my sonnets in a book,
For my good lord of Bolingbroke.
The author then states that he had heard of the Queen's illness and how
the skill of Arbuthnot had restored her to health:--
A skilful leech (so God him speed)
They said had wrought this blessed deed,
This leech Arbuthnot was yclept,
Who many a night not once had slept;
But watch'd our gracious Sov'reign still:
For who could rest when she was ill?
O may'st thou henceforth sweetly sleep!
Shear, swains, oh shear your softest sheep
To swell his couch; for well I ween,
He saved the realm who saved his Queen.
Quoth I, please God, I'll his with glee
To court, this Arbuthnot to see.
Such loyalty, of course, the hardest heart must touch, but loyalty in
this case had its reward, and the journey to Court was well worth the
pains:--
There saw I ladies all a-row
Before their Queen in seemly show.
No more I'll sing Buxoma brown,
Like goldfinch in her Sunday gown;
Nor Clumsilis, nor Marian bright,
Nor damsel that Hobnelia hight.
But Lansdown fresh as flowers of May,
And Berkely lady blithe and gay,
And Anglesea, whose speech exceeds
The voice of pipe or oaten reeds;
And blooming Hyde, with eyes so rare,
And Montague beyond compare.
Such ladies fair wou'd I depaint
In roundelay or sonnet quaint.
But charming as were these ladies, there was still a better sight in
store for the visitor:--
There saw I St. John, sweet of mien.
Full steadfast both to Church and Queen.
With whose fair name I'll deck my strain,
St. John, right courteous to the swain.
For thus he told me on a day,
Trim are thy sonnets, gentle Gay,
And certes, mirth it were to see
Thy joyous madrigals twice three,
With preface meet and notes profound.
Imprinted fair, and well y-bound.
All suddenly then home I sped,
And did ev'n as my Lord had said.
It was not Bolingbroke who inspired the pastorals, though he accepted
the dedication. The true history of the origin of "The Shepherd's Week"
is well set out by Mr. Underhill. "These pastorals, it should be
explained, were written at the instigation of Pope," he has written.
"The sixth volume of Tonson's 'Miscellany' had concluded with Pope's
Pastorals and begun with those of Ambrose Philips. A few years after its
publication a writer in the _Guardian_[1] (probably Tickell[2])
discussed the Pastoral in a series of papers, and gave the most
extravagant praise to Philips. 'Theocritus,' he remarked, 'left his
dominions to Virgil; Virgil left his to his son Spenser; and Spenser was
succeeded by his eldest born, Philips.' Pope was not mentioned, and he
set himself to redress the injustice by a device of characteristic
subtlety. He wrote a sixth paper, in which he continued to illustrate
the true principles of pastoral poetry from Philips' practice, but in
such a way as to show the judicious reader by the examples given either
the absurdity of Philips or the superior merit of Pope. The article was
anonymously or pseudonymously forwarded to the _Guardian_, and was in
due course published. Philips was furious, and providing himself with a
birch rod, threatened to flog Pope. The latter, not content with his
ingenious revenge, prevailed upon his friend Gay to continue the warfare
and to burlesque Philips' performances in a series of realistic
representations of country life."[3] Gay entered into the sport with
joy--it was a game after his own heart, and one for which his talent was
particularly fitted. He begins his "Proeme to the Gentle Reader" with a
most palpable hit: "Great marvel hath it been (and that not unworthily)
to diverse worthy wits, that in this our island of Britain, in all rare
sciences so greatly abounding, more especially in all kinds of poesie
highly flourishing, no poet (though other ways of notable cunning in
roundelays) hath hit on the right simple eclogue after this true ancient
guise of Theocritus, before this mine attempt. Other Poet travelling in
this plain highway of Pastoral I know none." Presently comes an attack
but little disguised on Philips: "Thou will not find my shepherdesses
idly piping on oaten reeds, but milking the kine, tying up the sheaves,
or if the hogs are astray driving them to their styes. My shepherd
gathereth none other nosegays but what are the growth of our own fields,
he sleepeth not under myrtle shades, but under a hedge, nor doth he
vigilantly defend his flocks from wolves, because there are none, as
maister Spenser well observeth:--
Well is known that since the Saxon King
Never was wolf seen, many or some,
Nor in all Kent nor in Christendom."
Yet a third extract from this satirical "Proeme" must be given, and
this in connection with the language of these eclogues: "That
principally, courteous reader, whereof I would have thee to be
advertised (seeing I depart from the vulgar usage) is touching the
language of my shepherds; which is soothly to say, such as is neither
spoken by the country maiden or the courtly dame; nay, not only such as
in the present times is not uttered, but was never uttered in times
past; and, if I judge aright, will never be uttered in times future. It
having too much of the country to be fit for the court, too much of the
court to be fit for the country; too much of the language of old times
to be fit for the present, too much of the present to have been fit for
the old, and too much of both to be fit for any time to come. Granted
also it is, that in this my language, I seem unto myself, as a London
mason, who calculateth his work for a term of years, when he buildeth
with old material upon a ground-rent that is not his own, which soon
turneth to rubbish and ruins. For this point, no reason can I allege,
only deep learned examples having led me thereunto."
All this is pretty fooling; but Gay, who in the beginning intended "The
Shepherd's Week" to be merely a burlesque, according to the suggestion
of Pope, was carried away by his interest in the subject-matter, and
produced a poem of undoubted value as a picture of rural life in his own
day. With it he won approval as an original poet in his own day, and
three centuries after critics still write in praise of it.
"These Pastorals were originally intended, I suppose, as a burlesque on
those of Philips'; but, perhaps without designing it, Gay has hit the
true spirit of pastoral poetry," Goldsmith said; and Dr. Johnson wrote:
"The effect of reality of truth became conspicuous, even when the
intention was to show them grovelling and degraded. These pastorals
became popular, and were read with delight, as just representations of
rural manners and occupations, by those who had no interest in the
rivalry of the poets, nor knowledge of the critical disputes."[4]
Southey, too, had a kind word to say: "In attempting the burlesque Gay
copied nature, and his unexpected success might have taught his
contemporaries a better taste. Few poets seem to have possessed so quick
and observing an eye"[5]; and, coming to the present critics, Mr. Austin
Dobson utters commendation: "The object went far beyond its avowed
object of ridicule, and Gay's eclogues abound with interesting folk-lore
and closely studied rural pictures."[6]
With all his unworldliness Gay always had an eager, if not very keen,
eye on the main chance, and finding himself surrounded by men of
influence, he not unnaturally, in a day when men of letters often found
their reward in Government places or in sinecures, looked to his
acquaintances to further his interests. Great Britain was at this time
represented at the Court of Hanover by a Mission which was from 1709 in
charge of the Secretary, J. D'Alais, except when Special Missions were
dispatched. Lord Rivers was Minister Plenipotentiary in 1710, and Thomas
Harley went there as Ambassador Extraordinary in July, 1712, and again
in the following February. Henry Paget, first Lord Burton, was appointed
Ambassador in April, 1714, but resigned before he set forth, and Lord
Clarendon was nominated in his stead.
JOHN GAY TO DEAN SWIFT.
London, June 8th, 1714.
"Since you went out of town, my Lord Clarendon was appointed
Envoy-Extraordinary to Hanover in the room of Mr. Paget, and by making
use of those friends, which I entirely owe to you, he has accepted me
for his Secretary. This day, by appointment, I met his Lordship at Mr.
Secretary Bromley's office; he then ordered me to be ready by Saturday.
I am quite off from the Duchess of Monmouth. Mr. Lewis was very ready to
serve me upon this occasion, as were Dr. Arbuthnot and Mr. Ford. I am
every day attending my Lord Treasurer [Oxford] for his bounty, in order
to set me out, which he has promised me upon the following petition,
which I sent him by Dr. Arbuthnot:--
I'm no more to converse with the swains,
But go where fine folk resort:
One can live without money on plains.
But never without it at Court.
If, when with the swains I did gambol,
I array'd me in silver and blue:
When abroad, and in Courts, I shall ramble,
Pray, my Lord, how much money will do?
We had the honour of the Treasurer's company last Saturday, when we sat
upon Scriblerus. Pope is in town and has brought with him the first book
of Homer. I am this evening to be at Mr. Lewis's with [Dr. Benjamin
Pratt] the Provost [of Dublin College], Mr. Ford, Parnell, and Pope."
"It is thought my Lord Clarendon will make but a short stay at Hanover.
If it was possible that any recommendation could be procured to make me
more distinguished than ordinary, during my stay at that Court, I should
think myself very happy if you could contrive any method to prosecute
it, for I am told that their civilities very rarely descend so low as to
the Secretary. I have all the reason in the world to acknowledge this as
wholly owing to you. And the many favours I have received from you,
purely out of your love for doing good, assures me you will not forget
me during my absence. As for myself, whether I am at home or abroad,
gratitude will always put me in mind of the man to whom I owe so many
benefits."[7]
* * * * *
These tidings were confirmed to Swift by Arbuthnot, who wrote from St.
James's on June 12th: "You know that Gay goes to Hanover, and my Lord
Treasurer has promised to equip him. Monday is the day of departure, and
he is now dancing attendance for money to buy him shoes, stockings, and
linen. The Duchess [of Monmouth] has turned him off, which I am afraid
will make the poor man's condition worse instead of better."[8] As
Arbuthnot reported fourteen days later, Gay received a hundred pounds
from the Treasury, and "went away a happy man."[9] Lord Clarendon,
whose mission it was formally to offer to the Elector George Lewis the
condolences of Queen Anne on the death of his aged mother, the Electress
Sophia, the heiress-presumptive to the British throne, who had passed
away on June 8th, 1714, arrived at Hanover on July 16th.
Despite Gay's forebodings, the civilities of the Court of Hanover did
happily "descend so low as to the Secretary." That he was presented to
the royal circle and held converse with the highest in the land, is
clear from a sentence in a letter from Arbuthnot to Swift, August 13th,
1714: "I have a letter from Gay, just before the Queen's death. Is he
not a true poet, who had not one of his own books to give to the
Princess that asked for one?"[10] Here it was that Gay first made the
acquaintance of Henrietta Howard, afterwards Countess of Suffolk, with
whom he was presently on a footing of intimate friendship.
JOHN GAY TO DR. ARBUTHNOT.
Hanover, August 16th, 1714.
"You remember, I suppose, that I was to write you abundance of letters
from Hanover; but as one of the most distinguished qualities of a
publician is secrecy, you must not expect from me any arcanas of state.
There is another thing that is necessary to establish the character of a
politician, which is to seem always to be full of affairs of State; to
know the consultations of the Cabinet Council when at the same time his
politics are collected from newspapers. Which of these two causes my
secrecy is owing to I leave you to determine. There is yet one thing
more that is extremely necessary for a foreign minister, which he can no
more be without than an artisan without his tools; I mean the terms of
his art. I call it an art or a science because I think the King of
France has established an academy to instruct the young Machiavelians of
his country in the deep and profound science of politics. To the end I
might be qualified for an employment of this nature, and not only be
qualified myself, but (to speak in the style of Sir John Falstaff) be
the cause of qualification in others, I have made it my business to read
memoirs, treatises, etc. And as a dictionary of law-terms is thought
necessary for young beginners, so I thought a dictionary of terms of
State would be no less useful for young politicians. The terms of
politics being not so numerous as to swell into a volume, especially in
times of peace (for in times of war all the terms of fortifications are
included), I thought fit to extract them in the same manner for the
benefit of young practitioners as a famous author has compiled his
learned treatise of the law, called the 'Doctor and Student.' I have not
made any great progress in this piece; but, however, I will give you a
specimen of it, which will make you in the same manner a judge of the
design and nature of this treatise.
"_Politician_: What are the necessary tools for a Prince to work with?
"_Student_: Ministers of State.
"_Politician_: What are the two great qualities of a Minister of
State?
"_Student_: Secrecy and despatch.
"_Politician_: Into how many parts are the Ministers of State divided?
"_Student_: Into two. First, Ministers of State at home; secondly,
Ministers of State abroad, who are called Foreign Ministers.
"_Politician_: Very right. Now as I design you for the latter of these
employments I shall waive saying anything about the first of these.
What are the different degrees of Foreign Ministers?
"_Student_: The different degrees of Foreign Ministers are as follows:
First, Plenipotentiaries; second, Ambassadors-Extraordinary; third,
Ambassadors in ordinary; fourth, Envoys-Extraordinary; fifth,
Envoys-in-ordinary; sixth, Residents; seventh, Consuls; and eighth,
Secretaries.
"_Politician_: How is a Foreign Minister to be known?
"_Student_: By his credentials.
"_Politician_: When are a Foreign Minister's credentials to be
delivered?
"_Student_: Upon his first admission into the presence of the Prince
to whom he is sent, otherwise called his first audience.
"_Politician_: How many kinds of audience are there?
"_Student_: Two, which are called a public audience and a private
audience.
"_Politician_: What should a Foreign Minister's behaviour be when he
has his first audience?
"_Student_: He should bow profoundly, speak deliberately, and wear
both sides of his long periwig before, etc.
"By these few questions and answers you may be able to make some
judgment of the usefulness of this politic treatise. Wicquefort, it is
true, can never be sufficiently admired for his elaborate treatise of
the conduct of an Ambassador in all his negotiations; but I design
this only as a compendium, or the Ambassador's Manual, or _vade
mecum._
"I have writ so far of this letter, and do not know who to send it to;
but I have now determined to send it either to Dr. Arbuthnot, the Dean
of St. Patrick's, or to both. My Lord Clarendon is very much approved of
at Court, and I believe is not dissatisfied with his reception. We have
not very much variety of divisions; what we did yesterday and to-day we
shall do to-morrow, which is to go to Court and walk in the gardens at
Herrenhausen. If I write any more my letter will be just like my
diversion, the same thing over and over again."[11]
Lord Clarendon stayed at Hanover even a shorter time than he had
expected. On July 30th Lord Oxford was dismissed, and the white staff
was given to the Duke of Shrewsbury, one of whose first acts was to
recall the Tory Ambassador. Two days later Queen Anne died, and the
Elector George Lewis succeeded to her throne under the style of George
I. Lord Clarendon returned at once to England, and with him came Gay,
saddened by the blasting of his hopes of advancement.
He was welcomed back by his friends, and received in particular an
enthusiastic greeting from Pope, who wrote on September 23rd: "Welcome
to your native soil! Welcome to your friend! Thrice welcome to me!
whether returned in glory, blessed with Court interest, the love and
familiarity of the great, and filled with agreeable hopes, or melancholy
with dejection, contemplative of the changes of fortune, and doubtful
for the future--whether returned a triumphant Whig or a desponding Tory,
equally all hail! equally beloved and welcome to me! If happy, I am to
share in your elevation; if unhappy, you have still a warm corner in my
heart and a retreat at Binfield in the worst of times at your service."
In this same letter Pope, always anxious to assist Gay, added: "Pardon
me if I add a word of advice in the practical way. Write something on
the King, or Prince or Princess. On whatever foot you may be with the
Court, this can do no harm."[12]
* * * * *
The change of Government having dashed to the ground his hopes of
advancement in the diplomatic service, Gay thought that he could not do
better than follow Pope's suggestion. Like the majority of men of
letters of his day, and not having the independence of spirit of Swift
and Pope, he hungered after a patron--a Minister might be good, but
Ministers go out of office, and a member of the reigning family would be
better. Remembering the kindly welcome given him at Hanover by the royal
lady who was now Princess of Wales, he had indulged in a dream that a
place would be offered him in her household. "Poor Gay is much where he
was, only out of the Duchess [of Monmouth]'s family and service,"
Arbuthnot wrote to Swift, October 19th, 1714. "He has some confidence in
the Princess and Countess of Picborough; I wish it may be significant to
him. I advised him to make a poem upon the Princess before she came
over, describing her to the English ladies; for it seems that the
Princess does not dislike that. (She is really a person that I believe
will give great content to everybody). But Gay was in such a grovelling
condition as to the affairs of this world, that his Muse would not stoop
to visit him."[13]
No proposal, however, being made to him, Gay, following the advice of
Pope and Arbuthnot, proceeded to remind the new Court of his existence,
and in November published "A Letter to a Lady, occasioned by the arrival
of Her Royal Highness "--the "Lady" being, it is generally assumed, Mrs.
Howard. In these verses he gave the assurance that he had desired the
elements to arrange for the Princess an agreeable passage to England:--
My strains with Carolina's name I grace.
The lovely parent of our royal race.
Breathe soft, ye winds, ye waves in silence sleep;
Let prosp'rous breezes wanton o'er the deep,
Swell the white sails, and with the streamers play,
To waft her gently o'er the wat'ry way.
With true poetic exaggeration he extolled Caroline's virtues, and then,
so that there should be no excuse for misunderstanding, said in plain
terms that he had desired a post at Court, and made it perfectly clear
that he was still prepared to accept such employment, if so be as it was
coupled with suitable remuneration:--
Since all my schemes were baulk'd, my last resort,
I left the Muses to frequent the Court;
Pensive each night, from room to room I walk'd,
To one I bow'd, and with another talk'd;
Inquir'd what news, or such a lady's name,
And did the next day, and the next, the same.
Places I found, were daily giv'n away,
And yet no friendly _Gazette_ mention'd Gay.
Gay's protestations of delight at the accession to the throne of the
House of Hanover would probably have been regarded as more sincere if,
unfortunately, he had not a few months before dedicated "The Shepherd's
Week" to Bolingbroke. His very outspoken hint in the "Letter to a Lady"
was ignored; but Caroline, who liked eulogy as much as anyone, received
him kindly; and when in February, 1715, he produced "The What D'ye Call
It" at Drury Lane Theatre, she and her consort attended the first
performance. But still, no place was found for him at Court. "Tell me,"
Swift asked him so much later as 1723, "are you not under original sin
by the dedication of your Eclogue to Lord Bolingbroke?"
[Footnote 1: _The Guardian_, No. 32; April 17th, 1713.]
[Footnote 2: Dr. Johnson in his "Lives of the Poets" attributes the
authorship to Steele (_Works_, ed. Hill), III, p. 269.]
[Footnote 3: Introductory Memoir by John Underhill, in his edition of
the _Poems of John Gay_ ("The Muses' Library"), I, xxxi.]
[Footnote 4: _Works_ (ed. Hill), III, p. 269.]
[Footnote 5: _Specimens_, I, p. 298.]
[Footnote 6: _Dictionary of National Biography_, article, Gay.]
[Footnote 7: Swift: _Works_ (ed. Scott), XVI, p. 113.]
[Footnote 8: _Ibid_., XVI, p. 117.]
[Footnote 9: _Ibid_., XVI, p. 123.]
[Footnote 10: Swift: _Works_ (ed. Scott), XVI, p. 193.]
[Footnote 11: Swift: _Works_ (ed. Scott), XVI, p. 204.]
[Footnote 12: Pope: _Works_ (ed. Elwin and Courthope), VII, p. 415.]
[Footnote 13: Swift: _Works_ (ed. Scott), XVI, p. 213.]