Who is John Gay

John Gay (30 June 1685 – 4 December 1732) was an English poet and dramatist and member of the Scriblerus Club. He is best remembered for The Beggar's Opera (1728), a ballad opera. The characters, including Captain Macheath and Polly Peachum, became household names.

Early life

Gay was born in Barnstaple, England, and was educated at the town's grammar school. On leaving school he was apprenticed to a silk mercer in London, but being weary, according to Samuel Johnson, "of either the restraint or the servility of his occupation", he soon returned to Barnstaple, where he was educated by his uncle, the Rev. John Hanmer, the nonconformist minister of the town. He then returned to London.

Early career

His first play, The Mohocks (1712), had cen...
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John Gay Poems

  • Pin And Needle
    A pin which long had done its duty,
    Attendant on a reigning beauty, -
    Had held her muffler, fixed her hair,
    And made its mistress _debonnaire_, - ...
  • The Owls And Sparrow
    Two pompous owls together sat
    In the solemnity of chat:

    "Respect to wisdom, all is fled; ...
  • Juggler And Vice
    A juggler once had travelled thorough
    Each city, market-town, and borough;
    You'd think, so far his art transcended,
    Old Nick upon his fingers tended. ...
  • Council Of Horses
    A steed with mutiny inspired
    The stud which grazed the mead, and fired
    A colt, whose eyes then blazing fire,
    Stood forth and thus expressed his ire: ...
  • The Shaven And Shorn Goat
    'Tis strange to see a new-launched fashion
    Lay on the soul and grow a passion.
    To illustrate such folly, I
    Proffer some beast to the mind's eye. ...
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Top 10 most used topics by John Gay

Mind 33 Good 26 Soul 24 True 24 View 24 Head 24 Place 22 Thought 21 Hold 21 I Love You 21


John Gay Quotes

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Comments about John Gay

Lait_loveit: papa john’s recently showed their allyship in a historic win for the gay community
Chahn01: why is there a gay pride flag hanging in papa john's pizza?
Sumgarf: gay people showing up to john wick 4 after binging the other 3 movies this week
Redheadedpat: twisted school shooter audrey hale was at odds with her devout christian parents because they 'couldn't accept' she was gay and transgender,
Tranzkinz: bill skarsgård heard the first part of “i will serve. i will be of service.” when he walked on the set of john wick 4 in his gay little suits
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Poem of the day

Edgar Albert Guest Poem
The Killing Place
 by Edgar Albert Guest

We're hiking along at a two-forty pace
We 're making life seem like a man-killing race,
With our nerves all on edge and our jaws firmly set
We go rushing along; with our brows lined with sweat
And our cheeks pale and drawn every minute we dash,
And the goal that we 're after is merely more cash.

We 're out for the money, the greenbacks and gold,
...

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