GAY, EDWARD (1837— ). An American paint er, born in Dublin, Ireland. He studied under James Hart at Albany, N. Y., and afterwards in Germany, first under Schirmer at Karlsruhe, and then under Lessing at Diisseldorf. His well known landscape "Broad Acres" was awarded a prize of $2000 by the American Art Associa tion, and was given by it to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City in 1887. Other works by him are "Rye Fields in Early June," and "Salt Marshes" (1885), both in water-color.
GAY, Joinv (1685-1732). An English poet and dramatist, born in 1685 at Barnstaple, Devonshire, of an ancient but impoverished fam ily. After attending the free grammar-school he was apprenticed to a London mercer, but, dissatisfied with the occupation, he soon aban doned it. In 1712 he was appointed secretary to the Duchess of Monmouth. He had already writ ten "Wine" (1708), a poem in blank verse; and a pamphlet entitled The Present State of Wit (1711), which gives an account of the current periodical literature. In 1713 he published a poem descriptive of country life, called "Rural Sports." It was dedicated to Pope, whose ac quaintance Gay had made two years before. Now under Pope's influence, he produced The Fan (1714) and The Shepherd's Week (1714), a series of pastorals aimed against Ambrose Phil ips. Appointed secretary to Lord Clarendon, Envoy to Hanover, he was abroad in the summer of 1714. Returning to England in September, be addressed an epistle to the newly arrived Princess of Wales (October). His next produc tion was a farce in ridicule of popular tragedies, entitled Who t (1715). It contains the famous song, "'Twits when the seas were roaring." Next came Trivia (1716), descriptive of outdoor life in London. This was followed by an unsuccessful comedy, Three Hours After Marriage (1717). Three years later he pub
lished a collection of his poems with additions, by which he cleared $1000. Here first appeared his finest ballad, "Sweet William's Farewell to Black-ey'd Susan." Entering into the South Sea speculations (1720), he lost everything, and be came dependent on his friends, the kindest of whom were the Duke and Duchess of Queens berry. In 1724 he produced for Drury Lane Theatre the tragedy of The Captives, which met with some success. Three years later came the popular verse-tale's entitled Fables, the best of their kind in English. Gay was yet to gain his great fame. His Newgate pastoral, the Beggar's Opera, was first performed at Lincoln's Inn Fields, January 29, 1728. It ran for sixty-three days, was revived the next season, and per formed in all the great English towns. Gay wrote a sequel entitled Polly, which was pro hibited; but it succeeded remarkably in book form. Gay died December 4, 1732. A second series of Fables appeared posthumously (1738). The Fables, with memoir, were edited by Dob son (London, 1882) ; and the Poetical Works by Underhill (London, 1893). Consult: John son, Lives of the Poets (London, 1854) ; and Thackeray, English Humorists (London, 1853).
GAY, gA, SOPHIE NICHAULT DE LAVELETTE (1776-1852). A French novelist, born in Paris, July 1, 1776. Her novel Laura d'Estell (1802) has a sort of biographical interest, for it was written to indicate how much the author liked Madame de Stael and disliked Madame de Genlis. Leonie de Montbreuse (1813), Anatole (1815), and Ellenore (1847) are sufficiently character istic of her other works. She died at Brussels, March 5, 1852.