following March 26th there appeared a volume of "Court Poems,"
published by J. Roberts, who advertised them as from the pen of Pope,
though the preface makes the authorship doubtful between Pope, Gay,
and a Lady of quality, who was Lady Mary Wortley Montagu. To the
volume Lady Mary Wortley Montagu contributed "The Drawing Room," Pope
"The Basset Table," and Gay "The Toilet." This last has been
attributed to Lady Mary, and it has actually been printed among her
poems; but, according to Pope, it is "almost wholly Gay's," there
being "only five or six lines in it by that lady."

In 1716 Gay paid a second visit to Devonshire, and during the year he
composed the "sober eclogue," "The Espousal," which probably arose out
of a suggestion of Swift. "There is an ingenious Quaker[7] in this
town, who writes verses to his mistress, not very correct, but in a
strain purely what a poetical Quaker should do, commending her looks
and habit, etc." Swift wrote to Pope on August 30th, 1716: "It gave me
a hint that a set of Quaker pastorals might succeed if our friend Gay
could fancy it, and I think it a fruitful subject. Pray hear what he
says. I believe farther, the pastoral ridicule is not exhausted, and
that a porter, footman, or chairman's pastoral might do well; or what
think you of a Newgate pastoral, among the whores and thieves
there?"[8] This letter is of especial importance in the biography of
Gay, as it may well have sown in his mind the seed of "The Beggar's
Opera."

About this time Gay was labouring on another play, "Three Hours After
Marriage," which he wrote in collaboration with Pope and Arbuthnot. It
is a sorry piece of work, and unworthy of any one, much less of the
three distinguished men associated in the authorship. In the Epilogue
it is written:--