THE

BEGGAR'S OPERA.

As written by JOHN GAY.

DISTINGUISHING ALSO THE

VARIATIONS OF THE THEATRE,

AS PERFORMED AT THE

Theatre-Royal in Dury-Lane.

Regulated from the Prompt-Book,

By PERMISSION of the MANAGERS,

By Mr. HOPKINS, Prompter.

Nos hæc novimus effe nibil.

MART.

BOD

LONDON:

Printed for JoHN BELL, near Exeter-Exchange, in the Strand; and C. ETHERINGTON, at York.

MDCCLXXVII.

INTRODUCTION.

BEGGAR, PLAYER.

BEGGAR.

F poverty be a title to poetry, I am fure nobody can difpute mine. I own myself of the company of beggars; and I make one at their weekly festivals at St. Giles's. I have a fmall yearly falary for my catches, and am welcome to a dinner there whenever I please, which is more than most poets can fay.

Player. As we live by the Muses, it is but gratitude in us to encourage poetical merit wherever we find it. The Mufes, contrary to all other ladies, pay no diftinction to drefs, and never partially mistake the pertnefs of embroidery for wit. nor the modefty of want for dullness. Be the author who he will, we pufh his play as far as it will go. So (though you are in want) I with you fuccefs heartily.

Beggar. This piece I own was originally writ for the celebrating the marriage of James Chanter and Moll Lay, two most excellent ballad-fingers. I have introduced the fimilies that are in all your celebrated operas: the Swallow, the Moth, the Bee, the Ship, the Flower, &c. Befides I have a prifon fcene, which the ladies always reckon charmingly pathetic. As to the parts, I have obferved fuch a nice impartiality to our two ladies, that it is impoffible for either of them take offence. I hope I may be forgiven, that I have not made my opera throughout unnatural, like those in vogue; for I have no recitative; excepting this, as I have confented to have neither prologue nor epilogue, it must be allowed an opera in all its forms. The piece indeed hath been heretofore frequently reprefented by ourselves in our great room at St. Giles's, fo that I cannot too often acknow, ledge your charity in bringing it now on the stage.

Player. But I fee it is time for us to withdraw; the actors are preparing to begin. Play away the overture.

[Exeunt.

THE

THE

BEGGAR'S OPERA.

The lines diftinguished by inverted comas, thus,' are omitted in the reprefentation.

ACT I.

SCENE, Peachum's House.

Peachum fitting at a table, with a large book of accounts before him.

AIR I. An old woman cloathed in grey.

HROUGH all the employments of life
Each neighbour abufes his brother;
Whore and rogue they call hufband and wife:
All profeffions be-rogue one another.
The priest calls the lawyer a cheat,

The lawyer be-knaves the divine;
And the statesman, because he's fo great,
Thinks his trade as honest as mine.

A lawyer is an honeft emplopment, fo is mine. Like me too he acts in a double capacity, both against rogues and for 'em; for 'tis but fitting that we fhould protect and encourage cheats, fince we live by 'em.

Enter Filch.

Filch. Sir, Black Moll hath fent word her trial comes on in the afternoon, and the hopes you will order matters fo as to bring her off.

Peach. Why, he may plead her belly at worst; to my knowledge the hath taken care of that fecurity. But

A 2

as