John Gay (1685-1732), a genial poet and playwright with a talent for satire, got the idea for The Beggar{u2019}s Opera from his friend, the satirist Jonathan Swift, who had mentioned to him that 2A Newgate pastoral might make a pretty sort of thing3. It was staged by the actor-manager John Rich (who introduced pantomime to England) and succeeded beyond their wildest dreams, making, it was said, 2Gay rich and Rich gay3. In general, ballad opera, set among London{u2019}s criminal classes and full of satirical jibes about corruption in high places, suited English taste better than Handel{u2019}s heroic operas by the 1720s.