Gay, Ernest Lewis

Ernest Lewis Gay (1874-1916) was a librarian and book collector of Boston, Mass. who collected materials especially concerning the English poet and playwright, John Gay (1685-1732). John Gay used the Mohock theme in his one-act play, The Mohocks. A tragi-comical farce, (1712). The Mohocks and Hawkubites were street gangs in London during the reign of Queen Anne. It was their delight to molest and ill-treat the women, children, and feeble old men who might be in the streets after sunset. The Mohocks were named after the American Indian tribe, the Mohawks. In 1712 a royal bounty was placed on their heads for capture.

From the guide to the Papers concerning the Mohocks and Hawkubites, 1711-1712., (Houghton Library, Harvard College Library, Harvard University)

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