The Life and Romances of Mrs. Eliza Haywood | Page 5

Wirtemberg. Waldec
excites the impatient lover to jealousy of Frederick. Ridolpho is
banished court for murder.
Act IV. Frederick is distressed by Wirtemberg's discontent. The
Empress, seeking to learn the reason for it, is infected by Wirtemberg's
suspicions. Adelaid overhears Ridolpho and Waldec plotting to slay
Frederick, but hesitates to accuse her own brother. Wirtemberg
reproaches her for her supposed yielding to Frederick, and resolves to
leave her forever.
Act V. Adelaid, in order to warn him, sends to ask the Emperor to visit
her. Waldec intercepts the letter and resolves to murder Frederick in her
chamber. Wirtemberg learns that he has been duped and defends the
Emperor. Waldec and Ridolpho are killed, though not before they
succeed in mortally wounding Frederick, who dies amid tears.

Genest says with truth that the love scenes are dull, and that the subject
is not well calculated for dramatic representation. The play was acted
only the usual three times, and fully deserved the deep damnation of its
taking off.
In 1730 Mrs. Haywood took part in the "Rival Father, or the Death of
Achilles," written by her friend, the actor and playwright William
Hatchett, and performed at the Haymarket.[13] Three years later she
joined with him to produce an adaptation of Fielding's "Tragedy of
Tragedies, or the Life and Death of Tom Thumb the Great" on the
model of Gay's popular "Beggar's Opera." The "Opera of Operas"
follows its original closely with a number of condensations and
omissions. Almost the only additions made by the collaborators were
the short lyrics, which were set to music by the ingenious Mr. Frederick
Lampe.[14] The Hatchett-Haywood version was acted at the
Haymarket on 31 May, 1733, and according to Genest, was repeated
eleven times at least with Mrs. Clive as Queen Dollalolla.[15] It was
published immediately. On 9 November a performance was given at
Drury Lane. Although unusually successful, it was Mrs. Haywood's last
dramatic offering.[16]
The aspiring authoress apparently never found in dramatic writing a
medium suitable to her genius, and even less was she attracted by a
stage career. The reasons for her abandoning the theatre to develop her
powers as a writer of fiction are stated in a characteristic letter still filed
among the State Papers.[17]
Sir The Stage not answering my Expectation, and the averseness of my
Relations to it, has made me Turn my Genius another Way; I have
Printed some Little things which have mett a Better Reception then
they Deservd, or I Expected: and have now Ventur'd on a Translation to
be done by Subscription, the Proposalls whereof I take the Liberty to
send You: I have been so much us'd to Receive favours from You that I
can make No Doubt of y'r forgiveness for this freedom, great as it is,
and that You will alsoe become one of those Persons, whose Names are
a Countenance to my undertaking. I am mistress of neither words nor
happy Turn of thought to Thank You as I ought for the many

Unmeritted favours You have Conferr'd on me, but beg You to believe
all that a gratefull Soul can feel, mine does who am Sir
Yo'r most humble & most Obedient Serv't
ELIZA HAYWOOD.
August ye 5th 1720
Enclosed with the letter were "Proposals For Printing by Subscription
A Translation from the French of the Famous Monsieur Bursault
Containing Ten Letters from a Lady of Quality to a Chevalier."[18] The
work thus heralded was published in the latter part of 1720 by
subscription-- "three shillings each Book in Quires, or five Shillings
bound in Calf, Gilt Back"--a method never again employed by Mrs.
Haywood, though in this case it must have succeeded fairly well. Three
hundred and nine names appeared on her list of subscribers, of which
one hundred and twenty-three were women's. Few subscribers of either
sex were distinguished. There were, however, that universal patron of
minor authors, George Bubb, Esq., later the Doddington to whom
Thomson dedicated his "Summer"; Mrs. Barker, the novelist; Aaron
Hill; a Mr. Osborne, possibly the bookseller whose name was afterward
infamously connected with Eliza's in "The Dunciad"; Charles de La
Faye, the under-secretary of state with whom Defoe corresponded; and
a sprinkling of aristocratic titles.
The publisher of the letters was William Rufus Chetwood, later the
prompter at Drury Lane Theatre, but then just commencing bookseller
at the sign of Cato's Head, Covent Garden. He had already brought out
for Mrs. Haywood the first effort of her genius, a romantic tale entitled
"Love in Excess: or, the Fatal Enquiry." We have the author's testimony
that the three parts "mett a Better Reception then they Deservd," and
indeed the piece was extraordinarily successful, running through no
less than six separate editions before its inclusion in her collected
"Secret Histories, Novels and Poems" in 1725. On the