The Life and Romances of Mrs. Eliza HaywoodWhicher, George Frisbie
General
The Life and Romances of Mrs. Eliza Haywood
Whicher, George Frisbie
Haywood, Eliza Fowler, 1693?-1756
"Mary Stuart" is the only one of Mrs. Haywood's romances that strictly
deserves the name of secret history. But late in 1749 a little romance
that satisfied nearly all the conditions of the type insinuated itself
into the pamphlet shops without the agency of any publisher. "A Letter
from H--G--g, Esq. One of the Gentlemen of the Bedchamber to the Young
Chevalier, and the only Person of his own Retinue that attended him from
Avignon, in his late Journey through Germany, and elsewhere; Containing
Many remarkable and affecting Occurrences which happened to the P----
during the course of his mysterious Progress" has been assigned to Mrs.
Haywood by the late Mr. Andrew Lang,[4] perhaps on the authority of the
notice in the "Monthly Review" already quoted.
The pretended author of the letter was a certain Henry Goring, a
gentleman known to be in attendance upon the last of the Stuarts. The
preface gives a commonplace explanation of how the letter fell into the
hands of the editor through a similarity of names. Apparently the
pamphlet was thought seditious because it eulogized the Young Chevalier,
hinting how advantageous it would be to have him on the throne. As the
secret journey progresses, the Prince has a chance to expose his
admirable political tenets in conversation with a nobleman of exalted
rank; in rescuing a young woman from a fire, caring for her in distress,
and refusing to take advantage of her passion for him, he gives evidence
of a morality not accorded him by history and proves "how fit he is to
govern others, who knows so well how to govern himself"; and when
assaulted by hired assassins, he manifests courage and coolness, killing
one of the bravos with his own hand. It is unnecessary to review the
various stages in the Pretender's travels, which are related with a
great air of mystery, but amount to nothing. The upshot is that the
Prince has not renounced all thoughts of filling the throne of his
ancestors, but has ends in view which the world knows nothing of and
which will surprise them all some day. Had the Prince shown himself more
susceptible to the charms of the merchants' daughters who fell in his
way, this bit of romancing might claim the doubtful distinction of being
Mrs. Haywood's only original secret history, but as it stands, no part
of the story has the necessary motivation by passion. The intrigue is
entirely political.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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