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.