works proceeded upon the ostensible theory that secret history in recognizing woman’s influence upon the destiny of nations was more true than “pure” history, which took into account only religious, political, social, or moral factors in judging the conduct of kings and statesmen.  Did not Anthony suffer the world to slip from his fingers for the love of Cleopatra?  Although the grand romances had a little exhausted the vein of classical material, Mme Durand-Bedacier and Mme de Villedieu compiled sundry annals of Grecian and Roman gallantry.[2] But the cycle of French secret history was much more extensive.  Romancing historians ferreted out a prodigious amount of intrigue in every court from that of Childeric to Louis XIV, and set out to remodel the chronicle of the realm from the standpoint of the heart.  Nearly every reign and every romantic hero was the subject of one or more “monographs,” among which Mme de La Fayette’s “Princesse de Cleves” takes a prominent place.  The thesaurus and omnium gatherum of the genus was Sauval’s “Intrigues galantes de la cour de France” (1695), of which Dunlop remarks that “to a passion, which has, no doubt, especially in France, had considerable effect in state affairs, there is assigned ... a paramount influence.”  But romancers with a nose for gallantry had no difficulty in finding material for their pens in England during the times of Henry VIII, Elizabeth, and Henrietta Maria.  But most frequently of all was chosen the life of the Queen of Scots.

From fifteen or sixteen French biographies of the romantic Mary[3] Mrs. Haywood drew materials for an English work of two hundred and forty pages.  “Mary Stuart, Queen of Scots:  Being the Secret History of her Life, and the Real Causes of all Her Misfortunes.  Containing a Relation of many particular Transactions in her Reign; never yet Published in any Collection” (1725) is distinguishable from her true fiction only by the larger proportion of events between set scenes of burning passion which formed the chief constituent of Eliza’s romances.  As history it is worthless, and its significance as fiction lies merely in its attempt to incorporate imaginative love scenes with historical fact.  It was apparently compiled hastily to compete with a rival volume, “The History of the Life and Reign of Mary Stuart,” published a week earlier, and it enjoyed but a languid sale.  Early in 1726 it passed into a second edition, which continued to be advertised as late as 1743.

“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.