A noble youth arrives upon the shores of a happy island [England], where he encounters the God of Love, who conveys him to a spacious court in the midst of the city.  There Pecunia and Fortuna, served by their high priest Lucitario [J.  Craggs, the elder] preside over an Enchanted Well [South Sea Company] while all degrees of humanity stand about in expectation of some wonderful event.  From amid the throng the God of Love selects certain persons as examples of perverted love.  The stories he relates about them range from mere anecdotes to elaborate histories containing several love-letters.  In substance these tales consist of the grossest scandal that could be collected from the gossip of profligate society.  After hearing more than a satiety of these illustrations, the youth beholds the Genius of the Isle, supported by Astrea and Reason, exposing the fraud of the Enchanted Well to the dismay of the greedy rabble.  The young stranger then sinks to rest in a perfumed bower, while the God of Love and the Genius of the Isle set about a much needed reformation of manners.

None of the skimmings of contemporary gossip poured out in the two volumes deserves the least consideration, save such as reveal the fair writer’s relations with other authors.  In return for Savage’s eulogy of her “Love in Excess” and “Rash Resolve” the scribbling dame included in her scandal novel the story of his noble parentage substantially as it had already been told by Aaron Hill in the “Plain Dealer” for 24 June, 1724.  But in addition she prefaced the account with a highly colored narrative of the amours of Masonia and Riverius.[13] However much the author of “The Bastard” may have desired to prove his noble origin, he might easily have resented a too open flaunting of his mother’s disgrace.  Moreover, Mrs. Haywood hinted that his unfeeling mother was not the only woman whom the poet had to fear.  By the insinuations of a female fury, a pretender to the art of poetry, for whom Eliza has no words too black—­in fact some of her epithets are too shady to be quoted—­he has been led into actions, mean, unjust, and wicked.  The vile woman, it seems, has been guilty of defaming the reputations of others.

“The Monster whose Soul is wholly compos’d of Hipocrisy, Envy, and Lust, can ill endure another Woman should be esteem’d Mistress of those Virtues she has acted with too barefaced an Impudence to pretend to, and is never so happy as when by some horrid Stratagem she finds the means to traduce and blast the Character of the Worthy....  With how much readiness the easily deceiv’d Riverius [Savage] has obliged her in spreading those Reports, coin’d in the hellish Mint of her own Brain, I am sorry to say....  It cannot be doubted but that he has lost many Friends on her account, in particular one there was who bore him a singular Respect, tho’ no otherways capacitated to serve him than by good Wishes.—­This Person receiv’d a more than common Injury from him, thro’ the Instigations of that female Fury; but yet continuing to acknowledge his good Qualities, and pitying his falling into the contrary, took no other Revenge than writing a little Satire, which his having publish’d some admirable fine things in the praise of Friendship and Honour, gave a handsome opportunity for.” (Vol.  I, p. 184.)