Heywood, Eliza

, a voluminous female writer, was the daughter of a tradesman of London, of the name of Fowler, and was born about 1693. An unfortunate marriage reduced her *o the necessity of depending on her pen, for the support of herself and two children, the eldest of whom was then only seven years of age. Her genius | leading her to novel-writing, she took Mrs. Manley’s “Atalantis” for her model, and produced “The Court of Arimania,” “The New Utopia,” with other pieces of a like kind. The looseness of these works were the ostensible reason of Pope for putting her into his “Dunciad;” but it is most probable, that some provocation of a private and personal nature was the real motive to it. She seemed, however, to be convinced of her error; since, in the numerous volumes she published afterwards, she generally appeared a votary of virtue, and preserved more purity and delicacy of sentiment. Her latter writings are, 1. “The Female Spectator,” 4 vols; 2. “Epistles for the Ladies,” 2 vols. 3. “Fortunate Foundling,” 1 vol. 4. “Adventures of Nature,” 1 vol. 5. “History of Betsey Thoughtless,” 4 vofs. 6. “Jenny and Jemmy Jessamy,” 3 vols. 7. “Invisible Spy,” 2 vols. 8. “Husband and Wife,” 2 vols. all in 12mo; and a pamphlet, entitled “A Present for a Servant Maid.”

When young, she attempted dramatic poetry, but with no great success; none of her plays being either much approved at first, or revived afterwards. She had also an inclination for the theatre as a performer, and was on the stage at Dublin in 1715. It would be natural to impute gallantry to such a woman, yet nothing criminal was ever laid to her charge. On the contrary, she is represented as not only good-natured, affable, lively, and entertaining, but as a woman also of strict decorum, delicacy, and prudence, whatever errors she might have committed in her younger years. She died Feb. 25, 1756. ¹