Letter from William Hayley, Felpham, to Sir Walter Scott, 1811 September 15 : autograph manuscript draft.

Commenting briefly on a trip Scott had considered to Spain & Portugal, discussing, at length and in detail, Anna Seward's cruel writing about Hayley's late wife Eliza and relating a secret history of his wife that he had planned to publish after his death; saying "I admire & applaud you for having preferred the tranquillity & comfort of a tender wife at home to all the Gratification both of the Eye & the Heart which you might have enjoyed as an idolized visitor of Portugal & Spain - By surveying those interesting scenes you might have gained something in local description but I question if you could have heightened the Spirit & Energy of your admirable Don Roderick - so enjoy to the utmost the blessed union of literary Renown & domestic Felicity - I promised you some particulars of a mysterious nature concerning the cruelty & Ingratitude of an unhappy & vindictive Anna Seward towards the memory of my piteous Eliza. The manner in which Seward has thought proper to indulge her vanity & spleen by writing a very indecent & injurious character portrait of that hapless & in some points angelic Lady has appear'd to me the more reprehensible because Seward was confidentially acquainted with a secret History relating to the marvellous organization & Infelicities of that singular personage which ought to have filled our intelligent poetess with a tender & delicate respect for her memory especially as the poetess had received from Mrs. H. many proofs of the kindest Hospitality at Eartham. The secret History alluded to is so extraordinary that to give you the clearest Idea of it I will transcribe the following passage from a private piece of biography intended for a posthumous publication - / Tho W.H. in the year 1769 had married a young lady in the Bloom of Health & Beauty He might justly regard himself in one point of view as having no Wife...The astonishing existence of a beautiful female Frame with an affectionate Heart & a very feeling Mind yet so organized, was owing to a circumstance not less astonishing -The excellent mother of this singular & pitiable Female had fallen into a state of Insanity from a cause that justly excited the most tender compassion - she had the misfortune to lose several children - Her husband of a very affectionate but rather irritable Person could hardly bear these repeated hopes. In striving to mitigate the excess of his grief she suppressed her own & that suppression as medical men imagined involved her in the calamity of absolute distraction - The celebrated Dr. Batty (most eminent at that period)...having tried with no success to effectuate by medicine & Regimen the cure of this interesting sufferer said with the boldness of desperate Humanity to her afflicted Husband 'Sir as yr amiable wife lost her senses from the Loss of her children it is possible that the Birth of another child may restore them!! The most affectionate of Husbands endeavoured to realise an Idea so delightful to his heart - unrestrained by all that cool reason & considerate nature might suggest against it - His wife conceived & brought forth a daughter without any consciousness of conception or childbirth - That daughter by a series of many surprising Incidents became the wife of W.H. & from the marvellous Infelicity of her Frame tho He loved her as a Bosom-Friend He considered Himself as singularly exempted from a strict observance of the nuptial vow - He was fond of repeating to Himself a striking passage of Shakespeare / some Sins do bear their privilege on Earth / & so doth yours / such is the Fallacy of the passions - I have related these extraordinary circumstances not to justify but to palliate his conduct - violations of a divine Law ought never perhaps to be stated by innocent but there may be many occasions on which they occur (& this is probably one) were enlightened Humanity will pity, [illegible] & forgive them!! / This is an extract my dear Scott from a manuscript Life (that I wish to be published when I am gone) of my memorable Son - The Facts are stated as a apology for his Birth - & as they were imparted in confidence to Seward I think you will sympathize with me in feeling grieved that she could disgrace herself by such very improper mention of a personage whose name ought to have inspired her with delicate compassion & Reserve - That poor Seward was vindictive in a poisonous degree....because she was angry with me notwithstanding our long Friendship for two unpardonable offenses first for remonstrating with her against her Injustice to Cowper & secondly his having wished her to alter the very disgusting Lies in her Epitaph on her departed Idol the gentle Giovanni [John Saville] who her impetuous passions had delighted & tormented upon Earth - But she is also departed - so I look with pity on her Malevolence & wish to remember only her better Qualities - I endeavour therefore to discipline my own Spirit & reprove myself for having felt perhaps too much indignation in perusing the odious letters in which she presumed to draw a Portrait as she called it of my hapless Eliza - I am not however singular in having felt such Indignation for the gentle poet of Needwood Forest who was reading the letter to some Females of his Family - shut the book in the midst of it with a relevant & just exclamation against the writer - This anecdote I heard from my old Friend & correspondent his admirable Sister Mrs. Nicolas of Bowbridge in derbyshire - but no more of this painful subject - Let me turn to the cheerful prospect of your projected architecture of my good old benevolent Father-in-Law."