In 1784, he published a volume of plays,
consisting of tragedies and comedies, the latter of which were in rhyme.
The gratification of seeing his dramas represented on the stage, which
he had before solicited in vain, was now offered by Colman, who proposed
through the author's bookseller to bring out a tragedy and comedy, Lord
Russell, and The Two Connoisseurs, at the Haymarket. "A comedy in
rhyme," the manager observed, "was a bold attempt; but when so well
executed as in the present instance, he thought, would be received with
favour, especially on a stage of a genius somewhat similar to that of a
private theatre for which it was professedly written." Both tragedy and
comedy were well received, but with so little emolument to the poet,
that he had to pay for his own seat at the representation. Marcella, the
other tragedy, was also acted, in 1789, when it was condemned at one
house, and in three nights after applauded at the other. The author
accounted for this whimsical change of fortune by supposing the piece to
have been played only on a few hours' preparation by the manager at
Drury-Lane, in order to get the start of Harris and prevent his success
by having the play damned before it appeared on his theatre.

Hayley was, however, now in great favour with the public; the first
edition of his plays was sold in a fortnight; and through the
intervention of his friend Thomas Payne, the bookseller, he re-purchased
for 500_l._ from Dodsley the copyright of all he had written. It would
have been well if his poetical career had closed here; for whatever he
did afterwards in this way met either with disregard or contempt. Such
was the fate of a Poem on the Anniversary of the Revolution in 1788; of
an imitation of a German opera, called the Trial of the Rovers, which he
sold to Harris for 100_l._ but which failed at Covent-Garden in 1789; of
Eudora, a tragedy, acted with no better success in 1790; of the National
Advocates, intended to commemorate the triumph of Erksine in his defence
of Horne Tooke in 1795; of an Elegy on Sir William Jones in the same
year; of an Essay on Sculpture in 1800; of Ballads on Animals, the most
empty of his productions that I have seen, in 1802; of the Triumphs of
Music in 1804; of Stanzas to the Patriots in Spain in 1808; and of
another volume of plays in 1811.

Yet he still continued to secure to himself some share of attention by
several works in prose. In the Essay on Old Maids, published in 1