THOMAS GODFREY, who was born in Philadelphia on December 4, 1736, and
died near Wilmington, N. C., August 3, 1763, was a son of Thomas
Godfrey, the inventor of the quadrant. He was apprenticed to a
watchmaker and remained at that trade until 1758. He was an officer
in the expedition against Fort Du Quesne. He removed to North
Carolina and remained there three years. He then went to Philadelphia
and sailed as a supercargo to the Island of New Providence, returning
from thence to North Carolina, where, a few weeks after his arrival,
by exposure to the sun on horseback, he contracted a fever which
terminated fatally.
JUVENILE POEMS ON VARIOUS SUBJECTS, AND THE PRINCE OF PARTHIA. A
Tragedy. Philadelphia: Printed by Henry Miller, in Second
Street, 1765. 8vo, pp. XVI, 223.
_The Prince of Parthia_ is the earliest known tragedy that was
written by an American. The play was offered to the company then
performing in Philadelphia, but was not accepted.