Peter Francis, a French critic, was born of a good family at Rouen in 1685. At 15, he entered into the society of the Jesuits; and at 30, quitted Fontaines quitted it, for the sake of returning to the world. He was a priest, and had a cure in Normandy; but left it, and was, as a man of wit and letters, some time with the cardinal d'Auvergne. Having excited some attention at Paris by certain critical productions, the Abbé Bignon in 1724 committed him the Journal des Savants. He acquitted himself well in this department, and was peaceably enjoying the applause of the public, when his enemies, whom by critical strictures in his Journal he had made such, formed an accusation against him of a most abominable crime, and procured him to be imprisoned. By the credit of powerful friends, he was set at liberty in 15 days; the magistrate of the police took upon himself the trouble of justifying him in a letter to the Abbé Bignon; and this letter having been read amidst his fellow labourers in the Journal, he was unanimously re-established in his former credit. This happened in 1725. But with whatever repute he might acquit himself in this Journal, frequent difficulties made him frequently abandon it. He laboured meanwhile in some new periodical works, from which he derived his greatest fame. In 1731, he began one under the title of Nouvelliste du Parnasse, ou Réflexions sur les Ouvrages nouveaux: but only proceeded to two volumes; the work having been suppressed by authority, from the incessant complaints of authors ridiculed therein. About three years after, in 1735, he obtained a new privilege for a periodical production, entitled, Observations sur les Ecrits Modernes; which, after continuing to 33 volumes, was suppressed again in 1743. Yet the year following, 1744, he published another weekly paper, called, Jugements sur les Ouvrages nouveaux, and proceeded to 11 volumes: the two last being done by other hands. In 1745, he was attacked with a disorder in the breast, which ended in a dropy that proved fatal in five weeks. "He was (says M. Freron) born a sentimental person; a philosopher in conduct as well as in principle; exempt from ambition; and of a noble firm spirit, which would not submit to sue for preferments or titles. In common conversation he appeared only a common man: but when subjects of literature, or any thing out of the ordinary way, were agitated, he discovered great force of imagination and wit." Besides the periodical works mentioned above, he was the author of many others: his biographer gives us no less than 17 articles; many of them critical, some historical, and some translations from English writers, chiefly from Pope, Swift, Fielding, &c. The Abbé de la Porte, published, in 1757, L'Esprit de l'Abbé des Fontaines, in 4 vols. 12mo; prefixed to which is the Life of Fontaines, a catalogue of his works, and another catalogue of writings against him.