Francis, a poet of some note, who received his school education at Leeds, whence he was removed to Jesus College, Cambridge, where he took the degrees in arts. Having early entered into holy orders, he settled first at Bramham in Yorkshire, near the elegant seat of that name, which he celebrated in verse in 1745, in a pamphlet published anonymously. His first poetical publications were, Gawin Douglas's Description of May and Winter modernized. Having afterwards removed to the curacy of Croydon in Surrey, he recommended himself to the notice of Archbishop Herring, then residing there on account of his health, to whom, besides other pieces, he addressed an ode on his recovery in 1754, which is printed in Mr Doddley's collection. In 1755 his grace collated him to the vicarage of Orpington, with St Mary Gray in Kent; and Mr Fawkes lamented his patron's death in 1757 in an elegy styled Aurelius, first printed, with his grace's seven sermons, in 1763. In April 1774, by the favour of Dr Plumtree, he exchanged his vicarage for the rectory of Hayes. He was also one of the chaplains to the princess dowager of Wales. He published a volume of poems by subscription in 8vo, 1761; the Poetical Kalendar, 1763, and Poetical Magazine, 1764, in conjunction with Mr Woty; Partridge Shooting, an eclogue, to the honourable Charles Yorke, 1767, 4to; and a Family Bible with notes, in 4to, a compilation. But his great strength lay in translation, in which, since Pope, few have surpassed him. His fragments of Menander; his works of Anacreon, Sappho, Bion, Moschus, and Musaeus, 12mo, 1769; his Idyllia of Theocritus, by subscription, 8vo, 1767; and his Argonautics of Apollonius Rhodius, by subscription, a posthumous publication, completed by the Reverend Mr Meen of Emmanuel College, Cambridge, 8vo, 1780, may be referred to in proof of this observation. He died on the 26th August 1777.