| The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. 2001-07. |
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| Godfrey, Thomas |
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| 1736–63, American poet and playwright, b. Philadelphia. The son of Thomas Godfrey, who invented the quadrant, he became apprenticed to a watchmaker after his father’s early death. Godfrey is remembered as the author of The Prince of Parthia (1767), a blank verse tragedy reminiscent of Shakespeare and Marlowe. It was the first professionally produced drama written by an American. The Court of Fancy (1762) is his most notable volume of poetry. |
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| | | The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. Copyright © 2007 Columbia University Press. |
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