the press and for the stage. His plays were more numerous than original, but two of them met, through the excellence of the acting, with considerable success. He brought out in 1757 a periodical paper of his own composition entitled ‘The Centinel,’ and he was one of the contributors to Smollett's ‘Critical Review.’ Dr. Johnson and Sir Joshua Reynolds were among his friends, and through their influence he was exalted to the place of chaplain to the Royal Academy on its foundation, when he addressed the associates ‘in good old lyric commonplaces,’ and on Goldsmith's death in 1774 succeeded to the professorship of ancient history. It has been generally assumed that he was the ‘Tho. Franklin’ who signed the round-robin to Johnson on the Latin epitaph to Goldsmith; but Dr. Hill says, on account of the omission of the letter c in the name, and the difference in the handwriting from his acknowledged signature, ‘he certainly was not,’ but no other bearer of the name was sufficiently prominent among their friends to justify such a conspicuous honour. With the generality of literary men he was unpopular. One of his victims in the ‘Critical Review’ was Arthur Murphy, who solaced his feelings of indignation in ‘A Poetical Epistle to Samuel Johnson, A.M.,’ whereupon it is said that Francklin ‘had recourse to the law for protection, and swore the peace’ against Murphy (Biog. Dramatica, 1812 ed., i. 253–6). Churchill, in the ‘Rosciad,’ sneeringly says that ‘he sicken'd at all triumphs but his own,’ and in the poem of ‘The Journey,’ exclaims, with less reason, let
Francklin, proud of some small Greek,
Make Sophocles, disguis'd in English, speak.
After a laborious life Francklin died in Great Queen Street, London, 15 March 1784. He married, on 20 Jan. 1759, Miss Venables, the daughter of a wine merchant; she died in Great Queen Street, 24 May 1796.
Francklin's most profitable works consisted of translations and tragedies. His first venture was an anonymous rendering of Cicero's treatise, ‘Of the Nature of the Gods,’ which appeared in 1741, was reissued in 1775, and, after revision by C. D. Yonge, formed a part of one of the volumes in Bohn's ‘Classical Library.’ In 1749 he published ‘The Epistles of Phalaris translated from the Greek; to which are added some select epistles of the most eminent Greek writers.’ His translation of the tragedies of Sophocles was long considered the best in the English language. It came out in 1759, and was reprinted in 1809 and 1832, large selections from it were included in Sanford's ‘British Poets,’ vol. l., and it has recently been included in Professor Henry Morley's ‘Universal Library’ (vol. xliv.), while a separate impression of the ‘Œdipus Tyrannus’ was struck off in 1806. Equal popularity attended his version of ‘The Works of Lucian from the Greek,’ which was produced in 1780 in two volumes, and appeared in a second edition in 1781. The whole work was dedicated to Rigby, the politician, and parts were inscribed to other eminent men, the most famous of whom were Bishop Douglas, Dr. Johnson, ‘the Demonax of the present age,’ Sir Joshua Reynolds, and Edmund Burke. His translation of Lucian's ‘Trips to the Moon’ forms vol. lxxi. of Cassell's ‘National Library,’ edited by Professor Henry Morley. Francklin's plays are: 1. ‘The Earl of Warwick,’ which was produced at Drury Lane Theatre on 13 Dec. 1766, and was often represented. On its first appearance Mrs. Yates created a great impression in the part of Margaret of Anjou, and Mrs. Siddons in later years made that character equally successful. The whole play, which is said to have been taken without any acknowledgment from the French of La Harpe, was printed in 1766 and 1767, and was included in the collections of Bell, Mrs. Inchbald, Dibdin, and many others. 2. ‘Matilda,’ first presented at Drury Lane on 21 Jan. 1775, was also profitable to the author, as is shown in the balance-sheet in Garrick's ‘Correspondence,’ ii. 44. It appeared in print in 1775, and was also included in several theatrical collections. 3. ‘The Contract,’ brought out at the Haymarket on 12 June 1776, and printed in the same year, was a failure, although it deserved a better fate. The chief characters were two persons who had made a contract of marriage, parted, and on meeting again after many years, wished the engagement broken off. 4. ‘Mary Queen of Scots,’ which was several times announced but was never acted, and remained in manuscript until 1837, when it was edited by the author's eldest son, Lieutenant-colonel William Francklin [q. v.], once of the Hon. East India Company's service.
Francklin's other literary productions were very numerous. Their titles were: 1. ‘Translation,’ a poem, 1753, which condemned many previous attempts at translation, and appealed to abler men to undertake the task, ending with the preliminary puff of his proposal to print by subscription a version of Sophocles. 2. ‘Enquiry into the Astronomy and Anatomy of the Ancients,’ 1749, and said to have been reprinted in 1775. 3. ‘Truth and Falsehood, a Tale,’ 1755, issued anonymously, and panegyrising the then Duchess of Bedford. 4. ‘The Centinel,’ 1757 fol., 1758 12mo, a periodical paper, one
