r Wilmington, North Carolina, on August 3, 1763.[3]

After his death, Godfrey's friends decided among themselves that the
young man was too much of a genius for them to allow his productions
to remain scattered and unrecognized. Evidently, correspondence
regarding this must have taken place between Dr. Smith, Nathaniel
Evans, the young minister, and John Green, the portrait painter. For,
in 1765, a book was published, entitled "Juvenile Poems on Various
Subjects, with the Prince of Parthia," printed in Philadelphia by one
Henry Miller.[4] The volume contained a life written by Evans, a
critical estimate written by Dr. Smith, of the College of
Philadelphia, and an Elegy from the pen of John Green, who had been
previously complimented by Godfrey in a poem entitled "A Night Piece."
The whole spirit of the publication was one of friendly devotion and
of firm belief in the permanency of Godfrey's position in the literary
world. As was the custom of the time, the Edition was issued under the
patronage of subscribers, a list being included. We know, for example,
that Benjamin Franklin subscribed for twelve copies, his own private,
autographed copy having been put on sale a few years ago.

As yet, no concerted effort had been made for the production of
Godfrey's "The Prince of Parthia." We do not know if, during this
time, the American Company had any claim on the manuscript, or
whether, after Godfrey's death, it was again submitted to the
theatrical people. But this much we do know, that, very hastily, the
American Company, headed by David Douglass, who was playing at the
Southwark Theatre in Philadelphia, decided that they would put on "The
Prince of Parthia" in place of "The Disappointment; or, the Force of
Credulity," a comic opera which will be noted in my introduction to
John Leacock's "The Fall of British Tyranny." This musical piece had
actually been put into rehearsal in 1767, when it was withdrawn.
Immediately, the _Pennsylvania Journal and Weekly Advertiser_ for
April 23, 1767, contained an advertisement of the forthcoming
production; it ran as follows:

By Authority./Never Performed before./By the American
Company,/at the New Theatre, in Southwark,/On Friday, the
Twenty-fourth of April, will be/presented, A Tragedy written by
the late ingenious/Mr. _Thomas Godfrey_, of this city, called
the/Prince of Parthia./The Principal Characters by Mr.
Hallam,/Mr. Douglass, Mr. Wall, Mr. Morris,/Mr. A