Francis was an English poet and Catholic mystic. He spent three years on the streets of London, supporting himself with menial labour, becoming addicted to opium which he took to relieve a nervous problem. During this period from 1888 – 1897, after which he turned to writing prose. Francis' poem The Hound of Heaven was called by the Bishop of London "one of the most tremendous poems ever written". In 1897, he began writing prose, drawing inspiration from life in the countryside, Wales and Storrington. Notable among his prose works are an essay on Shelley, "The Life of St. Ignatius", and "Health and Holiness". Poems on Children Sister Songs Love in Dian’s Lap. The Hound of Heaven Ode to the Setting Sun A Corymbus for Autumn To the Dead Cardinal of Westminster Ecclesiastical Ballads Translations Miscellaneous Poems New Poems A Narrow Vessel Ultima An Anthem of Earth Miscellaneous Odes Sonnets Miscellaneous Poems The Prose