Hare, Francis

Hare, Francis bishop of Chichester, was born London about 1665. He studied at Eton and at King's College, Cambridge; and, having been employed as tutor to lord Blandford, son of the duke of Marlborough, the latter caused him to be appointed general chaplain of the army. In consequence of services rendered to the Whig party, he was successively made dean of Worcester in 1708, of St. Paul's in 1726, bishop of St. Asaph in 1731, and transferred in the same year to the see of Chichester. He died in 1740. He wrote a work on The Difficulties and Discouragements attending the Study of the Scriptures in the Way of private Judgment: which was condemned for its tendency to skepticism.

He is chiefly famous for his Book of Psalms, in the Hebrew, put into the original poetical Meter (Psalmorau Liber in Versiculos metriae Divisus, Lond. 1736, 8vo), an attempt, now deemed hopeless, to reduce Hebrew poetry to meter, in which he was defended by Dr. Edwards, and assailed by Dr. Lowth. His Works were published in 4 vols. 8vo (Lond. 1746), containing, besides the writings above named, a number of Sermons. See Chalmers, General Biog. Dict.; Allibone, Dictionary of Authors, 1, 785.