HARE, Dr Francis, an English bishop, of whose birth we have no particulars, was bred at Eton school, and from that foundation became a member of King's college, Cambridge; where he had the tuition of the marquis of Blandford, only son of the illustrious duke of Marlborough, who appointed him chaplain-general to the army. He afterwards obtained the deanery of Worcester, and from thence was promoted to the bishopric of Chichester, which he held with the deanery of St Paul's to his death, which happened in 1740. He was dismissed from being chaplain to George I. in 1718, by the strength of party prejudices, in company with Dr Mofs and Dr Sherlock, persons of distinguished rank for parts and learning. About the latter end of Queen Anne's reign he published a remarkable pamphlet, intitled, The difficulties and discouragements which attend the study of the Scriptures, in the way of private judgment: in order to show, that since such a study of the Scriptures is an indispensable duty, it concerns all Christian societies to remove, as much as possible, those discouragements. In this work, his manner appeared to be so ludicrous, that the convocation fell upon him, as if he were really against the study of the Holy Scriptures: and Whiston says, that finding this piece likely to hinder that preferment he was seeking for, he aimed to conceal his being the author. He published many pieces against Bishop Hoadley, in the Bangorian Controversy, as it is called; and also other learned works, which were collected after his death, and published in four vols 8vo. 2. An edition of Terence, with notes, in 4to. 3. The book of Psalms in the Hebrew, put into the original poetical metre, 4to. In this last work, he pretends to have discovered the Hebrew metre, which was supposed to be irretrievably lost. But his hypothesis, though defend-
ed by some, yet has been confuted by several learned men, particularly by Dr Lowth in his Metrical Harleianæ brevis confutatio, annexed to his lectures De Sacra Poësi Hebraeorum.