Henry Francis Cary, born on Dec. 6, 1772, inGibraltar, was an English biographer and translator, best known for his blank verse translation of The Divine Comedy of Dante. He was educated at the grammar schools of Rugby, Sutton Coldfield and Birmingham, and at Christ Church, Oxford, which he entered in 1790 and studied French and Italian literature. While at school, he regularly contributed to the Gentleman’s Magazine, and published a volume of Sonnets and Odes. Educated at the University of Oxford,Cary took Anglican orders in 1796 and was later assistant librarian in the British Museum, a post which he held for about eleven years.He published biographies of English and French poets and translated the ancient Greek writers Aristophanes and Pindar. He took holy orders and in 1797, became vicar of Abbots Bromley in Staffordshire. He held this benefice until his death. In 1800, he also became vicar of Kingsbury in Warwickshire.