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                                                                     EXHIBIT 5.1



ANDREA M. TEICHMAN
DIRECT LINE:  617-428-3540
ATEICHMAN@HILLBARLOW.COM


                                                              March 23, 2000


VIA COURIER

Eprise Corporation
1671 Worcester Road
Framingham, MA  01701
Attn.:  Joseph A. Forgione, President

     Re:      Registration Statement on Form S-1


Ladies and Gentlemen:

         This opinion is furnished to you in connection with a Registration
Statement on Form S-1 (File No. 333-94777) (as amended, the "Registration
Statement") filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "Commission")
under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "Securities Act"), for the
registration of 4,600,000 shares of Common Stock, $.001 par value per share (the
"Shares"), of Eprise Corporation, a Delaware corporation (the "Company"),
including 600,000 Shares issuable upon exercise of an over-allotment option
granted by the Company.

         The Shares are to be sold by the Company pursuant to an underwriting
agreement (the "Underwriting Agreement") to be entered into by and among the
Company and Deutsche Banc Alex. Brown, Dain Rauscher Wessels and SoundView
Technology Group, Inc., as representatives of the several underwriters named in
the Underwriting Agreement, the form of which has been filed as Exhibit 1.1 to
the Registration Statement.

         We are acting as counsel for the Company in connection with the issue
and sale by the Company of the Shares. We have examined signed copies of the
Registration Statement as filed with the Commission. We have also examined and
relied upon the Underwriting Agreement, minutes of meetings of the stockholders
and the Board of Directors of the Company as provided to us by the Company,
stock record books of the Company as provided to us by the Company, the
Certificate of Incorporation and By-Laws of the Company, each as restated and/or
amended to date, and such other documents as we have deemed necessary for
purposes of rendering the opinions hereinafter set forth.

         In our examination of the foregoing documents, we have assumed the
genuineness of all signatures, the authenticity of all documents submitted to us
as originals, the conformity to
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Eprise Corporation
March 23, 2000
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original documents of all documents submitted to us as copies, the authenticity
of the originals of such latter documents and the legal competence of all
signatories of such documents.

         We assume that the appropriate action will be taken, prior to the offer
and sale of the Shares in accordance with the Underwriting Agreement, to
register and qualify the Shares for sale under all applicable state securities
or "blue sky" laws.

         We express no opinion herein as to the laws of any state or
jurisdiction other than the state laws of The Commonwealth of Massachusetts, the
Delaware General Corporation Law statute and the federal laws of the United
States of America.

         Based upon and subject to the foregoing, we are of the opinion that the
Shares have been duly authorized for issuance and, when the Shares are issued
and paid for in accordance with the terms and conditions of the Underwriting
Agreement, the Shares will be validly issued, fully paid and nonassessable.

         It is understood that this opinion is to be used only in connection
with the offer and sale of the Shares while the Registration Statement is in
effect.

         Please note that we are opining only as to the matters expressly set
forth herein, and no opinion should be inferred as to any other matters. This
opinion is based upon currently existing statutes, rules, regulations and
judicial decisions, and we disclaim any obligation to advise you of any change
in any of these sources of law or subsequent legal or factual developments which
might affect any matters or opinions set forth herein.

         We hereby consent to the filing of this opinion with the Commission as
an exhibit to the Registration Statement in accordance with the requirements of
Item 601(b)(5) of Regulation S-K under the Securities Act and to the use of our
name therein and in the related Prospectus under the caption "Legal Matters." In
giving such consent, we do not hereby admit that we are in the category of
persons whose consent is required under Section 7 of the Securities Act or the
rules and regulations of the Commission.

                                            Very truly yours,

                                            HILL & BARLOW,
                                            a Professional Corporation

                                            By: /s/ Andrea M. Teichman
                                                ------------------------
                                                    Andrea M. Teichman
                                                    A member of the firm



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