102 LIVES. OF THE. PURITANS. but certain it is, that the parliament, to whom he was well known, and by whom he was so highly esteemed, formed a very different opinion of him. Fuller observes; "'that Dr. Lawrence Humphrey, the famous old puritan, having bequeathed to ,Magdalen college a considerable sum of gold left in a chest, and not to be opened except in some case of great emergency ; Dr. kinson, while he was president, took this gold, and shared it betwixt himself and the fellows of the college. Though one must charitablybelieve," he adds, " that the matter was not so bad as is reported, yet the most favourable account gave a general distaste.". Dr. Heylin says, " the sum amounted to upwards of twelve hundred double pistoles, value sixteen shillings and six-pence each.; and that the old doctor bad one hundred for his share of the spoil, and the fellows thirty each." But he observes, that, according to tradition, the money was left by the founder of the college, and not by Dr. Humphrey.t Wood says, " the sum amounted to no less than fourteen hundred pounds; and Dr. Henry Wilkinson, the vice-presi- dent of the college; not 'John Wilkinson, was the chief divider of the spoil.# JOHN GEREE, A. M.-He was born in Yorkshire, in the year 1600, and educated in Magdalen college, Oxford. His first ministerial labours were at'rewkesbury inGloucestershire. But, says Wood, he was schismatically inclined, and a nonconformist to certain ceremonies of the church of England, for which he was silenced by Bishop Goodman ; yet he was so universally beloved, that, after he had re- ceived his lordship's censure, he was supported by his brethren. Under this .censure he remained a considerable time ; but in the year 1641, lie was restored to his cure by the committee of religion. In 1645, he became minister of St. Alban's in Hertfordshire ; and, having laboured there about four years, was made preacher at St. Faith's under St. Paul's,,London. Hewas a thorough puritan, and at all these places was much followed by those of his own persuasion.§ Hewrote with considerable ability against the baptists, was opposed to the war betwixt the king and parliament, and against taking away the life of the king. He died in the month of February, 1649, aged forty-nine years, His death, Fuller's Church Hist. b. ix. p, 234, Heylin's Examen. Histor. p. 268. Wood's Atberm Oxon. vol. ii. p. 748. § Ibid. p. 64.
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