John Gee

, the Son of a Minister of Devon, but whether of John or George Gee, whom I have before mentioned in Edw. Gee, under the year 1618. I cannot justly say, was entred into Brasnose coll. in 1613. aged 16. where making no long stay, he entred himself a Batler among his Countrymen of Exeter college, and having holy Orders confer’d on him, after he had taken one degree in Arts, became beneficed at Newton near to Winwick in Lancashire, of which last place Mr. Josias Horne being then Parson, Gee had oftentimes several conferences with him concerning matters of Religion; but they savouring much of a mind inclining to Popery, Mr. Horne and the neighbouring Ministers concluded among themselves, that he had changed his Religion before he had left that place. Thence taking his rambles, he retired to London, and became acquainted with the noted persons of the R. Cath. Perswasion that then lived there. But at length being moved to leave them, and his opinions newly embraced, by the urgent letters of his Father, and by the valid reasons concerning the vanity (as he term’d it) of that Religion by Dr. Abbot Archb. of Canterbury, (who sent for him upon notice received that he had been at the doleful Even-song in the Black-Friers in London, 26. Oct. 1623.) became a bitter Enemy to the Romanists, and studied to do them what mischief he could by these books following.

The Foot out of the Snare: with a detection of sundry late practices and impostures of the Priests and Jesuits in England, &c. Lond. 1624. qu.

A gentle excuse to Mr. Greg. Musket for stiling him Jesuit.—These two, which go, and are joyned together, were printed four times in the said year 1624. because all the copies, or most of them, were bought up by R. Catholicks before they were dispersed, for fear their lodgings, and so consequently themselves, should be found out and discovered, by the catalogues of all such Priests, Jesuits, Popish Physicians, Chyrurgions, &c. with the names of the streets, lanes, &c. in London, where they mostly lived, which were printed at the end of the Gentle Excuse before-mentioned. Our author Gee hath also written and published,

Hold fast: Sermon at Pauls Cross on Rev. 3. 11. Lond. 1624. qu.

New shreds of the old Snare; containing the apparitions of two Female Ghosts, the copies of divers letters, &c. especially Indulgences purchased at Rome, &c. Lond. 1624. q [•] . For the publishing of which books, and for his mutability of mind, he was very much blamed by both parties, especially by those of the Rom. perswasion, as I have been several times informed by a grave Bach. of Div. Mr. Rich. Washbourne Chanter of Ch. Ch. in Oxon, who had been his contemporary in Exeter coll. Which person having known Gee well, and what he was, as to his life and conversation, blamed the writer of this book much, for honouring the memory of such a sorry fellow as he was, in Hist. & Antiq. Vniv. Oxon. He was afterwards beneficed at Tenterden in Kent, Clar 1625. where he died and was buried, but when, I cannot yet tell, leaving then behind him a young Brother named Orlando Gee, afterwards a Knight. One Joh. Gee was Minister of Dunsford in Devon, who died about the beginning of 1631. leaving a Relict behind him called Sarah. Which Joh. Gee was perhaps Father to the aforesaid Joh. Gee the writer. Qu.