Laurence Humphrey

, or Humfredus as he sometimes writes himself, was born at a mercate Town called Newport Paynell in Bucks. educated in Latine and Greek learning at Cambridge, made Demie of Magd. Coll. in Oxon, 1547, perpetual Fellow two years after, (being then Bach. of Arts) and Master of the said faculty in 1552. About that time he was made Greek reader of his Coll. took holy orders and became a zealous and forward student in the Theological faculty. In June 1555 (2. and 3. of Phil. and Mary) the President, Vicepresident, Deans, &c. of that Coll. gave leave (*)(*) Reg. act. Coll. Magd. fol. 11. a. to the said Humphrey, “who in the opinion of all was much commended for his life and conversation, as also for the excellency of his learning and wit, that he might freely for the cause of study travel into trasmarine parts for one year, conditionally that he contain himself from those places that are suspected to be heretical or favourers of heresie, and that also he refrain from the company, who are, or were authors of heresie or heretical opinions, &c.” Which leave being procured, he went forthwith to Zurich and associated himself with the English exiles there, that had fled from the Nation for Religion sake. After the death of Qu. Mary he returned to his Coll. and was restored to his Fellowship, having been expelled thence because he did not return thereunto, after his time of leave was expired. In the Year 1560 he was constituted the Queens Professor of Divinity in the University of Oxon, being then about 34 years of age, at which time was a very great scarcity of Theologists throughout the body of Students, and in the year following he was elected President of his Coll. In 1562 he took the Degrees in Divinity, and in 1570 he was made Dean of Glocester upon the promotion of Dr. Tho. Cooper to the See of Lincoln. In 1580 he was constituted Dean of Winchester, in the place of Dr. Joh. Watson promoted to the See of Winchester, which was the highest preferment he had among the Clergy; and the reason for it (as ’twas guested) was, because that in matter of ceremony or indifferency, he altogether consented not to the Church of England. For the truth is, that from the City of Zurich (remarkable for the Preachings and death of Zwinglius) and the correspondence that he had at Geneva, he brought back with him at his return into England so much of the Calvinian both in doctrine and discipline, that the best that could be said of him was, that he was a moderate and consciencious Nonconformist. Whence ’twas that by his being many years President of Magd. College, publick Professor of Div. in the University and several times Vice-chancellour, he did not only, upon advantage issuing from those place, stock his Coll. with a generation of Nonconformists, which could not be rooted out in many years after his decease, but sowed also in the Divinity School such seeds of Calvinisme, and labored to create in the younger sort such a strong hatred against the Papists, as if nothing but divine truths were to be found in the one, and nothing but abominations were to be seen in the other. This was the opinion of several eminent Divines of the Church of England, yet one (a)(a) Gabr. Harvey LL. D. Oxon. in his Pierce’s superarrogation, &c. Lond. 1573. qu. p. 92. that lived in his time and knew him, saith that he and Dr. Will. Fulke of Cambridge, whom he stiles standard bearers for a long time of the Nonconformists, did grow conformable in the end, as they grew riper in experience and sager in judgment: Howsoever it was, sure it is, that Humphrey was a great and general Scholar, an able linguist, a deep Divine, and for his excellency of stile, exactness of method and substance of matters in his writings, he went beyond most of our Theologists. An eminent (b)(b) Tob. Mathew in Conc. Apologetica, edit. Oxon. 1628. p. 75. Archbishop who knew him well saith that be (Dr. Humphrey) had read more Fathers, than Campian the Jesuit ever saw, devour’d more than he ever tasted, and that he had taught more in this University than he either had learned or heard. Dr. Humphrey hath written,

Epistola de Graecis literis, & Homeri lectione & imitatione, ad Praesidem & Socios Coll. B. Mar. Magd. Oxon. Set before a book intit. Cornu copiae, &c. written by Hadrian Junius—Bas. 1558. The beginning of the said Epistle is Patriae communis nostrae, &c.

De religionis conservatione & reformatione deque primatu Regum. Bas. 1559. oct.

De ratione interpretandi authores. Bas. 1559. oct. At the end of which is the Prophecy of Obadiah in Hebr. and Lat. and Philo de judice in Greek and Latine; done by our Author Humphrey.

Optimates sive de nobilitate, ejusque antiquâ origine, natura, officiis, disciplina, &c. lib. 3. Bas. 1560. oct. At the end of which is Humphries translation from Greek into Lat. of Philo Judaeus his book De nobilitate. Optimates was afterwards translated into English by Anon. and printed at Lond. 1563. oct.

Oratio Woodstochiae habita ad illustriss. R. Elizab. 31. Aug. 1572. Lond. 1572. in 3 sh. or more in qu.

Johannis Juelli Angli, Episc. Sarisburiensis vita & mors, ejusꝫ verae doctrinae defensio, &c. Lond. 1573. qu. From which is taken an abstract of the said Bishops life, published in oct. in the English tongue, by one who writes himself a Person of quality, an 1685, put at the end of a translation into English of Jewells Apologie and his Epistle to Scipio.

Orat. in Aula Woodstoc. hab. ad illustr. R. Elizab. an. 1575. Lond. 1575. qu. The beginning is Eloquar an sileam, &c.

De fermento vitando: concio in Math. 16. Marc. 8. Luc. 12. Jesus dixit illis, videte & cavete à fermento Pharisaeorum. Lond. 1582. Rupel. 1585. oct.

Jesuitismi pars prima: sive de praxi Rom. curiae contra respubl. & principes, &c. Lond. 1582. in a large oct.

Jesuitismi pars secunda: Puritano-papismi, seu doctrinae Jesuiticae aliquot rationibus ab Edm. Campiano comprehensae, & à Joh. Duraeo defensae, confutatio, &c. Lond. 1584 in a large oct.

Apologetica Epistola ad Academiae Oxoniensis Cancellarium. Rupel. 1585. oct.

Seaven Sermons against treason 1 Sam. cap. 26. 8. 9 10. 11, &c. Lond. 1588. oct.

Concio in die Cinerum. Pr. in oct. He also (with Rob. Crowley) hath written a book against that of Miles Hoggeard, published in Qu. Maries Reign against the Protestants, and other things which I have not yet seen: And reviewed, corrected and published Joh. Shepreves book intit. Summa & Synopsis N. Testamenti, &c. At length after Dr. Humphrey had spent most part of his time in a studious and retired condition, tho with little comfort of his Wife and male Children, he departed this mortal life on the kalends of Febr. 1589-90. in Fifteen hundred eighty and nine, aged 63, and was buried at the upper end of the inner Chappel of Magd. Coll. Soon after was a comely mon, set over his grave, in the South wall; which, when the said Chap. was adorn’d, and paved with Marble, was removed, and set up on the S. wall of the outer Chappel: The inscription of which, you may read in Hist. & Antiq. Univ. Oxon. lib. 2. p. 208. b. and some things said of him in lib. 1. p. 287. a. 288. a. b. 292. a. 304. a. 310. a &c. He took to Wife in the beginning of Qu. Elizabeth one Joan the Daughter of Andr. Inkfordby of Ipswych in Suffolke by whom he had 7 Sons and 5 Daughters, She dyed 27. Aug. 1611. aged 74 and was buried in the Chancel of Steple Barton Church in Oxfordshire; over whose grave her eldest Dau. called Justina the Wife of Caspar Dormer of the said place Esꝫ erected a fair Monument, as she had before done over that of her Father in Magd. Coll. Chappel.