Page:Dictionary of National Biography volume 28.djvu/245

Humphrey in many years after his decease, but sowed also in the Divinity School … seeds of Calvinism, and laboured to create in the younger sort … a strong hatred against the Papists' (Athenæ Oxon. i. 559). His zeal against the Roman catholics gained for him the title of `Papistomastix.'

On 3 March 1563-4 Humphrey, with his friend Thomas Sampson, and four other divines who refused to wear the vestments, were cited to appear before Archbishop Parker and his colleagues at Lambeth. The archbishop produced no impression on them by quoting the opinions of foreign divines, such as Peter Martyr and Martin Bucer, and submissive appeals to the archbishop, the bishops of London, Winchester, Ely, and Lincoln, and other commissioners, and a letter to the Earl of Leicester failed to procure their release. On 29 April the archbishop peremptorily declared in open court that they must conform at all points or immediately part with their preferment. After further examinations they were released on signing a proposition, by which they seemed to allow the lawfulness of the vestments, though on grounds of inexpediency declining to use them (, Life of Parker, p. 162; Annals, i. 464, folio). About the same time they addressed a letter to the queen, appealing for toleration (, ii. 81).

Humphrey retired for a time to the house of a widow named Warcup in Oxfordshire; thence he wrote on 24 May 1565 to John Foxe to intercede with the Duke of Norfolk for him. In the same month he wrote to the bishops against the vestments, urging that other popish practices would follow. Again, in a letter to Cecil (1566), he prayed that the articles of the archbishop might be in some ways mitigated and that pastors might be relieved from observing certain ceremonies (Cal. State Papers, Dom. 1547-80, pp. 253, 271). He had, indeed, been appointed to preach at St. Paul's Cross either by the Bishop of London or the lord mayor, but it appears that he, Sampson, and Lever were allowed to preach in London without wearing the habits (, Life of Grindal, p. 116, folio; Parker Correspondence, p. 239). While his case was under the consideration of the commissioners, the Bishop of Winchester had presented him to a small living in the diocese of Salisbury, but Bishop Jewel, his professed friend and intimate acquaintance, declined to admit him because he refused an assurance of conformity (20 Dec. 1565) (Life of Parker, i. 184, folio;, Works, ed. Ayre, biog. mem. p. xix).

Upon the publication of the advertisements for enforcing a more strict conformity, Humphrey wrote to Secretary Cecil (23 April 1566) begging him to stay their execution (Life of Parker, p. 217). On the queen visiting the university of Oxford in 1566, she was met near Wolvercot by Humphrey, Godwyn, dean of Christ Church, and other doctors in their scarlet habits. After a Latin oration by Marbeck, the queen said to Humphrey, as he was kissing her hand, `Methinks this gown and habit becomes you very well, and I marvel that you are so straight-laced on this point—but I come not now to chide.' When her majesty entered Christ Church Cathedral, Humphrey was one of the four doctors who held a canopy over her. On 2 Sept. the Spanish ambassador and divers noblemen attended a divinity lecture given in the schools by Dr. Humphrey.

The Earl of Leicester, in a letter to the university of Oxford, dated 26 March 1567, warmly recommended Humphrey to the office of vice-chancellor. On 21 July 1568 he was appointed one of the commissioners for visiting Corpus Christi College, Oxford, and ejecting the Roman catholics from that society. He was incorporated D.D. at Cambridge 7 March 1568-9. On 13 March 1570-1 he was installed dean of Gloucester, and consented to wear the habits. 'He was loath,' he wrote to Burghley at the time, 'her majesty or any other honourable person should think that he was forgetful of his duty, or so far off from obedience, but that he would submit himself to those orders in that place where his being and living was. And therefore he had yielded' (Strype, Annals, ii. 451, folio). He was commissary or vice-chancellor of the university of Oxford in 1571, and continued to hold the office till about 1576. During that period the title of commissary was dropped, and that of vice-chancellor only used. On 31 Aug. 1572 he, on behalf of the university of Oxford, delivered a Latin oration before the queen at Woodstock, and made another oration to her majesty at the same place on 11 Sept. 1575 (, Annals, ed. Gutch, ii. 173).

On 14 July 1576, and again in 1584, he was in a commission to visit the diocese of Gloucester. At the latter end of this year Lord Burghley wrote to him that his non-conformity seemed to be the chief impediment in the way of his being made a bishop. Humphrey consequently once again adopted the disputed habits, but `protested that his standing before and conforming now came of one cause, viz. the direction of a clear conscience, and tended to one end, which was edification' (, Annals, i. App. p. 68, fol.) In 1578 he was one of the deputies (the others being Thomas Wilson, dean of 