It is, however, in the wills of men and women of every rank and every status that we get most insight into the work of the friars as visitors of the sick. Unfortunately we possess but few wills as early as the thirteenth or first half of the fourteenth century, while for the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, when the popularity of the friars had greatly declined, they are fairly numerous. Taking those proved in the Chancellor’s court between 1436 and 1538, we find that one will in every eight, roughly speaking[657], contains a bequest to the Minorites. In the ‘Old White Book’ (Oxford City Records)[658], the proportion is about one to every four or five, and in the last half of the fourteenth century, one-third of the wills of Oxford citizens contain bequests to the Franciscans; and these figures are borne out by the Oxford wills scattered through the early Registers at Somerset House[659]. The legacies come from all ranks; tradesmen and merchants being especially well represented. Nor were the benefactors confined to Oxford and its neighbourhood: the Convent, like the University, occupied a national position. But it will be best to give as complete a list as possible of the bequests to the Grey Friars, and leave readers to draw their own conclusions. _John of St. John_[660], clerk, by an undated will, probably about 1230, left half a mark to the Friars Minors of Oxford. _Martin de Sancta Cruce_, Master of the Hospital of Sherburn, near Durham, left 10_s._ to them in 1259, with bequests to Friar Richard of Cornwall and others[661]. _Boniface of Savoy_, Archbishop of Canterbury, left them fifteen marks at his death in 1270[662]. _Nicholas de Weston_, citizen of Oxford, left them 10_s._ in 1271[663]. _Walter de Merton_, Bishop of Rochester, Chancellor of England, and founder of Merton College, bequeathed twenty-five marks to them at his death in 1277[664]. _Thomas Waldere_, of Wycombe, left them 2_s._ in 1291[665]. _Amaury de Montfort_[666], papal chaplain, Treasurer of York, &c. in an elaborate will dated Feb. 2nd, 1300/1, ordered that ‘the goods and revenues of the aforesaid Treasury owed to him’ should be divided into three parts; one-third was to be subdivided into six parts; the sixth part was to be again subdivided into three parts, one of which was to go to the Friars Preachers of Oxford, Leicester, and elsewhere; the second ‘fratribus Minoribus, Carmelitis, Oxonii, Leycestrie, Parisius, et fratribus ordinis S. Trinitatis;’ the third, to pay any debts he might leave. As Amaury was dispossessed of the Treasurership in Aug. 1265 (after holding it only for a few months), and never recovered it, these bequests were merely a pious wish. _John de Doclington_ bequeathed 20_s._ to each of the four Orders in Oxford in 1335[667]. _Nicholas Acton_[668], parson of the church of Wystantowe (Salop), and owner of property in London, left the Oxford Franciscans 40_s._ in 1337. _William de Burchestre_ left them one marc in 1340[669].