▁ ▁Early ▁life ▁He ▁was ▁born ▁in ▁Ut to x eter , ▁Staff ord shire . ▁He ▁was ▁admitted ▁scholar ▁of ▁Tr inity ▁College , ▁Oxford , ▁in ▁ 1 5 6 1 ; ▁and ▁graduated ▁as ▁M . A . ▁in ▁ 1 5 6 7 . ▁In ▁ 1 5 7 1 ▁he ▁left ▁his ▁college ▁and ▁fellow ship , ▁and ▁moved ▁to ▁Gl ouc ester ▁Hall . ▁He ▁became ▁known ▁for ▁his ▁knowledge ▁of ▁anti qu ity , ▁philosophy , ▁and ▁mathematics . ▁ ▁At ▁Gl ouc ester ▁Hall ▁Gl ouc ester ▁Hall ▁su ited ▁Allen , ▁a ▁sympath iser ▁at ▁least ▁with ▁Catholic ism , ▁because ▁there ▁was ▁no ▁string ent ▁religious ▁observ ance ▁required ▁there ; ▁indeed ▁there ▁was ▁no ▁chap el ▁in ▁the ▁Hall . ▁Allen ' s ▁belief s ▁have ▁been ▁class ified ▁as ▁" ch urch ▁pap ist ", ▁but ▁also ▁his ▁post ure ▁as ▁" c rypto - C atholic ": ▁a ▁Catholic ▁faith ▁combined ▁with ▁out ward ▁conform ity ▁to ▁the ▁Church ▁of ▁England . ▁He ▁joined ▁there ▁his ▁friends ▁Edmund ▁Reyn olds , ▁Mil es ▁W inds or , ▁and ▁George ▁N apper , ▁who ▁had ▁also ▁left ▁their ▁colleg es ▁at ▁a ▁time ▁of ▁increasing ▁religious ▁t ensions ▁on ▁Oxford ; ▁N apper ▁was ▁to ▁be ▁a ▁Catholic ▁mart yr . ▁Tr inity ▁shed ▁six ▁more ▁of ▁its ▁F ell ows ▁within ▁a ▁few ▁years . ▁ ▁Allen ▁encourag ed ▁other ▁sch ol ars ▁to ▁migr ate ▁there , ▁such ▁as