In the 1690s, Newton wrote several religious treatises dealing with the literal and symbolic interpretation of the Bible. The manuscript sent by Newton to John Locke, in which he questioned the fidelity of John to the original manuscript of the New Testament, was not published until 1785. Newton was also a member of the British Parliament at Cambridge University in 1689 and 1701, but according to some records, his only comment was complaining about the cold wind in the room and demanding that the windows be closed. However, Cambridge chronicler Abraham De La Primo pointed out that he had condemned students for claiming that a house was haunted and terrified the locals. Newton moved to London in 1696 and took over as director of the Royal Mint. This position was obtained thanks to the patronage of Charles Montagu, the first Earl of Halifax, the then Chancellor of the Exchequer. He took charge of the Great Renaissance in England, stepped on the feet of Lord Lucas, Governor of the Tower of London, and served as Deputy Auditor of the interim Chester branch for Edmond Halley. After the death of Thomas Neale in 1699, Newton may become the most famous mint master, a position Newton held for the last 30 years of his life. These appointments were originally for leisure, but Newton took them seriously. In 1701, he retired from Cambridge University and exercised his power to reform the currency and punish pruners and counterfeiters.