om his coming into the world under the protection of
Thomas Lord Cromwell, who was certainly persuaded of the truth of the
protestant religion.

Having this occasion to mention Thomas Lord Cromwell, the famous Earl
of Essex, who was our author's warmest patron, I am persuaded my
readers will forgive me a digression which will open to them the
noblest instance of gratitude and honour in that worthy nobleman, that
ever adorned the page of an historian, and which has been told with
rapture by all who have writ of the times, particularly by Dr. Burnet
in his history of the Reformation, and Fox in his Martyrology.--Thomas
Lord Cromwell was the son of a Blacksmith at Putney, and was a soldier
under the duke of Bourbon at the sacking of Rome in the year 1527.
While he was abroad in a military character, in a very low station, he
fell sick, and was unable to follow the army; he was observed one
day by an Italian merchant to walk very pensive, and had all the
appearance of penury and wretchedness: The merchant enquired of
him the place of his birth, and fortune, and upon conversing with
Cromwell, was so well pleased with the account he gave of himself,
that he supplied him with money and credit to carry him to England.
Cromwell afterwards made the most rapid progress in state-preferments
ever known. Honours were multiplied thick upon him, and he came to
have the dispensing of his sovereign's bounty. It happened, that this
Italian merchant's circumstances decayed, and he came to England to
sollicit the payment of some debts due to him by his correspondents;
who finding him necessitous, were disposed to put him off, and take
the advantage of his want, to avoid payment. This not a little
embarrassed the foreigner, who was now in a situation forlorn enough.
As providence would have it, lord Cromwell, then Earl of Essex, riding
to court, saw this merchant walking with a dejected countenance, which
put him in mind of his former situation. He immediately ordered one
of his attendants to desire the merchant to come to his house. His
lordship asked the merchant whether he knew him? he answered no:
Cromwell then related the circumstance of the merchant's relieving
a certain Englishman; and asked if he remembered it? The merchant
answered, that he had always made it his business to do good, but did
not remember that circumstance.--His lordship then enquired the reason
of his coming to England, and upon the merchant's telling him his
story