Samuel Knight was an English clergyman and antiquary. He was a strong Protestant, attending St. Paul's School and Trinity College, Cambridge

Trinity College, Cambridge

Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Trinity has more members than any other college in Cambridge or Oxford, with around 700 undergraduates, 430 graduates, and over 170 Fellows...

 (BA 1702, MA 1706), and received a Cambridge DD in 1706. Knight was chaplain to King George II

George II of Great Britain

George II was King of Great Britain and Ireland, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg and Archtreasurer and Prince-elector of the Holy Roman Empire from 11 June 1727 until his death.George was the last British monarch born outside Great Britain. He was born and brought up in Northern Germany...

 in 1730 and wrote biographies of John Colet

John Colet

John Colet was an English churchman and educational pioneer.Colet was an English scholar, Renaissance humanist, theologian, and Dean of St. Paul’s Cathedral, London. Colet wanted people to see the scripture as their guide through life. Furthermore, he wanted to restore theology and rejuvenate...

 and Erasmus.

In his biography of Erasmus, Knight argues, like many contemporary Protestants, that Erasmus was truly a Protestant at heart but did not fully express this during his lifetime. He focuses on Erasmus' friends in England and English universities.