ABSTRACT
To many people the citizens of the seventeenth century are as remote from the people they meet on the 8.15 every morning as Australopithecus or Neanderthal man. There were as great a number of fools, saints, heroes, villains and plain ordinary folk then as now, and it is the purpose of this chapter to delineate some of them. Prince Rupert was tall, powerful, dressed colourfully and was abstemious in an age of hard drinkers. His reputation was made as a cavalry officer and it is in this guise that he is most often thought of. Sir Thomas Glemham could be termed the most gallant but persistent loser on the Royalist side. Sir Arthur Aston was an officer who apparently did not improve upon acquaintance. Sir Jacob Astley was a man's man and generally esteemed. Among Her Majesty's servants were Sir Ralph Hopton, Sir John Urry, Robert Peake, William Faithorne and Wenceslaus Hollar.
