Micah Clarke by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle — Read

Monmouth was at that time in his thirty-sixth year, and was remarkable / for those superficial graces which please the multitude and fit a man to / lead in a popular cause. He was young, well-spoken, witty, and skilled / in all martial and manly exercises. On his progress in the West he had / not thought it beneath him to kiss the village maidens, to offer prizes / at the rural sports, and to run races in his boots against the fleetest / of the barefooted countrymen. (Note G., Appendix) His nature was vain / and prodigal, but he excelled in that showy magnificence and careless / generosity which wins the hearts of the people. Both on the Continent / and at Bothwell Bridge, in Scotland, he had led armies with success, and / his kindness and mercy to the Covenanters after his victory had caused / him to be as much esteemed amongst the Whigs as Dalzell and Claverhouse / were hated. As he reined up his beautiful black horse at the gate of the / city, and raised his plumed montero cap to the shouting crowd, the grace / and dignity of his bearing were such as might befit the knight-errant / in a Romance who is fighting at long odds for a crown which a tyrant has / filched from him.

He was reckoned well-favoured, but I cannot say that I found him so. His / face was, I thought, too long and white for comeliness, yet his features / were high and noble, with well-marked nose and clear, searching eyes. In / his mouth might perchance be noticed some trace of that weakness which / marred his character, though the expression was sweet and amiable. He / wore a dark purple roquelaure riding-jacket, faced and lapelled with / gold lace, through the open front of which shone a silver breastplate. / A velvet suit of a lighter shade than the jacket, a pair of high yellow / Cordovan boots, with a gold-hilted rapier on one side, and a poniard / of Parma on the other, each hung from the morocco-leather sword-belt, / completed his attire. A broad collar of Mechlin lace flowed over his / shoulders, while wristbands of the same costly material dangled from his / sleeves. Again and again he raised his cap and bent to the saddle-bow in / response to the storm of cheering. 'A Monmouth! A Monmouth! ' cried / the people; 'Hail to the Protestant chief! ' 'Long live the noble King / Monmouth! ' while from every window, and roof, and balcony fluttering / kerchief or waving hat brightened the joyous scene. The rebel van caught / fire at the sight and raised a great deep-chested shout, which was taken / up again and again by the rest of the army, until the whole countryside / was sonorous.