A. L. Rowse

“... I suggested that he write for Oldham's Press, which I was advising, a biography of Mountjoy: Elizabethan General. This was a congenial subject, which {{w|Cyril Falls|Cyril}} made the most of. ...... {{w|Charles Blount, 8th Baron Mountjoy|Mountjoy}}'s long liaison with {{w|Penelope Blount, Countess of Devonshire|Essex's beautiful sister}}, the wife of {{w|Robert Rich, 1st Earl of Warwick|Lord Rich}}, was recognised by society, until Mountjoy married the lady, when social humbug made a scandal of it. All this appealed to Cyril, who had a soldierly gallantry for the fair sex.”

“We must put these things in the perspective of the age, its ubiquitous cruelty: flogging and beating were frequent, schoolmasters believed in beating learning into their pupils' heads — the exemplary {{w|Lady Jane Grey}} was frequently beaten for her book. For scolds there were {{w|Scold's bridle|brank}}s or gags across the mouth, spiked chastity-belts for unreliable wives, {{w|ducking stool}}s for women who made nuisances of themselves.”

“I consoled myself with a rare bout of gossip with the piano-tuner, rather a dear little man, with up-turned, waved mustaches, bright bird-like eyes, a slightly lisping manner of speech, which recalled his great days in London and rubbing shoulders with celebrities. He had been piano-tuner to some well-known pianist — I think {{w|Adela Verne}} — of a previous generation. From him I heard the gossip of county society, and life at {{w|Truro}}, our cathedral city.”

“... Marlowe's plays had the advantage of being performed by the greatest of Elizabethan actors, then coming to the fore in his youthful prime. Similarly, Marlowe's plays, dominated by one towering character — Tamburlaine, the Guise, Barabas, Faustus — gave {{w|Edward Alleyn|Alleyn}}'s large-scale personality the scope it demanded.”

“The most elaborate of these {{w|Revels (Inns of Court)|revels}} were those of Christmas 1594, of which we have a detailed, somewhat tedious account — for what amused the Elizabethans does not much amuse us (Shakespeare and Ben Jonson excepted).”

“Within the {{w|History of the Anglican Communion|church}} the authorities had increasing difficulties to contend with from the puritans in these middle years of the reign: at their height from 1571 to 1584. The strength of puritanism was that it was the ideology, or if you prefer, the religion, of the forward-looking gentry and middle class.”