Complex sentence: In 1645 Alkin was employed by the earl of Essex, Sir William Waller, to be a spy for the Parliamentarians; she received a similar commission from Sir Thomas Fairfax two years later.
Split into simpler sentences: In 1645 Alkin was employed by the earl of Essex, Sir William Waller, to be a spy for the Parliamentarians. She received a similar commission from Sir Thomas Fairfax two years later.