Complex sentence: Showing talent for drawing he was apprenticed to a draughtsman of patterns for brocaded silks in Spitalfields, and during his spare time he attempted illustrations for the works of his favourite poets.
Split into simpler sentences: Showing talent for drawing he was apprenticed to a draughtsman of patterns for brocaded silks in Spitalfields. In his spare time, he attempted illustrations for the works of his favourite poets.