Complex sentence: Local lords received him with lavish hospitality along the route and James was amazed by the wealth of his new land and subjects, claiming that he was "swapping a stony couch for a deep feather bed".
Split into simpler sentences: Local lords received him with lavish hospitality along the route and James was amazed by the wealth of his new land and subjects. James said that he was "swapping a stony couch for a deep feather bed".