Complex sentence: Ralph had taken ill with an ulcer on his face during the trip to Rome, and for a time it was feared that he would die, but he recovered enough to continue on to Rome, although it was a fruitless trip.
Split into simpler sentences: Ralph had taken ill with an ulcer on his face during the trip to Rome and, for a time, it was feared that he would die. He recovered enough to continue on to Rome, however, although it was a fruitless trip.