Complex sentence: Roger North wrote that Keck was by inclination a republican but would settle in default of a republic for a limited monarchy; he described him in character as "a polite, merry genius", apart from a certain "hardness" caused by his chronic gout.
Split into simpler sentences: Roger North wrote that Keck was by inclination a republican but would settle in default of a republic for a limited monarchy. He described him in character as "a polite, merry genius", apart from a certain "hardness" caused by his chronic gout.