Complex sentence: William Goffe (1605?--1679?), English parliamentarian, son of Stephen Goffe, puritan rector of Stanmer in Sussex, began life as an apprentice to a London salter, a zealous parliamentarian.
Split into simpler sentences: William Goffe (1605?--1679?) was an English parliamentarian. He began life as an apprentice to a London salter, a zealous parliamentarian.