TY - BOOK AU - Gunter,Archibald Clavering TI - The First of the English: A Novel AV - PS PY - 2022/// CY - Salt Lake City, UT PB - Project Gutenberg KW - Historical fiction KW - Netherlands -- History -- Eighty Years' War, 1568-1648 -- Fiction N1 - Release date is 2022-04-09; Jeroen Hellingman and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net/ for Project Gutenberg (This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive/American Libraries.); Originally published; United Kingdom: George Routledge & Sons Limited, 1895 N2 - "The First of the English: A Novel" by Archibald Clavering Gunter is a historical novel written in the late 19th century. The book appears to unfold in the tumultuous backdrop of the late 16th century during the Spanish control of the Netherlands. The central character, Captain Guy Stanhope Chester, is depicted as a young English sailor navigating the dangerous waters both literally and metaphorically, embodying the tensions of his time while also embarking on a personal quest influenced by love and duty. The opening of the narrative introduces Captain Chester aboard his ship, the Dover Lass, through a chaotic storm as they approach the Schelde River during a disastrous flood impacting the Netherlands. The captain's early interactions with his crew depict a blend of camaraderie and competence amid chaos, as they navigate not just the treacherous waters but the threat of encountering Spanish forces. As the scene progresses, Chester's selfless motives unfold as he decides to rescue a captured Spanish lady, hinting at both adventure and romance to come. The discovery of vital papers on a drowned Italian man connects the unfolding personal narrative to larger political intrigues, setting up a story of espionage, bravery, and the pursuit of freedom in a decidedly perilous era. (This is an automatically generated summary.) UR - https://archive.org/details/04843129.2134.emory.edu/page/n7 UR - https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/67804 ER -