Roger Willoughby: A Story of the Times of Benbow

Set against the windswept cliffs of a seventeenth‑century English countryside, the story follows two restless youths, Roger and Stephen, as they wander between the comforts of home and the lure of distant seas. Their conversation, sparked by the sight of a lone ship battling the Channel’s breezes, reveals Roger’s feverish ambition to emulate the great explorers of the age, while Stephen balances his own lofty dreams of legal and political power with a pragmatic caution.

Through vivid dialogue and richly described attire, the narrative captures the tension between youthful imagination and the rigid expectations of family and society. As the boys prepare to rejoin their households—one summoned to aid a lady with preserves, the other to confront a growing pestilence in the woods—their friendship becomes a conduit for exploring themes of adventure, duty, and the yearning for a life beyond the familiar. Listeners will be drawn into the spirited banter and the promise of a world waiting just beyond the horizon.