Although Penn portrays a considerable amount of conflict, the book does not contain much violence. Admiral Penn's wars occur at a distance, the sounds of cannon fire marking great victories, and Gray only summarizes young Penn's exploits in the Irish campaign. An offended Frenchman draws his sword on Penn in Paris's dark streets, but Penn merely disarms him in an almost Quakerly manner. Otherwise, the worst to occur is that violent hands are laid on Penn to arrest him or to enclose him in a courtroom cage. If anything, Gray can be faulted for making situations seem too rosy, since persecution of Quakers and other religious minorities often included brutal treatment. Gray does not hesitate, however, to show death and disease, including the horrendous London plague.

Gray's discussion of religion never becomes doctrinaire in Penn. The strongest principle asserted is religious freedom and tolerance. Despite various...