Samuel Pepys [ Art and Literature / Politics ]
… won a scholarship to Cambridge, he worked as a clerk in the Exchequer at Whitehall and as man-of-business to Sir Edward Mountagu (later to become the Earl of Sandwich). In the diary’s first pages, Pepys noted that the genteel persona he … established in his navy role, Pepys was increasingly keen to talk to MPs, tracking the House of Commons’ attitude towards navy finances and preparing to fend off criticism of the Navy Board’s actions. Simultaneously Pepys also worked to … powerful merchants, such as William W arren – these alliances came with the benefit of substantial kickbacks. Yet he was wary of being misled and exploited by the se men . Picking his own allies among the merchants also meant facing-off …
Diaries | Family | Hospitality | Navy | Patronage
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