Jamie Smith

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Pepys then drew up for the Duke of York two papers exposing the incompetence of navy personnel, and these papers played a part in the reform of the fleet. He worked hard, usually rising at 4 A.M.,52 but he saw to it that his salary of £ 350 a year was aided by presents, commissions, and other perquisites, some of which might now be called bribes, but which in those amiable days were considered legitimate amplifications. His own superior, Lord Montagu, had explained to him that “it was not the salary of any place that did make a man rich, but the opportunity of getting money while he is in the ...more
The Age of Louis XIV: The Story of Civilization, Volume VIII
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