the roamer"Deane walking with me; talking of the pride and corruption of most of his fellow officers of the yard, and which I believe to be true."
Oh, I can feel with Deane. Switch the name of the employer and keep the rest: "pride and corruption of my fellow officers of the university" --- voila, I feel it.
Anthony Deane was a shipwright, acting as a trusted professional to the ambitious administrator Pepys. They were friends, the slightly older Pepys helping to get Deane established.
Deane later was knighted. He was a successful shipbuilder. Pepys and Deane were joint MPs for Harwich twice, in 1678 under Charles II (where both were accused of treason) and in 1685 under James II. They did things!
I can picture these two meritocratic pros walking by the river, talking earnestly, sharing their contempt for all the entitlement and corruption around them.
