The Autobiography of Phineas Pett
world, so apparently cleared; this said, his Majesty rose.
In passing through the hall, the Lord Admiral going before and
leading me in his hand, the Lord Thomas Howard, then Lord Chamberlain
of the Household, made a motion to his Majesty to lay a charge upon
me that I should not make any quarrel against any person or persons
that had that day given information against me, alleging he knew
my stomach to be such as, if I were not contained by his Majesty's
commandment, I would call them to account for their doings, whereupon
blood might ensue.
His Majesty, giving ear to what his Lordship advised, gave him thanks
for his worthy counsel; and calling me unto him before the whole
company, I sitting upon my knees, he gave me an especial charge upon
my allegiance and life that I should not quarrel or challenge any
person or persons whatsoever that had that day given information
against me, alleging I had honour sufficient to have been cleared of
all questions and objections unjustly laid to my charge by the equity
of my cause and his justice.
This speech concluded, his Majesty hastened to take his caroche which
attended at the gate: the noble Lord Admiral brought me in his hand
to his Majesty, to kiss his royal hand and take my leave. His Majesty
gave me his hand to kiss with such an expression of his princely
favour and encouragements to proceed cheerfully in my business as did
not only infuse new life into me, but also gave great comfort and
content to all the standers by.
Then I presented myself upon my knee to the most noble Prince my then
master, who, taking me from the ground, did so affectionately express
his joy for my clearing and the satisfaction his father had received
that day, that he protested he would not only countenance and comfort
me hereafter but care to provide for me and my posterity while he
lived. I received the like noble courtesy from all the lords, who
declared their joy for the happy success[335] God gave me in this
great deliverance.
The great Lord of Northampton, seeing the event of this business, and
that all things sorted out clean contrary to his expectation, railing
bitterly against his informing instruments, took the back way to his
coach and would not so much as take any leave of his Majesty, but
posted away with no little expression of great discontentment, as did
also the rest of his partakers.
The Lord Admiral attended his Majesty, being never better contented
in all his life, and returned to Whitehall with the company, it being
almost eight of the clock before they went from Woolwich.
Sir Robert Mansell, Sir John Trevor, Captain Button,[336] and the
rest of my good friends followed, amongst whom was the good old
Lady Mansell and Mrs. Button, who had taken the pains to attend the
hearing in an inner room all that day.
This day, as it was a very tedious day unto me by reason I was to
answer all objections and kneel so long together, so was it a day of
jubilee to me, a day never to be forgotten of me nor mine; wherein
my good God shewed me wonderful favour and mercy to enable me to
endure the frowns of the King, and to strengthen my weak abilities
to withstand the malice of such and so many powerful adversaries by
the space of one whole long summer's day, for his Majesty (albeit he
was sufficiently persuaded of their malice and my integrity) yet till
he had cleared all doubts by the course of strict examination, and
found me in his justice guiltless, he would show me no countenance at
all; but after their malice was discovered, and all those heads and
points fully answered and clearly resolved, his Majesty then both in
countenance, words, and all other princely expressions, declared his
royal disposition towards me.
The next day, being the 9th of May, I began the work again, every man
striving to express his willingness thereunto by reason of the great
encouragement his Majesty had publicly and generally given to them;
and within two or three days after, the Lord Admiral, Sir Robert
Mansell, and Sir John Trevor, advising together with me, we resolved
to move the Lords of the Council to have two principal men, which
were Master Shipwrights, to be by their order appointed to repair
twice at least in the week to Woolwich, to survey the provisions, and
to foresee that no unserviceable materials should be wrought upon
the ship, which we did to clear all suspicions of any ends of our
own. This accordingly was consented to of the Lords, and Mr. Mathew
Baker and Henry Reynolds were appointed to be the overseers, who
for fashion's sake some three or four times came to Woolwich, but
finding our care to be more to perform honestly than theirs could
be to prevent with their best endeavours, they gave over the trust
recommended to them and left me to myself.
The 7th of June following, the Red Lion, which was newly rebuilt by
Mr. Baker at Deptford, was launched; where was present the King's
Majesty and the Prince, I attending then near the place at the great
storehouse end, where his Majesty had his standing; he was pleased
very graciously to confer with me and to use me with extraordinary
expressions of his princely favour.
The 8th day of June, being the Thursday in Whitsun week, his
Majesty began to hear the great and general cause of the Navy in
his Presence Chamber at[337] Greenwich, wherein three whole days
was spent in several examinations of the truth and circumstances of
the informations delivered by the Lord Northampton and his agents,
against Sir Robert Mansell, Sir John Trevor, Captain Button, Sir
Thomas Bludder, Mr. Legatt,[338] myself and many others.
The first day the Lord Northampton made the very entrance into the
business a great complaint of the dishonour he reaped by my hearing
at Woolwich, insisting very maliciously in incensing his Majesty
against me and others, who, as he said, traduced him in every tavern
and ale bench, to his great dishonour; and therefore humbly besought
his Majesty that business might be again called in question, alleging
the confidence of the informers who were ready to maintain the truth
of their former informations with their lives.
His Majesty, taking it ill that my Lord should dare to question his
just proceedings, which he had taken such pains personally to hear
[and] determine, took him short off with a sharp reprehension and
willed him no further to insist upon that whereof his Majesty and the
whole world were so sufficiently satisfied; but if he had aught else
to say he should proceed with that, and he was there ready to hear
and to do him all right. Then his Lordship began to deliver sundry
particular bitter accusations against Sir Robert Mansell, Sir John
Trevor, and the rest, all savouring more of malice than of truth, as
was apparent by every man's answer when they were called to speak for
themselves.
On Saturday, being the 10th of June and the last day of hearing,
to conclude all, I was called the last man to answer a grievous
accusation for my Spanish voyage made in the Resistance, when I
attended the Lord Admiral for the conclusion of the peace. Captain
Norreys being then the principal informer, it was laid to my charge
I had transported and sold to the Spaniards divers tons of brass
ordnance and other provisions of powder and shot, but after it came
to the trial all proved nothing but ridiculus mus;[339] his Majesty
being made privy to all the proceeding in that business by the Lord
Admiral when he was in Spain, so that I was fully cleared of all
those scandalous and false informations by his Majesty's own mouth,
to the shame and disgrace of those that were the principal actors and
prosecutors of it; and thus was that great hearing fully concluded at
Greenwich.
It must not be forgotten how the Lord in his justice did revenge my
injuries and wrongs even upon all those that were sworn against me;
but because in modesty I will spare to nominate some, and in what
particulars they were afterwards in special matters beholding to me,
yet I must not pass over one remarkable accident that happened to one
of them in this manner.
Captain George Waymouth before mentioned, being one of the most
violent and bitterest adversaries that came against me, happened to
have drawn in a knight of Hampshire to be so credulously confident
of his special art in building of ships, that he trusted him to have
the oversight and direction of building a small ship for him, which
was expected to have been so rare a sailer, and every way so well
conditioned, as she should run beyond the moon; but in the end,
when she came to be tried, she proved the veriest bauble and drown
devil[340] that ever went to sea; and so plainly cozened the knight
both of his charge and expectation.
The provisions of cordage, anchors, sails, munition, and other
furniture were to come from London, and Captain Waymouth was trusted
both to ship them and to convey them to the vessel; and for the
better security he resolved to embark himself with them, and falling
down as low as the North Foreland, there mistaking his course (as he
did in the North-west Passage[341]), instead of going to Shoreham
in Sussex, he went for Flushing; and so, pretending some lame excuse
to colour his pretence, passed from thence to Antwerp, where it is
most certain he proffered to sell all his commodities and his service
also, had he not been prevented, albeit he enjoyed a pension[342] of
ten groats per diem here in England from his Majesty under the title
of Master Engineer.
This his juggling was not so privately conveyed but notice and
advertisement was given and sent to the Lords of the Council, and by
their Lordships to the Lord High Admiral; whereupon strict order was
taken that he should be apprehended as a pirate if he at any time
were found in England.
Upon knowledge hereof, he secretly stole over and got to London, and
there very privately, by means of one Mr. Poory,[343] a gentleman
having some near dependence upon the right honourable the Earl of
Salisbury, then the Lord Treasurer of England, his case was made
known to his Lordship to be a means to his Majesty for his pardon.
His Lordship, very well remembering what part he played at my hearing
at Woolwich, and what particular notice his Majesty and the Prince's
Highness took of his dishonest and base carriage, utterly disclaimed
him so much as to hear him named; but being very much importuned by
Mr. Poory and one, old Keymer,[344] he advised his safest course to
be to make his way to the Lord Admiral, in whose power he was now
fallen by piracy, and that he had no better or readier way to effect
this but to repair to me and to confess his former injuries and truly
to deliver by what means and working he was drawn into that business,
and so to offer me as public satisfaction as he had done me public
injury, that I might be a mean both to the Prince's Highness and to
the Lord Admiral he might, upon this submission, be both pardoned
and received into favour. This counsel was presently followed, and a
great supper bespoken at the Three Cranes in the Vintry by Mr. Poory
and Mr. Keymer, to which I was trained by a solemn invitation by them
both, by a letter sent to me to Woolwich that very morning before the
supper intended.
We met according to appointment, and, after some compliments passed,
Poory and Keymer, drawing me aside into a private room, there
discovered unto me the cause of their meeting and sending for me,
which when I throughly understood I refused either to stay or see
Waymouth; but at length won by their importunities, and the rather
for that they confidently assured me this was done by the advice of
my most honourable good Lord, the Lord Treasurer, I was contented to
stay supper with them, and Waymouth came in and sat at the same table