The Autobiography of Phineas Pett
without any speech concerning the business. Supper ended, Mr. Poory
began to break the matter to this effect: that Captain Waymouth there
present, acknowledging his error in doing me so great an injury, was
purposely come in their company to offer me what satisfaction I would
desire, confessing it now lay in my power either to undo him or to
recover his lost reputation, and to perform what I should enjoin him,
in what public manner I would require.
To this I answered that, first, I never had any conversation with
Waymouth, nor did ever give him any cause to be my enemy in so great
a height as to accuse me before a king in the presence of such an
audience, wherein no less than my life was questioned, aggra[va]ting
each circumstance of his malicious carriage towards me as well as I
could then remember.
To be short, Captain Waymouth, there rising from the table, in the
presence of all that were there, fell on his knee and desired me as
I was a gentleman to pardon what he had inadvisedly done against me;
all the circumstances he would truly discover, if I would give him
leave to speak; and then, rising from the ground, laid down his sword
at my feet, there vowing in the presence of God and that company,
both himself, his life, and sword, should be ever at my command and
service.
He then freely delivered by whom he was first solicited to join in
that business against me, which was Mr. Baker, Bright, and the rest,
for the space of two months together; to whom he made flat denial to
join in such a malicious practice, and did never condescend till they
procured him to be sent for by a letter from the Lord Northampton to
come to speak with him, by whose flatteries and fair promises he was
enticed to be a party with them; and this he offered to make good
upon his oath whensoever he should be called.
Upon this his submission, I was contented to forgive the injury
done to me in my own particular, but I could not promise to mediate
betwixt him and the Prince my master, nor the Lord Admiral. This was
accepted upon my promise I would not aggravate anything against him,
and thus spending almost the whole night I took my leave, and so took
boat and returned that morning to Woolwich; and this was about the
18th of November.
This meeting was not so private but that his Highness and the Lord
Admiral had notice of it, whereupon the Prince sent for me and
commanded me to deliver the truth, which I accordingly did in each
particular. His Highness disliked that I did not acquaint him with
it, but when I assured him of the manner of my training thither,
with some little check[345] he was satisfied; and the Lord Treasurer
did so mediate for him to the good Lord Admiral that his pardon was
granted, but himself from that time after (till his dying day which
shortly followed) was never received to favour, nor good opinion.
In the beginning of January following, there were two new ships,
builded at Deptford[346] for the East India Merchants, to be
launched; whereat his Majesty with the Prince and divers lords were
present, and feasted with a banquet of sweetmeats on board the great
ship in the dock, which was called the Trade's Increase[347]; the
other was called the Peppercorn,[348] the names being given by his
Majesty. I did there attend, and received gracious public usage from
his Majesty, the Prince, and the Lords; but the tide was so bad
that the great ship could not be launched out of the dock, and the
smaller, which was built upon the wharf, was so ill stroken[349] upon
the launching ways that she could by no means be put off, which did
somewhat discontent his Majesty.[350]
The last day of January, the Prince's Highness came to Woolwich, to
see in what forwardness the ship was in, where I gave him and his
followers entertainment.
The 7th day of January, by commandment from the Prince's Highness, I
attended at the great feast made by him at St. James's to the King,
Queen, Duke of York, Lady Elizabeth, the Lords of the Council, and
all the Knights that were actors at the barriers.[351] The supper was
not ended till after ten at night, from whence they went to the Play,
and, that ended, returned again to a set banquet in the gallery where
the supper was, the table being above 120 foot long, and it was 3 of
the clock in the morning before all was finished.
The 9th of February, my wife's brother, John Nicholls, being a linen
draper dwelling in Friday Street, died of the sickness.
The 25th April the Prince's Highness came to Woolwich and dined
there, with all his train, in my dining room.
The 27th April, my sister Lydia, whom I was glad to maintain a
long time before, with a poor man that was her husband, died at
Plumstead, and was there buried at my charge.
The 30th of this month, the Resistance was launched out of my brother
Simonson's Dock at Ratcliff, where she was newly repaired.
The second of May, the Lady Elizabeth with her train came to see the
great ship at Woolwich, and was entertained by my wife, I being then
at London.
About the 10th of May, this present year, I bought Sir John Trevor's
third part of the Resistance, so that I had two third parts of her to
myself.
The 18th of June the Prince's Highness came to Woolwich, to see the
ship, who was now in great forwardness and almost ready; and the next
day after he came thither again in company of the King his father,
and a great train attending on them, in the afternoon. His Majesty
spent almost two hours in great content in surveying the ship, both
within and without, protesting it did not repent him to have taken
such great pains in examination of the business of that work, since
the fruit thereof yielded him such contentation.[352] His Majesty
then did me the honour to come into the house, where my wife had
prepared a banquet of sweetmeats and such fruits as were then to
be had, whereof he was pleased to taste plentifully and did very
graciously accept of his homely entertainment, giving me especial
commandment not to launch the ship till his progress was ended.
Between Easter and Michaelmas that the ship began to be
garnished,[353] it is not credible what numbers of people continually
resorted to Woolwich of all sorts, both nobles, gentry, citizens,
and from all parts of the country round about; which was no small
charge to me, in giving daily entertainment to all comers, which
could not be possibly avoided in that place at such a time.
In the beginning of August I was summoned to Chatham with my fellow
Master Shipwrights, there to take a survey of the Navy according to
the yearly custom. Sir John Trevor, then Surveyor, attended that
service personally; where we spent four days in performing that
business, and so returned to Woolwich.
The 6th of this month of August, my wife was delivered of her fifth
son, at Woolwich in my own lodgings, between the hours of 6 and 7
of the clock in the morning, being Thursday.[354] And the 16th day
of the same month he was baptized in the church at Woolwich, upon a
Thursday in the forenoon.
The witnesses were my brother Peter and brother William Brooke,
godfathers, and my wife's mother, Mistress Katherine Nicholls,
godmother.
The 22nd of this month, I let out the Resistance for a voyage into
the Straits at the rate of 100_l._ per mensem, with 36 men; Mr.
William Gibbons appointed the master.
The 31st day, I rode to Nonsuch,[355] to the Prince, that then was
there in hunting, who of his nobleness promised to send me a buck to
Woolwich, because he had then given all away that were fallen that
day.
The 9th of September, being Sunday, about six of the clock in the
evening, divers London maids, coming to see the ship, brought in
their company a little boy of 12 years old, the only child of his
mother, a widow woman dwelling in Tower Street, who, carelessly going
up and down upon the main orlop,[356] fell down into the hold of
the ship and was thereby so broken and bruised that he died before
midnight, being the first mischance that did happen in the whole time
of the ship's building.
About the middle of this month, being ready to have the ship stroken
down upon her ways, I caused 12 of the choice master carpenters of
his Majesty's Navy to be sent for from Chatham to be assistance in
her striking and launching; and upon the 18th day, being Tuesday, she
was safely set upon her ways, and this day Sir Robert Mansell came
and dined with me in my lodgings.
The 20th of this month, the French Leaguer[357] Ambassador came to
Woolwich, to see the ship, whom I entertained in the best manner I
could; and in the time of his being within, the Prince, my royal
master, sent me a wonderful fat buck which he killed with his own
hand.
Now began we on all sides to make preparation for the launching of
the ship, and for that purpose there was provided a rich standard of
taffety,[358] very fairly gilt with gold, with his Majesty's arms,
to be placed upon the poop, and a very large ensign of crimson rich
taffety, with a canton of the Prince's crest, to be placed upon
the quarter deck, and all other ornaments were carefully provided
for, befitting that purpose. There was a standing set up in the
most convenient place in the Yard for his Majesty, the Queen, and
their royal children, and places fitted for the ladies and Council,
all railed in and boarded; all the rooms both in my own lodgings
and at Mr. Lydiard's were[359] prepared and very handsomely hanged
and furnished with a cloth of state, chairs, stools and other
necessaries; nothing was omitted that could be imagined any ways
necessary, both for ease and entertainment.
Upon Sunday in the afternoon, being the 23rd day of September,
Sir Robert Mansell, Sir John Trevor, and Sir Henry Palmer came to
Woolwich to see how everything was ordered, and finding all things
prepared and fitted to their likings, about three of the clock they
returned all to Deptford, where they lodged that night at Sir Robert
Mansell's. This evening, very late, there [came] a messenger to me
from them, bringing a letter which was sent to them from Court, at
Theobalds, to give me order to be very careful to search the ship's
hold for fear some treacherous persons might have bored some holes,
privily, in the ship, to sink her after she should be launched; but
my care had prevented their fears aforehand, so far as possibly could
be searched or discerned.
On Monday morning, assisted by the help of my brother Simonson and
sundry other my friends, we opened the dock gates and made all things
ready against the tide, but the wind blowing very hard at south-west
kept out the flood so as it proved a very bad tide, little better
than a neap, which put us afterwards to great trouble and hazard.
The King's Majesty came from Theobalds, though he had been very ill
at ease with a scouring taken with surfeiting by eating grapes,
and landed here about eleven of the clock. Prince Henry attended
him, and most part of the Lords of the Council. The Lord Admiral,
attended by the Principal Officers of the Navy together with myself,
received him on land out of his barge and conducted him to the place
provided for him in Mr. Lydiard's house; his dinner was dressed in
our great kitchen. After dinner came the Queen's Majesty, accompanied
with the Duke of York, Lady Elizabeth, and divers great lords and
ladies in her train. The drums and trumpets [were] placed on poop
and forecastle and the wind instruments by them, so that nothing was
wanting to so great a royalty that could be desired.
When it grew towards high water and all things ready, and a great
close lighter made fast at the ship's stern, and the Queen's Majesty
with her train placed, the Lord Admiral gave me commandment to heave
taut the crabs[360] and screws,[361] though I had little hope to