The Autobiography of Phineas Pett
depart to dinner, which was prepared for me and my company by Mr.
Alexander, the principal gentleman usher, at Mr. Wilson's house,
then his Highness' tailor; from whence I was three times sent for by
his Highness in dinner time, to attend him to give him satisfaction
about sundry material questions wherein he desired to be satisfied;
which done, he sent me to dinner, commanding me after I had dined to
wait upon him again. Between two and three of the clock, I attended
according to his Highness' commandment, at what time he was pleased
to deliver his pleasure to the full unto me, with protestation of
the trust he reposed in me and the good opinion of my performance
of what he was pleased to commend to my charge, with many princely
passages of his gracious favour and intendiments to provide for me.
In conclusion, upon my parting, with a most princely loving gravity,
he gave me a farewell in these words 'Go on cheerfully' saith he
'in that which I entrust you with, and let not the care for your
posterity incumber you any ways, for you shall leave the care both
of yourself and them to me, who have a purpose carefully to provide
for you'; which gracious speeches took such impression in me, that
when I came to kiss his Highness' hands at parting I could not choose
but shed some tears, though I little thought (as God knoweth) that
had been the last time I should have seen him alive, and those the
last words that ever he spake unto me. This night we took our leaves
at Richmond and came to Greenwich, and lodged that night with Mr.
Reynolds.
At the time of our being at Richmond, it was concluded by Mr.
Alexander and some others of the Prince's servants (not without his
Highness' knowledge) to come to Chatham with their wives to be merry,
and it was agreed also that we would fetch them to Chatham by water
in our pinnaces, to go round about by water; which accordingly was by
us performed, and upon the 12th day of this month we embarked them
at Greenwich, about five of the clock in the morning, to the number
of some twenty persons, men and women, being provided of all manner
of victuals and store of wine for our passage, and by 6 at night
we arrived at Chatham, where they were that night entertained at
supper and lodged with me, as many as we could receive; the rest were
billeted with Mr. Legatt and other neighbours; they were entertained
by none but the Prince's servants. The first day I feasted all the
company; the second day they were feasted with great royalty on
board the great ship, the Prince, dinner and supper, accompanied
with the Principal Officers of his Majesty's Navy, where the King's,
Queen's, and all their children's healths were drunk round with loud
report of the ordnance, a noise of music attending us all the day.
We took leave on board about ten of the clock at night, our music
playing before us, and for our farewell there were 25 pieces of great
ordnance discharged after the watch was set. On the Saturday, being
the 15th day, all the company were feasted, dinner and supper, at
Mr. John Legatt's. On the Sunday we were all invited to Rochester by
Doctor Milbourne, one of his Highness' chaplains, and then Dean of
Rochester, who bestowed upon us a sermon, himself preaching; with him
we dined and supped, and then returned to Chatham.
Monday proved so foul and rainy that the company could not take their
journey towards London as was purposed; they all dined with me and
supped at Captain King's.
The next proved very fair, so that after breakfast some in coaches,
and some on horseback, rode for Gravesend, accompanied with Mr.
Legatt, Captain King, and myself; where we saw them shipped in a
barge, and then took our leaves, bidding them farewell with some
ordnance from both blockhouses.
The 25th day of September, the new charter[396] for incorporating the
shipwrights of England, granted by King James, in which by the same
charter I was ordained the first Master. I was sworn in my place of
Mr. Master, the dinner being kept at the King's Head in Fish Street,
Mr. Doctor Pay[397] making the sermon at the next church adjoining.
About this time my picture was begun to be drawn by a Dutchman
working then with Mr. Rock[398] at Rochester.
The 15th day of October, my eldest and first daughter Ann was born
at my house [at] Chatham between one and two of the clock in the
afternoon, and at that time I had a little fit of sickness which made
me keep house 9 or 10 days.
The 25th day of this month the noble Prince my master, the hope of
Christendom, sickened.
The 26th of this month my daughter was baptized in the forenoon at
Chatham Church, where Mr. Doctor Milbourne, then Dean of Rochester,
preached; where a great company of my friends dined with me and
were very merry, little thinking of the calamity that so soon
followed to us all in general, but to myself in particular, by the
death of that ever renowned branch, Prince Henry, my royal and most
indulgent master; at which time began my ensuing misfortune and the
utter downfall of all my former hopes, to the ruin of all my poor
posterity, being now exposed to the malicious practices of my old
enemies, having nothing but the mercies of my good God to trust unto
and to comfort me withal.
The 6th day of November, I being the same day come up to London, in
the afternoon I came to St. James about four of the clock, where I
found a house turned to the very map[399] of true sorrow, every man
with the character of grief written in his dejected countenance, all
places flowing with tears and bitter lamentations; and about 6 of the
clock the same evening, the most renowned Prince of the world, our
royal and most loving master, departed this life, not only to the
loss and utter undoing of his poor servants, but the general loss of
all Christendom of the protestant religion.
The beginning of December, I had warning to attend at St. James upon
the preparation for the funeral of our master, and had black cloth
delivered to me according to the place I was ranked in above stairs,
which was a gentleman of the Privy Chamber extraordinary; and the 6th
day after, being Sunday, all his Highness' servants waited at St.
James upon his hearse, then standing in the Chapel, to whom Doctor
Price, then one of his Highness' chaplains, directed an excellent
sermon, his text being taken out of the 3rd chapter of the second
book of Samuel, the 31st verse, in these words:--'Rend your clothes,
put on sackcloth, and mourn before Abner.' There were very few
present at the sermon that did not bitterly mourn and shed tears in
abundance.
The next day, being Monday the 7th December, we did attend his
Highness' corpse to the funeral in the Abbey at Westminster, which
was the most lamentable march that ever I went. It was three of the
clock in the afternoon before his body was placed under the hearse.
The Lord of Canterbury's Grace preached the funeral sermon: there,
with his body, I burying all my hopes of my future preferments. I
came with an exceeding heavy heart that night to Ratcliff, where that
time I lodged.
After the ceremonies of the funeral were performed, I returned to my
house at Chatham, where I stayed till the 27th day of this month, and
then, being sent for by the Lord High Admiral's messenger to attend
his pleasure, I rode to London by land, where I stayed till the end
of December, and then returned again to my house at Chatham.
The 6th day of January I received a letter from the Lord High
Admiral, together with the list of those ships that were appointed
to be made ready for the transportation of the Lady Elizabeth,[400]
with warrant to put them presently in hand to be graved and fitted
accordingly.
The 11th day I was sent for from Chatham by a messenger, to
attend the Lord Admiral, lying then at Chelsea; which accordingly
I presently performed and rode to London, where I stayed full
three days, the Lord Admiral sitting every of those in council,
attended by the Principal Officers of the Navy, the Masters and
Master Shipwrights, to resolve not only for the preparation of the
fleet to attend the transportation, but also for preparing many
vessels, to be built upon long boats and barges, for ships and
galleys for a sea-fight to be presented before Whitehall against
the marriage of the Lady Elizabeth; the manner whereof concluded
and ordered in writing, I was licensed to go to Chatham, to take
order for the Disdain and sending up of as many long boats and sea
barges as could be spared from the Navy; which having ordered, I
returned again presently to London, and did there attend daily in
overseeing these businesses, which were put out by the great[401]
to divers yardkeepers,[402] by reason of the shortness of time
limited for making them ready against the marriage. By reason of
this my continual attendance, not only upon that service but also
upon the Admiral and Sir Robert Mansell (principally entrusted
for the ordering of the whole service), I first took a lodging at
Westminster, near Sir Robert's house, in St. Stephen's Alley,[403]
which I continued many years after. Amongst other vessels fitted for
this piece of service was an old pinnace of the King's called the
Spy, of the burden of 60 tons, having 9 pieces of brass ordnance,
appointed to serve as an Argosy, whereof I was (somewhat against my
will, by the Lord Admiral's persuasion) made to serve as a Captain,
in which jesting business I ran more danger than if it had been a sea
service in good earnest.
After the sea fight was performed, I was entreated by divers
gentlemen of the Inns of Court, whereof Sir Francis Bacon was chief,
to attend the bringing of a mask by water in the night from St. Mary
Overy's[404] to Whitehall in some of the galleys, but, the tide
falling out very contrary, and the company attending the maskers very
unruly, the project could not be performed so exactly as was purposed
and expected, but yet they were safely landed at the Privy Stairs at
Whitehall; for which my pains the gentlemen gave me a fair recompense.
The marriage consummate and these royalties ended, the Lord Admiral
gave me a present despatch to post to Chatham, to make all possible
haste for to make ready the fleet, the Prince being appointed to go
Admiral,[405] and to transport the Lady and the Palsgrave's[406]
person and the Lord Admiral to command her. So that upon the 21st day
of February I took my journey from London to Chatham, and about the
middle of the week ensuing I caused the Anne Royal and the Lion to be
brought on the ground and graved.
On the 27th of this month I launched the small ship I had begun to
build the summer before, which the Lord Admiral was pleased to call
by the name of the Phœnix, and was also appointed to be one of [the]
Fleet for the transportation, being commanded by Sir Allen Apsley,
then Victualler of the Navy.
The 5th and 6th days of March I careened the Prince, and might with
much ease have brought her keel above the water but that I received
a strict commandment from the Lord High Admiral that I should not
careen her but within six strakes[407] of the keel, to which purpose
Mr. Thomas Aylesbury,[408] then his Lordship's secretary, was sent
down to see me perform it.
About the 14th of this month the Lord Admiral, very careful to have
all things ordered as befitted the royalty of such a service, came
down to Chatham in person, where he stayed two days to direct all
things according to his liking; wherein I gave his Lordship much
satisfaction, and by the end of this month I had by my care and
diligence fitted the whole Fleet to set sail to Gillingham.
The 1st of April, being Maundy Thursday, the Prince set sail over the
chain,[409] Captain John King being master. The Lord Admiral, being
newly come to Chatham, came on board of us as we were under sail and