Presently after Christyde[227] my wife, being great with child, fell sick at Chatham and grew so weak that I was forced, about the 10th of March following, to remove her, not without great hazard, to London, and from there to her father's house at Highwood Hill in Middlesex, where the 23rd day of March after, thanks be given to God, she was delivered of her first born son, John Pett; from whence she returned to Chatham in safety some two months after.
Much about this time I was made an assistant to the Master Shipwrights at Chatham, in the room of Thomas Bodman. In this year the first business I undertook was the repairing of the Lion's Whelp hauled up at the storehouse end at Chatham.
In the year 1602 I also new built the Moon, hauled up in the same place, enlarging her both in length and breadth, and this year also, I, with Mr. Pickasee, undertook the victualling of the shipwrights and caulkers at Chatham, which we continued only two months, to our great loss; which we could never get recompensed by reason Mr. Fulke Greville continued my heavy enemy, and was content to receive and countenance informations against me, because he could not win me to such conditions as he laboured me in, both against my good friend Sir John Trevor (who then lay very dangerously sick at Plymouth) and against many others serving with me at Chatham. The principal informer and stirrer in this business against me was one George Collins, sometimes carpenter of the Foresight, a very stubborn and malicious fellow, who by Mr. Greville's countenance was suffered to sue me at the common law upon an action of trespass for striking him with a little rod upon the shoulder in the Queen's yard at Chatham, upon a cause of mutiny in the time of victualling; and so little relief had I against him, notwithstanding my Lord Admiral's favour, that I was forced to compound with him and gave him 20 nobles[228] ready money for satisfaction. Thus it pleased God to exercise me with continual trouble and hindrances in the beginning of my service.
In November this present year, 1602, Mr. Greville, having undertaken the preparation of a Fleet with her Majesty, to be ready fitted to sea by a set time, was contented (upon my promise to him to procure the said Fleet to be fitted in six weeks) to receive me to his favour, which promise I accordingly (by God's gracious assistance) fully accomplished; by which means I had gained his love, favour and good opinion, had there not happened a sudden alteration by the death of her Majesty which presently followed.
The 18th day of March 1603,[229] my wife was delivered of her second son, Henry, at my house at Chatham.
The 24th day of the same month, her Majesty of sacred memory deceased at Richmond.
The same day his Majesty, whom God grant long to reign, was proclaimed at Westminster, London, and other places, and the next day, being Friday and market day, at Rochester.
This year happened the great plague throughout England, but especially about London, by reason whereof many removed from thence into divers places in the country where they had any friends or means of succour.
In the middle of July my brother Joseph, with his wife and children, removed from his house at Limehouse to Ipswich.