On Monday the 19th day his Majesty went by barge to the Parliament. We shot our great and small ordnance of round,[235] both at his taking barge and landing.
All Tuesday and Wednesday we rode still, without doing anything but giving entertainment to gentlemen of the King's and Prince's servants that hourly came aboard of us.
On Thursday morning, being the 22nd day, I received a commandment from the Lord Admiral to prepare the ship and all things fitting to receive the young prince aboard of us in the afternoon; who accordingly presently[236] after dinner came aboard us in his barge accompanied with the Lord High Admiral, Earl of Worcester, and divers other noblemen. We presently weighed and fell down as far as Paul's Wharf,[237] under both our topsails and foresail, and there came to an anchor; and then his Grace,[238] according to the manner in such cases used, with a great bowl of wine christened the ship and called her by the name of the Disdain.
His Grace then withdrawing himself with the lords into the great cabin, there my honourable lord, and till then master,[239] with his own hands presented me to his Grace, using many favourable words (beyond my deserts) in my commendations, with this addition, that I was a servant worthy the acceptance of the greatest prince of the world. From his hands it pleased his Grace very thankfully to receive me as his servant, with many promises of his princely favour to me. The next day, being Friday and the 23rd of March, it pleased my Lord Admiral to entreat my worthy friend Sir John[240] Trevor to accompany me to the Lord Thomas Howard, then Lord Chamberlain, from whom receiving a ticket, I was sent to St. James', the Prince's house, where by Mr. Alexander and Mr. Abington, then gentlemen ushers, I was sworn his Grace's servant, and by them presented to the Prince before he went to dinner, with as much favour and respect as I could desire.
During this time of my attendance at the Court as his Grace's Captain of his ship, it pleased my honourable Lord Admiral to give order to Sir Thomas Windebank,[241] one of the Clerks of the Signet, to draw me a bill for the reversion of Mr. Baker's or my brother Joseph Pett's place, which first should happen to be void, notwithstanding the letters patent formerly granted to Mr. Stevens; which accordingly was with all expedition performed, and the 11th of April following was presented to his Majesty and signed, and shortly after passed the great seal; for the whole charge whereof I gave Sir Thomas Windebank 17l. About the same time Sir Robert Mansell had his patent passed for the Treasurer of his Majesty's Navy.
The 3rd of May, after my return to Chatham from my attendance at Court, I began to set up a small ship at Gillingham in David Duck's yard at my own charges; and the 17th day of the same month also was launched the Answer, whom I had new built, who by carelessness ran off before her time without any great hurt, thanks be to God therefor. About the midst of June following, the preparation was begun for the entertainment of his Majesty aboard the ships at Chatham, where I took both extraordinary care and pains, which my envious enemies Mr. Baker and Mr. Bright sought by all means to disgrace, even at the instant time when his Majesty was to come on board the Elizabeth; but the Lord diverted all their malice by the countenance of my old master the Lord Admiral who, approving my honest endeavours and finding the success answerable in all respects to his Lordship's expectation, dismissed them with sharp rebukes and encouraged me with no small commendation. This happened the 4th of July, 1604.
The 12th of November after, I launched the new ship at Gillingham, which was begun in May preceding, and called her[242] name the Resistance.
And in the beginning of December following I carried her up to Limehouse, and there hauled her on shore at the south side of my brother Joseph's wharf, where she lay till I had sold away part of her.
The 21st of January following I sold one-third part of her to Sir Robert Mansell and another third to Sir John Trevor, and the other third I reserved to myself.