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.