Upon knowledge hereof, he secretly stole over and got to London, and there very privately, by means of one Mr. Poory,[343] a gentleman having some near dependence upon the right honourable the Earl of Salisbury, then the Lord Treasurer of England, his case was made known to his Lordship to be a means to his Majesty for his pardon. His Lordship, very well remembering what part he played at my hearing at Woolwich, and what particular notice his Majesty and the Prince's Highness took of his dishonest and base carriage, utterly disclaimed him so much as to hear him named; but being very much importuned by Mr. Poory and one, old Keymer,[344] he advised his safest course to be to make his way to the Lord Admiral, in whose power he was now fallen by piracy, and that he had no better or readier way to effect this but to repair to me and to confess his former injuries and truly to deliver by what means and working he was drawn into that business, and so to offer me as public satisfaction as he had done me public injury, that I might be a mean both to the Prince's Highness and to the Lord Admiral he might, upon this submission, be both pardoned and received into favour. This counsel was presently followed, and a great supper bespoken at the Three Cranes in the Vintry by Mr. Poory and Mr. Keymer, to which I was trained by a solemn invitation by them both, by a letter sent to me to Woolwich that very morning before the supper intended.
We met according to appointment, and, after some compliments passed, Poory and Keymer, drawing me aside into a private room, there discovered unto me the cause of their meeting and sending for me, which when I throughly understood I refused either to stay or see Waymouth; but at length won by their importunities, and the rather for that they confidently assured me this was done by the advice of my most honourable good Lord, the Lord Treasurer, I was contented to stay supper with them, and Waymouth came in and sat at the same table 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.