When it grew towards high water and all things ready, and a great close lighter made fast at the ship's stern, and the Queen's Majesty with her train placed, the Lord Admiral gave me commandment to heave taut the crabs[360] and screws,[361] though I had little hope to launch by reason the wind over-blew the tide; yet the ship started and had launched, but that the dock gates pent her in so strait that she stuck fast between them, by reason the ship was nothing lifted with the tide as we expected she should, and the great lighter by unadvised counsel being cut off the stern, the ship settled so hard upon the ground that there was no possibility of launching that tide, besides that there was such a multitude of people got into the ship that one could scarcely stir by another. The noble Prince himself, accompanied with the Lord Admiral and other great Lords, were upon the poop, where the great standing gilt cup was ready filled with wine to name the ship, so soon as she had been on float, according to ancient custom and ceremony performed at such times, by drinking part of the wine, giving the ship her name, and heaving the standing cup overboard.
The King's Majesty was much grieved to be frustrate of his expectation, coming on purpose, though very ill at ease, to have done me honour, but God saw it not so good for me and therefore sent this cross upon me both to humble me and to make me know that howsoever we purposed, he would dispose all things as he pleased; so that about five of the clock his Majesty with the Queen and all their train departed away to Greenwich, where then the household were removed. Prince Henry stayed behind a good while after his Majesty was gone, conferring with the Lord Admiral, Principal Officers, and myself what was to be done; and, leaving the Lord Admiral to stay here to see all things performed that was resolved on, he took horse and rode after the King to Greenwich, with promise to return back presently after midnight.
So soon as the multitudes were gone and things quiet, we went presently in hand to make way with the sides of the dock gates, and having great store of scavelmen[362] and other labourers, we made all things ready before any flood came; which performed, every man applied himself to get victuals and to take rest. The Lord Admiral sat up all the night in a chair in his chamber, till the tide was come about the ship; and Sir Robert Mansell, Sir John Trevor, and Sir Henry Palmer made shift in my lodgings to rest themselves.
The beginning of the night was very fair and bright moonshine, the moon being a little past full, but after midnight the weather was sore overcast, and a very sore gust of rain, thunder and lightning, which made me doubt that there was some indirect working amongst our enemies to dash our launching; this gust lasted about half an hour with great extremity, the wind being at south-west.
In the midst of this great gust, Prince Henry and all his [train] were taken upon the top of Blackheath in their coming to Woolwich, but his invincible spirit, daunted with nothing, made little account of it but came through, and was no sooner alighted in the yard but, calling for the Lord Admiral and myself and Sir Robert Mansell, went all presently on board the ship, being about two of the clock, almost one hour before high water; and was no sooner entered but, the word being given to set all taut, the ship went away without any straining of screws or tackles, till she came clear afloat into the midst of the channel, to the great joy and comfort of the Prince's Highness, the Lord Admiral, and all the rest of my noble loving friends, which mercy of God to me I pray I may never forget.
His Highness then, standing upon the poop with a selected company only, besides the trumpets, with a great deal of expression of princely joy, and with the ceremony[363] of drinking in the great standing cup, threw all the wine forward towards the half deck, and solemnly calling her by the name of the Prince Royal, the trumpets sounding all the while, with many gracious words to me, gave the standing cup into mine own hands, and would not go from the ship till he saw her fast at her moorings. In heaving down to the moorings we found that all the hawsers that were laid on shore for land-fasts were treacherously cut, to put the ship to hazard of running on shore, if God had not blessed us better.
In the interim of warping to the moorings, his Highness went down to the platform of the cook-room where the ship's beer stood for the ordinary company, and there finding an old can without a lid, went and drew it full of beer himself, and drank it off to the Lord Admiral, and caused him with the rest of his attendants to do the like.
About nine the same morning, being very rainy, he took his barge, accompanied with the Lord Admiral and the rest of his train, and, giving us a princely gracious farewell, rowed against the tide to Greenwich, where he made relation of all the business and the circumstances thereof to the King his father.
We then came on shore to refresh ourselves with victuals, and to take some rest, having toiled all the night before; and, amongst the rest of the company, Sir Henry Palmer was pleased to stay dinner, where we drank Prince Henry's health round, to hansel[364] the standing cup given at the launching.
The 8th day of October I began to kill beef at Woolwich for the victualling of the Resistance, for a voyage into the Straits.