About the 17th of this month of February, I attended at Theobalds the very morning that the Prince's Highness and the Lord Duke of Buckingham took leave of the King to take their journey for Spain, being carried so privately that few knew of their intent. At their taking horse I kissed both their hands and they only gave me an item[468] that I should shortly come to sea in the Prince.
After the Prince and the rest of the Fleet were all fitted and prepared to set sail from their moorings, the St. George fell down to Gillingham with the Antelope, being both appointed to go before to Santander with the jewels and other provisions. The noble gentleman, my honoured friend, Sir Francis Steward,[469] commanding in her, whom my eldest son, John Pett, attended as one of his retinue in that journey, and Captain Thomas Love[470] commanded in the Antelope.
The 2nd of May being on a Friday, the Prince removed from her moorings to St. Mary Creek, where she anchored. Thither came down from London many of the Commissioners of the Navy, with Sir Thomas Smith and the Lord Brooke,[471] who all plotted together to have hindered me from going the voyage which the King had commanded me unto, but their malicious practices were prevented and their purposes frustrated.
The 17th day of May I took leave of his Majesty in the park at Greenwich and kissed his hand, with many expressions of his favour, which was not very pleasing to Sir John Coke, then there present.
The 20th of May, the Prince set sail from St. Mary Creek and anchored at Queenborough; the 21st day we set sail from Queenborough and anchored at Whitaker;[472] 23rd day anchored [at the] Gunfleet; 24th day anchored short [of the] North Foreland; 25th day we came and anchored in the Downs, where we rode till the 28th day of June, having three several times proffered to go on, but were still put room[473] again; but the 28th day, being Saturday, we weighed and got as high as Fairlight,[474] where we anchored all the flood and so plyed to windward all the ebbs, being fair weather. On Tuesday after, being the first of July, we came to anchor in Stokes Bay by Portsmouth. The 20th day of August, his Majesty, then lying in the New Forest at Beaulieu[475] House, embarked himself and train and came on board the Prince, then riding in Stokes Bay, accompanied with Marquis Hamilton,[476] the Lord Chamberlain,[477] Holderness,[478] Kellie,[479] Carlisle,[480] Montgomery,[481] and divers other attendants, who all dined on board the Prince; our Admiral, the Earl of Rutland,[482] being absent at London. His Majesty was very well pleased, and after dinner, again embarking in the barge, lay hovering in the midst of the Fleet till all the ships had discharged their great ordnance, and then returned on shore at Calshot Castle.
In the interim of our stay in Stokes Bay I procured leave of the Admiral to go to London, and the 2nd day of August, being Saturday, I met my wife at Lambeth with my son Richard. There we lay that night, and the next day took oars to Kingston, where we lay till Tuesday following, on which day I went to Hampton Court to take leave of my honoured lord and good master, the Earl of Nottingham, who then lay there in his old lodgings, which was the last time I ever saw him, being the fifth of August. The next day I took leave of my wife and friends at Kingston; she returned home, and myself to Portsmouth on board the Prince again.
The 24th day of August, being Sunday and Bartholomew's day, we set sail out of Stokes Bay in the afternoon; the 25th day, the wind taking us short[483] put us into the grass[484] at Weymouth, where we rode till the 26th at night; and thence setting sail with the wind easterly, on the 28th day, being Thursday, we came to anchor in Plymouth Sound.
The 2nd day of September, being Tuesday, in the morning betimes we set out of Plymouth Sound, and by contrary winds we beat it up till, the 9th day following, being Tuesday, we made the Cape of Ortegal[485] bearing south-west of us. The 10th day we lay becalmed, and the 11th day about 2 of the clock in the forenoon we came to an anchor in the river of Santander.
The 12th day, it pleased God, the Prince and all his train came to Santander and presently took his barge, being there ready attending for him, and came on board the Prince, accompanied with all the Spaniards that attended him thither, where we all joyfully received him. After some stay on board, his Highness resolving to lie at Santander Town that night, where provision was made to entertain him and his train, he took his barge to go back; whereinto we, being overjoyed with his safe arrival, forgot to send either master, pilot, or mariner to conduct him to the town, being a dangerous rocky way, and the tide of ebb bent,[486] which runneth there with a very swift stream; which had likely to have proved a very dangerous accident, for that at the instant of embarking there arose a very great tempest of rain and wind and darkness withal, so that the barge could not possibly row ahead[487] the tide, whereby she was in great danger to have been driven to sea out of the harbour's mouth, to the utter loss of all in her, had not God in mercy prevented it by the vigilant care of the captain and officers of the Defiance, Sir Sackvill Trevor[488] being the commander,[489] who seeing the danger they were in, veered out casks and buoys with lights fastened unto them, by small warps, of which they taking hold, were rowed and haled on board the ship, where the Prince with all his train were entertained and lodged all this night, the weather proving so stormy and rainy that no provision from any other ship could be brought unto them.
The 13th day, being Saturday, the Prince came on board his own ship and lodged in his own cabin.