"I was myself,"
he says, "to serve as Captain in the voyage"--being glad, no
doubt, to escape from his tormentors. The two pinnaces were
built at Ratcliffe, and were launched on the 16th and l8th of
October, 1620. On the 30th, Pett sailed with the fleet, and
after driving the pirates out of the Channel, he returned to port
after an absence of eleven months.
His enemies had taken advantage of his absence from England to
get an order for the survey of the Prince Royal, his masterpiece;
the result of which was, he says, that "they maliciously
certified the ship to be unserviceable, and not fit to
continue--that what charges should be bestowed upon her would be
lost." Nevertheless, the Prince Royal was docked, and fitted for
a voyage to Spain. She was sent thither with Charles Prince of
Wales and the Duke of Buckingham, the former going in search of a
Spanish wife. Pett, the builder of the ship, was commanded to
accompany the young Prince and the Duke.
The expedition sailed on the 24th of August, 1623, and returned
on the l4th of October. Pett was entertained on board the Prince
Royal, and rendered occasional services to the officers in
command, though nothing of importance occurred during the voyage.
The Prince of Wales presented him with a valuable gold chain as a
reward for his attendance. In 1625, Pett, after rendering many
important services to the Admiralty, was ordered again to prepare
the Prince Royal for sea.
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