rough the Navy? Pett.
Who would not follow when the Dutch were beat?
Who treated out the time at Bergen? Pett.
Who the Dutch fleet with storms disabled met,
And, rifling prizes, them neglected? Pett.
Who with false news prevented the Gazette,
The fleet divided, writ for Ruhert? Pett.
Who all our seamen cheated of their debt?
And all our prizes who did swallow? Pett.
Who did advise no navy out to set?
And who the forts left unprepared? Pett.
Who to supply with powder did forget
Languard, Sheerness, Gravesend, and Upnor? Pett.
Who all our ships exposed in Chatham net?
Who should it be but the fanatick Pett?
Pett, the sea-architect, in making ships,
Was the first cause of all these naval slips.
Had he not built, none of these faults had been;
If no creation, there had been no sin
But his great crime, one boat away he sent,
That lost our fleet, and did our flight prevent."

Instructions to a Painter.--B]

The latter urged, that there must be some faults, and that the Admiral
must be found to have done his part. I did say an unhappy word, which
I was sorry for, when he complained of want of oares for the boats:
and there was, it seems, enough, and good enough, to carry away all the
boats with from the King's occasions. He said he used never a boat till
they were all gone but one; and that was to carry away things of great
value, and these were his models of ships; which, when the Council, some
of them, had said they wished that the Dutch had had them instead of the
King's ships, he answered, he did believe the Dutch would have made more
advantage of the models than of the ships, and that the King had had
greater loss thereby; this they all laughed at. After having heard him
for an hour or more, they bid him withdraw. I all this while showing him
no respect, but rather against him, for which God forgive me! for I
mean no hurt to him, but only find that these Lords are upon their own
purgation, and it is necessary I should be so in behalf of the office.
He being gone, they caused Sir Richard Browne to read over his minutes;
and then my Lord Arlington moved that they might be put into my hands t