"bred up from a child to that profession." He was allowed 2L.

6s. 8d. per annum, with which he had to provide himself with
tools and apparel. Pett spent two years in this man's service to

very little purpose; Chapman then died, and the apprentice was
dismissed. Pett applied to his elder brother Joseph, who would

not help him, although he had succeeded to his father's post in
the Royal Dockyard. He was accordingly "constrained to ship

himself to sea upon a desperatevoyage in a man-of-war." He
accepted the humble place of carpenter's mate on board the

galleon Constance, of London. Pett's younger brother, Peter,
then living at Wapping, gave him lodging, meat, and drink, until

the ship was ready to sail. But he had no money to buy clothes.
Fortunately one William King, a yoeman in Essex, taking pity upon

the unfortunate young man, lent him 3L. for that purpose; which
Pett afterwards repaid.

The Constance was of only 200 tons burden. She set sail for the
South a few days before Christmas, 1592. There is no doubt that

she was bound upon a piratical adventure. Piracy was not thought
dishonourable in those days. Four years had elapsed since the

Armada had approached the English coast; and now the English and
Dutch ships were scouring the seas in search of Spanish galleons.

Whoever had the means of furnishing a ship, and could find a
plucky captain to command her, sent her out as a privateer. Even

the Companies of the City of London clubbed their means together
for the purpose of sending out Sir Waiter Raleigh to capture

Spanish ships, and afterwards to divide the plunder; as any one
may see on referring to the documents of the London

Corporation.[18]
The adventure in which Pett was concerned did not prove very

fortunate. He was absent for about twenty months on the coasts
of Spain and Barbary, and in the Levant, enduring much misery for

want of victuals and apparel, and "without taking any purchase of
any value." The Constance returned to the Irish coast, "extreme

poorly." The vessel entered Cork harbour, and then Pett,
thoroughly disgusted with privateering life, took leave of both

ship and voyage. With much difficulty, he made his way across
the country to Waterford, from whence he took ship for London.

He arrived there three days before Christmas, 1594, in a beggarly
condition, and made his way to his brother Peter's house at

Wapping, who again kindly entertained him. The elder brother
Joseph received him more coldly, though he lent him forty

shillings to find himself in clothes. At that time, the fleet
was ordered to be got ready for the last expedition of Drake and

Hawkins to the West Indies. The Defiance was sent into Woolwich
dock to be sheathed; and as Joseph Pett was in charge of the job,

he allowed his brother to be employed as a carpenter.
In the following year, Phineas succeeded in attracting the notice

of Matthew Baker, who was commissioned to rebuild Her Majesty's
Triumph. Baker employed Pett as an ordinary workman; but he had

scarcely begun the job before Baker was ordered to proceed with
the building of a great new ship at Deptford, called the Repulse.

Phineas wished to follow the progress of the Triumph, but finding
his brother Joseph willing" target="_blank" title="a.不愿意的；不情愿的">unwilling to retain him in his employment, he

followed Baker to Deptford, and continued to work at the Repulse
until she was finished, launched, and set sail on her voyage, at

the end of April, 1596. This was the leading ship of the
squadron which set sail for Cadiz, under the command of the Earl

of Essex and the Lord Admiral Howard, and which did so much
damage to the forts and shipping of Philip II. of Spain.

During the winter months, while the work was in progress, Pett
spent the leisure of his evenings in perfecting himself in

learning, especially in drawing, cyphering, and mathematics, for
the purpose, as he says, of attaining the knowledge of his

profession. His master, Mr. Baker, gave him every encouragement,
and from his assistance, he adds, "I must acknowledge I received

my greatest lights." The Lord Admiral was often present at
Baker's house. Pett was importuned to set sail with the ship

when finished, but he preferred remaining at home. The principal
reason, no doubt, that restrained him at this moment from seeking

the patronage" target="_blank" title="n.保护；赞助">patronage of the great, was the care of his two sisters,[19]
who, having fled from the house of their barbarous stepfather,

could find no refuge but in that of their brother Phineas.
Joseph refused to receive them, and Peter of Wapping was perhaps

less able than willing to do so.
In April, 1597, Pett had the advantage of being introduced to

Howard, Earl of Nottingham, then Lord High Admiral of England.
This, he says, was the first beginning of his rising. Two years

later, Howard recommended him for employment in purveying plank
and timber in Norfolk and Suffolk for shipbuilding purposes.

Pett accomplished his business satisfactorily, though he had some
malicious enemies to contend against. In his leisure, he began

to prepare models of ships, which he rigged and finished
complete. He also proceeded with the study of mathematics. The

beginning of the year 1600 found Pett once more out of
employment; and during his enforced idleness, which continued for

six months, he seriously contemplated abandoning his profession
and attempting to gain "an honest and convenient maintenance" by

joining a friend in purchasing a caravel (a small vessel), and
navigating it himself.

He was, however, prevented from undertaking this enterprise by a
message which he received from the Court, then stationed at

Greenwich. The Lord High Admiral desired to see him; and after
many civil compliments, he offered him the post of keeper of the

plankyard at Chatham. Pett was only too glad to accept this
offer, though the salary was small. He shipped his furniture on

board a hoy of Rainham, and accompanied it down the Thames to the
junction with the Medway. There he escaped a great danger--one

of the sea perils of the time. The mouths of navigable rivers
were still infested with pirates; and as the hoy containing Pett

approached the Nore about three o'clock in the morning, and while
still dark, she came upon a Dunkirk picaroon, full of men.

Fortunately the pirate was at anchor; she weighed and gave chase,
and had not the hoy set full sail, and been impelled up the Swale

by a fresh wind, Pett would have been taken prisoner, with all
his furniture.[20]

Arrived at Chatham, Pett met his brother Joseph, became
reconciled to him, and ever after they lived together as loving

brethren. At his brother's suggestion, Pett took a lease of the
Manor House, and settled there with his sisters. He was now in

the direct way to preferment. Early in the following year
(March, 1601) he succeeded to the place of assistant to the

principal master shipwright at Chatham, and undertook the repairs
of Her Majesty's ship The Lion's Whelp, and in the next year he

new-built the Moon enlarging her both in length and breadth.
At the accession of James I. in 1603, Pett was commanded by the

Lord High Admiral with all possible speed to build a little
vessel for the young Prince Henry, eldest son of His Majesty. It

was to be a sort of copy of the Ark Royal, which was the flagship
of the Lord High Admiral when he defeated the Spanish Armada.

Pett proceeded to accomplish the order with all dispatch. The
little ship was in length by the keel 28 feet, in breadth 12

feet, and very curiously garnished within and without with
painting and carving. After working by torch and candle light,

night and day, the ship was launched, and set sail for the
Thames, with the noise of drums, trumpets, and cannon, at the

beginning of March, 1604. After passing through a great storm at
the Nore, the vessel reached the Tower, where the King and the

young Prince inspected her with delight. She was christened
Disdain by the Lord High Admiral, and Pett was appointed captain

of the ship.
After his return to Chatham, Pett, at his own charge, built a

small ship at Gillingham, of 300 tons, which he launched in the
same year, and named the Resistance. The ship was scarcely out

of hand, when Pett was ordered to Woolwich, to prepare the Bear
and other vessels for conveying his patron, the Lord High

Admiral, as an Ambassador Extraordinary to Spain, for the purpose
of concluding peace, after a strife of more than forty years.