HAving lately seen, a most scandalous Pamphlet, written by Mr. Kendall of Deptford, full of unworthy Reflections, which speaks more malice than Christianity in him, though a high Pretender; I could do no less for my own Vindication, than take notice of it, and make a Reply, wherein I shall not be tedious.
But before I proceed to the matter in hand, it wil be requisite to promise, as a Truth, that one cause (though there be other ends) of Mr. Kendalls Defamation, is grounded upon some late Differences between us, albeit, upon the examination and determination of the things in Controversie, the Commissioners of the Navy, were pleased to forbid all future animosities, and to [Page 2]give a Command, that we should live in peace, and love, which was no waies violated on my part.
And now, without more ado, I shal fall upon the Work, and answer to what I conceive material in the Pamphlet.
1. As to the Naseby, there was no cause at al, that what I only mentioned in the Contents of my Book, touching her Rigging, when she was but upon the Stocks, should be brought in a paralel with the Resolution, after the lengths of the Nasebyes Masts and Yards were known, and her Riggings precisely set out, only it was a design in the Master of Arts, to do me a mischief, having studied the Case.
2. As to the Swiftsure, it may easily be answered that the Difference was great, between her first built, and her last alteration at Woolwich in respect of Masts and Yards, which must needs vary the property of Riggings, therefore no less than malice it self, could raise scruples from such an occasion, and if that Ship was joyned in the List of Riggings anciently allowed her, for Methods sake, it doth not follow that this [Page 3]must be a crime in me, or a ground of any loss to the State (as is insinuated) neither need any to doubt, Charity prompts good men to think others are as faithful and just as themselves. who are not utterly void of Charity, but that I shall have so much discretion, as to consider the Ship in the Condition she is, at her coming into Chatham Harbor; and so likewise of other Ships, as I have hinted more at large, in the Epistle of my Book to the Commissioners of the Navy, and I did it purposely to avoid such an Objection, as is now started by learned Mr. Kendal.
And this last Point being cleered, it will manifest to all, that the weight of Riggings doth not hold alike to Ships of a Rank, which might have spared the Conclusions drawn by Mr. Kendall most unworthily; for if there be no loss in the particulars, there can be none in the general: and my setting of the weight of Riggings, was intended for no other ends, but to make an estimate upon any sudden occasion: therefore the new Surveyor might have spared the labor of casting up the Riggings for [Page 4]such a purpose, only he loves to be medling, and cares not what dirt he casts in the face of honest men, to compasse his own designs: of which more hereafter.
However; to cleer up mine own Innocency, both in the States Service, and as to private men, as to any unjust, sinister, or unworthy dealings, thus much I propose to the worst of mine Enemies (not in any boasting way, but because I am forced) and leave them free to charge me if they can, as to any of the following parciculars.
1. I challenge all the world to tax me with one dishonest Action, either to the State, or to any particular person wilfully committed in twenty eight yeers time, since I came first into the Navy.
2. I am free, and willing to give an accompt, how I have gotten that little Estate which I have, to any who shal desire satisfaction in that particular, and this I do the rather mention, because I am envyed by some for my Prosperity; though it is not unknown to many, that in all my time I have desired to live frugally, and have [Page 5]somtimes had the profit of other imployments (besides the Clerk of the Surveys Place) without which I had been so far from adding to what I then had, that I could not have subsisted, my self and Family, by the Sallery given me for executing that Trust, or Mystery (as Mr. Kendall cals it) for many yeers together.
3. I appeal to all that live neer me, whether I have not been faithful to the Interest of this Common-wealth, in all the late times of trouble, and in particular, hazarded my life, and all that was dear unto me, in the last Kentish Insurrection, 1648. to adhere to their Interest, when also I had but few leading Examples.
4. I appeal to the greatest of my Adversaries, whether I have not attended the Duty of my place, and carried my self peaceably towards all men, and yet been severe enough, to save the State what I could, whensoever any businesse came before me touching the Survey.
5. I appeal to all that know me, Whether I have not been a Friend to the Godly Ministry, a constant Hearer of the Word, [Page 6]a careful Instructer of my Family, and an Observer of Family Duties.
6. I appeal, Whether I have at any time frequented Taverns or Ale-houses, with all, or any of the Boat-swains, or Carpenters, of the States Ships, or have otherwise had open, or secret compliance, or correspondence with them, futher, or more inintimately, than my Trust did necessarily require.
7. I do appeal to the Judgments of all that know me, whether the State hath lost any thing considerable, for want of knowledg or experience in my Duty, and whether they have not reaped the benefit of my Experience, and Diligence in my Trust, beyond other men in the same Trust in other Places.
8. I challenge any man that can tax me with dissoluteness, nay, I can truly say, with one act of Drunkennesse, in my whol life time, blessed be God.
Though I am not ignorant how unable Mr. Kendall himself, is to endure the test of these Appeals; yet, if in these, or any other particulars referring either to my personal [Page 7]behavior towards all men, or any particular Trust in the States Service, Mr. Kendall, or any other man, can justly tax me, as one unworthy of, or to be continued in the Trust reposed in me from the State (granting me the Allowance of the ordinary infirmities of a man) I shal willingly give Mr. Kendall the Liberty of laying load upon me, without the least desire of favor, but till then, he must not think, that al that he saies of me, wil stick upon me because spoken by him, as a Master of Arts, which few men knew him to be before, and many men yet doubt him to be; yea, I question not the Justice of the State so far, as to Vindicate me from his close insinuations till matter of fact be produced, and proof made thereof, in due form, and not suffer him by a blank—to traduce my good Name, which stands upon a better Foundation, than to be over-turned, or weakned, by his undermining designs; not that I am so fond of the Service, as that I cannot freely submit to the States Pleasure in my Dismission from it, although Mr. Kendall himself should be my Successor, which [Page 8] I easily perceive, and so may all indifferent Readers, is the design of his Book; but that which I abhor is, the Bait laid to catch it, viz. to cry up his own extraordinary Parts and Abilities, to vilifie mine, by his Mathematical Demonstrations, and learned Paralels, and then to render me false and unworthy in my Trust, as if because, by his Paralel, so much Cordage was, or might have been saved, of what was allowed in my Book, therefore the Boatswains and I had shared it between us; Is this a Conclusion fit for a Master of Arts to deduce from such Premises? The truth is, I have of late met with so many Discouragements, after all my Faithful Service to the State, which makes me so far from aspiring the Service, that I shall not much regard, how soon I were discharged thereof, after a fair Vindication of those unjust Aspersions cast upon me by Mr. Kendall, who as if he kend all things knowable in the Mystery of the Survey businesse, undertakes (Dictator like) to impose upon all men his upstart Experiences in the Navy, as if no man knew any thing thereof [Page 9]but himself, not at all considering the great Damage the State hath already sustained by his ignorance in that very thing, wherein at present he would be reputed so knowing; nor yet that the Duty of his, or my Place, is so much (if at all) to say what Cordage, either for size or length, is fit for this or that Ship, as to warrant the Store-keeper, to issue to the Boatswains, that, and no more, both for size and length, without the concurrent Advice of the Master Attendant, whose Directions are, and ought to be our Voucher; for what we do to all Ships respectively, as ours is to the Store-keeper for the delivery thereof; nor was it my design in my late Book, so to determine the sizes and lengths of Cordage, to ships of each Rank, as to exclude the Master Attendants Judgment in varying the same, as the manner of built of each ship of the same Ranks, might necessarily require; nor yet to act without him, and his Directions, according to the ancient Form of the Office, though he should concur with me in the size and length, quantity and quality of each ships Cordage. That [Page 10]which I drove at, was to let his Highnesse the Lord Protector, and the Honorable Commissioners of the Admiralty, see the neerest Estimate that I could make, of the quantity of Cordage spent upon each ship of each Rank, by setting down the size and length of each Rope; and if therein, I did either anticipate Mr. Kendals design for the same thing, or that my allowance hath been more than Mr. Kendalls Thrift thinks fit, the State is not so tied up to my Opinion, that what I said out of good Affection to their Service, should either be like the Laws of the Medes and Persians unalterable, or otherwise construed any prejudice; only Mr. Kendall well hoping by this Pamphlet, and the imaginary discoveries thereof, to have leap't into my Place, as the Reward of his great, and good Service; which the better to compass, he would make the State beleeve, that whatsoever is, or may be saved by his Paralel, is pursed by me in the States wrong. Yea, I alwaies was, and still am so far from being positive in my Opinion, in that, or any other particular, that I shall not in the least grudg Mr. Kendall [Page 11]the Honor of instructing me better, if the State may any way reap the profit thereof, though I must cleerly affirm, That when both he and I have done our utmost endeavors for Regulation herein, it will be the wisdom, and it must be the safety, both of him and me, to act by the old Rule of the Master Attendants Directions, who if he sees cause to vary from our Judgments, may give more or lesse both for length and size, than either my Book, or his Paralel do allow; and if he pleaseth to cavel with them, as he hath done with me, I beleeve they are able to give an accompt of their Actions to the State, without fear of his Discoveries; yea, they will tell him, That whatsoever he, or I may fancy, as to the precise length and size of each particular Rope of this or that ship, not only may, but must be varied in both, in the Rigging of ships of the same Ranks, which however he laughs at as an excuse of theirs, in Rhyme, at the end of his Book, yet I doubt not, but if he had once obtained what he so greedily hunts after (my Place, or a good reward in Moneys in lieu thereof) [Page 12]he would as readily acquiess in that Opinion as rational, as they that now propose and practise it; for indeed, it is not possible to Rig all Ships by one precise Rule, I mean, not all Ships of the same Rank, not only with reference to the various manner of their built (hinted before) but also with reference to the putting ships of lesser bulk into higher Ranks, as hath been usual heretofore; so that when al is said or done, that can be said or done by us both, it must be left to the Judgment and Discretion of the Master Attendant upon the place, to make his demand longer or shorter, bigger or lesser, as the particular ship to be rigg'd with respect had to her Built, Masts, Yards, &c. may require; all which is also confess'd by himself in the 11. page of his Pamphlet, to which I refer my Reader.
For his carping at my Book, with reference to Masts, Yards, Anchors, Cables, &c. the same Answer may serve, that was given to the former, viz. That the Masters Attendant, and Master Shipwrights, are respectively to determine the number, [Page 13]size, length, breadth, and other circumstances, before either he at Deptford, or I at Chatham, may, or ought to warrant the Store-keeper, their delivery; and what was said as to them in my Book, was more to give the Honorable the Commissioners of the Admiralty some light, or guess at the particulars there mentioned, than any waies to satisfie mine own curiosity, or otherwise to limit those Instruments (to whose Judgments I must, and will subscribe) to my Opinion; and if Mr. Kendall can prevail with them to submit to his, though different from mine (provided the State may be the Gainer) I am satisfied; only I cannot beleeve either the one, or the other, till (if then) Mr. Kendall hath taken his Degrees in the Navy, as equally as at the University; and in the interim, I hope his Charity will invite him to spare my Book from the common Justice of the Hang-man (a greater and more malitious revenge being rare to be found) till a better than it, be presented by him, and allowed of by the State, wherein I doubt not those in Authority for the mannagement [Page 14]of the Navy, will do the State right, without any regard had to him or me, further than as both of us shall design the Service, without ambitious or envious ends of our own.