A CERTAINE NEW ENGINE OR INSTRUMENT NEVER HITHERTO KNOWNE OR PRACTISED, WHEREBY BY CONVEYING OF AIRE INTO THE DIVEING VESSELL THEY CAN MAINTAINE SEVERALLE PERSONS AT THE SAME TIME TO LIVE AND WORKE SAFELY VNDER WATER AT ANT DEPTH FOR MANY HOURES TOGETHER
Year: 1691

page_text: these presents shall come, greeting.
WHEREAS our trusty and wellbeloved SIR STEPHEN EVANCE, Knight,
FRANCIS TYSSEN, Esquire, JouN HOLLAND, and EDMUND HALLEY, Gentlemen,
have, by their humble peticon, represented vnto vs that they, haveing observed
what great losse is incurred by this our kingdome and other our dominions by
casual shipwracks and otherwise at sea for want of a way whereby persons
might safely worke vnder water for the retreiveing and regaining of all such
gold, silver, bullion, and coyned money, gunns, jewells, and all manner of
other goods, merchandizes, and things as have bin and dayly are wreckt, cast
away, and most times vtterly lost at sea, and that they have at their very great
charge and long travell therein, at length invented and found out "A CERTAINE
NEW ENGINE OR INSTRUMENT NEVER HITHERTO KNOWNE OR PRACTISED, WHEREBY BY
CONVEYING OF AIRE INTO THE DIVEING VESSELL THEY CAN MAINTAINE SEVERALLE
PERSONS AT THE SAME TIME TO LIVE AND WORKE SAFELY VNDER WATER AT ANT
DEPTH FOR MANY HOURES TOGETHER;" and the said Sir Stephen Evance, Francis
Tyssen, John Holland, and Edmund Halley, haveing humbly besought vs to
grant them our lycence for the sole vse and benefitt of the said new engine or
Invention for the terme of fourteen yeares, wee are graciously pleased to
condescend to their request.
KNOW YEE THEREFORE, that wee, being willing to give all fitting en-
couragement to an Invention which may be very vsefull and beneficiall to the
publick, and more perticulerly to trade and navigacon, of our especiall grace,

page_text: certaine knowledge, and meere močon, have given and granted, and by these
presents, for vs, our heires and successors, doe give and grant vnto the said Sir
Stephen Evance, Francis Tyssen, John Holland, and Edmund Halley, their
executors, administrators, and assignes, and the executors and administrators of
the survivors and survivor of them, and to none others, speciall lycence, full
power, sole priviledge and authority, that they and every of them, their and
every of their executors, administrators, and assignes, and every of them, by
themselves, or their deputy or deputies or agents, and such others as they, the
said Sir Stephen Evance, Francis Tyssen, John Holland, and Edmund Halley,
their executors, administrators, or assignes, shall at any time agree with
from time to time and at all times dureing the terme of yeares hereafter in
these presents expressed, shall and lawfully may make, vse, exercise, and
enioy the said engine or Invention, within any part or parts, place or places,
of, in, and belonging to our kingdome of England, dominion of Wales, and
Towne of Berwick-vpon-Tweed, and all and every or any of our kingdoms and
dominions whatsoever, in such manner and vnder and according to such
reasonable contracts, rates, and agreements, as to them, the said Sir Stephen
Evance, Francis Tyssen, John Holland, and Edmund Halley, their executors,
administrators, and assignes, or any of them, shall in their discretions seem
meet; and that they, they the said Sir Stephen Evance, Francis Tyssen,
John Holland, and Edmund Halley, their executors, administrators, and
assignes, shall and may have and enioy the sole benefitt, profitt, comodity, and
advantage, from time to time comeing, growing, and ariseing by reason of
the said engine or Invention, for and dureing the full terme of yeares here-
after mentioned; to have, hold, exercise, and enioy the said lycence, powers,
priviledges, and advantages herein and hereby granted or menconed to be
granted vnto the said Sir Stephen Evance, Francis Tyssen, John Holland,
and Edmund Halley, and the survivors and survivor of them, his and their
executors, administrators, and assignes, for and dureing and vnto the full end
and terme of fourteen yeares from the date of these presents next and
imediately ensueing, and fully to be compleat and ended, according to the
statute in this case made and provided. And to the end that the said
Sir Stephen Evance, Francis Tyssen, John Holland, and Edmund Halley
and every of them, their and every of their executors, administrators, and
assignes, may enioy the full benefitt and the sole vse and exercise of the said
Invention, according to our gratious intentions herein-before declared, wee
doe, by these presents, for vs, our heires and successors, require and strictly
comand all and every person and persons, bodies politique and corporate, and
all other our subiects whatsoever, of what estate, quality, or degree, name on

page_text: condicon soever they bee, within all and every of our kingdoms and dominions,
that neither they nor any of them, at any time durcing the continuance of
the said terme of fourteen yeares hereby granted, either directly or indirectly,
doc make, vse, or put in practise the said engine or Invention soe attained
vnto by the said Sir Stephen Evance, Francis Tyssen, John Holland,
and Edmund Halley, nor shall, in any manner imitate the same or make
or cause to be made any addition thereto or substracčon from the same,
whereby to pretend themselves the inventors or devisers thereof, without
the lycence, consent, or agreement of the said Sir Stephen Evance, Francis
Tyssen, John Holland, and Edmund Halley, and the survivors and survivor of
them, his and their executors, administrators, and assignes, in writeing vnder
their or some of their hands and seales first had and obtained in that behalfe
vpon such paines and penalties as can or may be iustly inflicted on such
offenders for their contempt of this our royall comand, and further to be
answerable to the said Sir Stephen Evance, Francis Tyssen, John Holland,
and Edmund Halley, their executors, administrators, and assignes, according
to law, for their damages thereby occasioned to be sustained. And wee doe,
of our further especiall grace, certaine knowledge, and meere močon, for vs,
our heires and successors, grant vnto the said Sir Stephen Evance, Francis
Tyssen, John Holland, and Edmund Halley, their executors, administrators,
and assignes, by these presents, that they, the said Sir Stephen Evance,
Francis Tyssen, John Holland, and Edmund Halley, and every of them, their
and every of their deputies, agents, or servants (haveing first obtained a
lawfull warrant from the Lord Cheif Justice of our Court of King's Bench at
Westminster for the time being, and with the assistance of a constable or any
other lawful officer), at convenient times in the day, dureing the terme
hereby granted, and in lawful manner, may enter into and make search in
any place or places whatsoever within or belonging to any of our kingdoms
and dominions where there shall be iust caust of suspition for the discovery
and finding out of all and every person and persons as shall imitate or cause
to be imitated, or shall vse or put in practice, the engine or Invention afore-
said, or shall make or counterfeit any instruments or materialls to the same
belonging, that soe such offender or offenders may be proceeded against and
punished according to law. And further, wee doe by these presents, for vs,
our beires and successors, will, authorize, and comand all and singuler justices
of the peace, mayors, sherriff's, bayliffs, constables, headboroughs, and all
other officers and ministers whatsoever of vs, our heires and successors, for
the time being, aswell within our kingdome of England and dominion of
Wales as within all and every other our kingdomes and dominions, that they.

page_text: and every of them, respectively, be, from time to time dureing the terme
hereby granted, in their respective offices, favouring, aiding, helping, and
assisting vnto the said Sir Stephen Evance, Francis Tyssen, John Holland,
and Edmund Halley, their executors, administrators, and assignes, and to
every of them, their and every of their deputy and deputies, servants, and
agents, in and by all things in and about the accomplishment of our royall
will and pleasure herein-before declared, and the exercise and exccucon of
the powers and priviledges hereby granted as aforesaid. And moreover, wee
doe by these presents, for vs, our heires and successors, will and comand that
our respective officers and ministers before mentioned, or any of them, doc
not, nor shall at any time hereafter durcing the said terme hereby granted,
in any wise molest, trouble, or hinder the said Sir Stephen Evance, Francis
Tyssen, John Holland, and Edmund Halley, or any or either of them, or any
or either of their executors, administrators, or assignes, or their or any or
either of their deputees, servants, or agents, in or about the lawfull vse or
exercise of the aforesaid engine or Invention, or any thing relating thereto :
Provided always, and these our Letters Patents are and shall be vpon this
condicon, that if at any time dureing the said terme of fourteen yeares it shall
be made appeare to vs, our heires or successors, or any six or more of our or
their Privy Councill, that this our sent grant is contrary to law or preiudi.
ciall or inconvenient to our subiects in generall, or that the said Invention by
the said engine is not a new invention as to the publick vse and exercise
thereof, within this our kingdome, then vpon significačon and declaračen
thereof to be made by vs, our heires or successors, vnder our or their signett
or privy seale, or by the lords and others of our or their Privy Councill, or
any six or more of them, vnder their hands, these our Letters Patents shall
forthwith cease, determine, and be vtterly void, to all intents and purposes.
any thing before herein contained to the contrary in any wise notwithstanding.
Provided alsoe, that these our Letters Patents, or any thing therein contained,
shall not extend or be construed to extend to give priviledge vnto the said Sir
Stephen Evance, Francis Tyssen, John Holland, and Edmund Halley, or any
of them, their or any or either of their executors, administrators, or assignes, or
any of them, to vse or imitate any engine or invention whatsoever which hath
been heretofore found out and invented by any other of our subiects whatsoever,
and publickly vsed or exercised within our said realme and dominions, or any
of them, vnto whome like Letters Patents or priviledge have been already
granted, for the sole vse, exercise, and benefitt thereof, it being our will and
pleasure that the said Sir Stephen Evance, Francis Tyssen, John Holland,
and Edmund Halley, their executors, administrators, and assignes, and all and

page_text: singuler other person and persons to whome like Letters Patents or priviledges
have been already granted, as aforesaid, shall distinctly vse and practise their
severall Inventions by them invented and found out, according to the true
intent and meaning of the same respective Letters Patents and of these
presents. And lastly, wee doe by these presents, for vs, our heires and
successors, grant vnto the said Sir Stephen Evance, Francis Tyssen, John
Holland, and Edmund Halley, their executors, administrators, and assignes,
that these our Letters Patents, or the inrollm thereof, shall be in and by all
things good, firme, valid, sufficient, and effectuall in the law, according to the
true intent and meaning thereof, and shall be taken, construed, and adiudged
in the most favourable and beneficiall sense for the best advantage of the said
Sir Stephen Evance, Francis Tyssen, John Holland, and Edmund Halley,
their executors, administrators, and assignes, aswell in all courts of record as
elsewhere, and by all and singular other the officers and ministers whatsoever,
of vs, our heires and successors, in all and singular our realmes and dominions
whatsoever, and amongst all and every the subiects of vs, our heires and
successors, whatsoever and wheresoever, notwithstanding the not full and
certaine describeing the nature or quality of the said invention or engine, or
of the materialls thereto conduceing and belonging.
In witnessc, &c. Witnesse ourselves at Westminster, the Seaventeenth
day of October.