A CERTAIN COMPOUND LIQUID METALL NEVER BEFORE KNOWN AND VSED BY THE ANTIENTS OR MODERNS, BY WHICH ARTIFICIALL STONE AND MARBLE IS MADE BY CASTING OR RUNNING THE METALL INTO MOULDS OF ANY FORM OR FIGURE, GREAT OR SMALL, AS STATUES, COLUMNS, CAPITALLS, ALSO FOR HOUSE WORK AND GARDEN ORNAMENTS, AND ALL OTHER CUTT OR SCULPTURE WORK THAT MIGHT BE DONE IN NATURALL STONE AND MARBLE, AND WHICH BEING PETRIFIED OR VETRIFIED AND FINISHED BY STRONG FIRE, BECOMES MORE DURABLE AND HARDER THAN STONE AND MARBLE, INSOMUCH THAT NEITHER WET OR DRY, NEITHER FROST OR SHOW, HEAT OR COLD IN THE EXTREMITY, CAN DO DAMAGE TO IT, WHICH ARTIFICIAL STONE AND MARBLE WILL BE OF VERY GREAT VSE AND PUBLICK BENEFIT IN ALL OUR DOMINIONS, AND ALSO GREAT QUANTITIES THEREOF WILL BE EXPORTED BY REASON OF ITS CHEAP- HESS AS WELL AS GOODNESS,
Year: 1722

page_text: come, greeting.
WHEREAS our trusty and welbeloved THOMAS RIPLEY, Esquire, and
RICHARD HOLT, Gent, have, by their petičon, humbly represented vnto vs, that
they have been at much labour and expence for the finding out and inventing
"A CERTAIN COMPOUND LIQUID METALL NEVER BEFORE KNOWN AND VSED BY THE
ANTIENTS OR MODERNS, BY WHICH ARTIFICIALL STONE AND MARBLE IS MADE BY
CASTING OR RUNNING THE METALL INTO MOULDS OF ANY FORM OR FIGURE, GREAT OR
SMALL, AS STATUES, COLUMNS, CAPITALLS, ALSO FOR HOUSE WORK AND GARDEN
ORNAMENTS, AND ALL OTHER CUTT OR SCULPTURE WORK THAT MIGHT BE DONE IN
NATURALL STONE AND MARBLE, AND WHICH BEING PETRIFIED OR VETRIFIED AND
FINISHED BY STRONG FIRE, BECOMES MORE DURABLE AND HARDER THAN STONE AND
MARBLE, INSOMUCH THAT NEITHER WET OR DRY, NEITHER FROST OR SHOW, HEAT OR
COLD IN THE EXTREMITY, CAN DO DAMAGE TO IT, WHICH ARTIFICIAL STONE AND
MARBLE WILL BE OF VERY GREAT VSE AND PUBLICK BENEFIT IN ALL OUR DOMINIONS,
AND ALSO GREAT QUANTITIES THEREOF WILL BE EXPORTED BY REASON OF ITS CHEAP-
HESS AS WELL AS GOODNESS," and having therefore humbly pray'd vs to grant
them our royal Letters Patent for the sole right and priviledge of vsing the
said new Invention for the term and space of fourteen yeares, according to the
statute in that behalfe, wee, being willing to give encouragement to all arts
and invenčons which may be for the publick vse and benefit, are graciously
pleased to condescend to their request.
KNOW YEE THEREFORE, that wee, of our especial grace, certain know-
ledge, and meer mocon, have given and granted, and by these presents, for vs,

page_text: our heires and successors, do give and grant vnto the said Thomas Ripley and
Richard Holt, their executors, administrators, and assignes, especiall lycence,
full power, sole priviledge and authority, that they, the said Thomas Ripley
and Richard Holt, their executors, administrators, and assignes, and every of
them, by themselves, or by their deputy or deputies, servante servant? or
agent, or such others as they, the said Thomas Ripley and Richard Holt,
their executors, administrators, or assignes, shall at any time agree with, and
no others, from time to time and at all times during the term of yeares herein
expressed, shall and lawfully may may make, vse, exercise, and vend their
said new Invenčon of a certain compound liquid metall by which artificiall
stone and marble is made by casting or running the metall into moulde of any
form or figure, great or small, as above described, within that part of our
kingdom of Great Britain called England, our dominion of Wales, and town of
Berwick-upon-Tweed, in such manner as to them, the said Thomas Ripley and
Richard Holt, their executors, administrators, and assignes, or any of them,
shall in their discretions seem meet, and that they, the said Thomas Ripley
and Richard Holt, their executors, administrators, and assignes, shall and may
have and enioy the whole profit, benefit, comodity, and advantage from time to
time coming, growing, accrewing, and ariseing by reason of the said Invencon
for and during the full term of yeares herein menconed, to have, hold, exercise,
and enioy the said lycence, powers, priviledges, and advantages herein-before
granted or menconed to be granted vnto the said Thomas Ripley and Richard
Holt, their executors, administrators, and assignes, for and during and vntill
the full end and term of fourteen yeares from the date of these presents next
and immediately ensueing, and fully to be compleat and ended, according to the
statute in such case made & provided. And to the end that the said Thomas
Ripley and Richard Holt, their executors, administrators, and assignes, and
every of them, may have and enioy the full benefit and the sole vse and
exercise of the said Invenčon, according to our gratious intenčon herein-before
declared, wee do by these presente, for vs, our heires and successors, require
and strictly comand all and every person or persons, body's politick and
corporate, and all other our subiecte whatsoever, of what estate, quality, or
degree, name, or condičon soever they be, within that part of our said kingdom
of Great Britain called England, our dominion of Wales, and town of
Berwick-upon-Tweed aforesaid, that neither they or any of them, at any time
during the continuance of the said term of fourteen yeares hereby granted,
either directly or indirectly, do make, vse, or put in practice the said Invenčon,
or any part of the same so attained vnto by the said Thomas Ripley and
Richard Holt as aforesaid, nor shall in any wise countereit, imitate, or resemble

page_text: -=
the same, nor shall make or cause to be made any addition thereunto or
substracčon from the same, whereby to pretend himselfe or themselves the
inventor or inventors, devisor or devisors thereof, without the licence, consent,
or agreement of the said Thomas Ripley and Richard Holt, their executors,
administrators, or assignes, in writing.vnder their hande and seales, first had
and obtained in that behalfe, vpon such pains and penalties as can or may be
iustly inflicted on such offenders for their contempt of this our royal comand,
and further to be answerable to the said Thomas Ripley and Richard Holt,
their executors, administrators, and assignes, according to law, for their
damages thereby occasioned. And moreover wee do by these psente, for vs,
our heirs and successors, will and comand all and singular our justices of the
peace, mayors, sherriffs, bayliffs, constables, headboroughs, and all other
officers and ministers whatsoever of vs, our heires and successors for the time
being, that they or any of them do not nor shall at any time hereafter during
the said term hereby granted, in anywise molest, trouble, or hinder the said
Thomas Ripley and Richard Holt, their executors, administrators, or assignes,
or any of them, or their deputies, servante, or agente, in or about the due and
lawfull makeing vse or exercise of the aforesaid Invenĉon, or anything relating
thereto. Provided always, and these our Letters Patente are and shall be
vpon this condition, that if at any time during the said term hereby granted it
shall be made appear to vs, our heires or successors, or any six or more of our
or their Privy Councill, that this our grant is contrary to law, or preiudicial
or inconvenient to our subiects in generall, or that the said Invention is not a
new invention as to the publick vse and exercise thereof within that part of
our said kingdom of Great Britain called England, our dominion of Wales,
and town of Berwick-vpon-Tweed aforesaid, and not invented and found out
by the said Thomas Ripley and Richard Holt as aforesaid, then, vpon signifi-
cacon and declaration thereof, to be made by vs, our heirs or successors, vnder
our or their signet or privy seal, or by the lorde and others of our or their
Privy Councill, or any six or more of them, vnder their hande, these our
Letters Patente shall forthwith cease, determine, and be vtterly void, to all
intents and purposes, anything herein-before contained to. the contrary in any
wise notwithstanding. Provided also, that these our Letters Patents, or any-
thing herein contained, shall not extend or be construed to extend to give
priviledge vnto the said Thomas Ripley and Richard Holt, their executors,
administrators, or assignes, or any them, to vse or imitate any invenčon or
work. whatsoever which hath heretofore been found out or invented by any
other of our subiecte whatsoever, and publickly vsed or exercised within that
part of our said kingdom of Great Britain called England, our dominion of

page_text: Wales, or town of Berwick-upon-Tweed aforesaid, vnto whom like Letters
Patent or priviledges have been already granted for the solo vse, exercise,
and benefit thereof, it being our will and pleasure that the said Thomas Ripley
and Richard Holt, their exccuters, administrators, and assignes, and all and
every other person and I persons to whom like Letters Patente or priviledges have
been already granted as aforesaid, shall distinctly vse and practice their severall
inventions by them invented and found out, according to the true intent and
meaning of the same respective Letters Patente and of these presente. Pro-
vided likewise, nevertheless, and these our Letters Patente are vpon this
express condičon, that if the said Thomas Ripley and Richard Holt, or the
executors or administrators of them or any of them, or any other person or
persons which shall or may, at any time or times hereafter during the continu-
ance of this grant, have or claime any right, title, or interest in law or equity of,
in, or to the power, priviledge, and authority of the sole vse and benefit of the
said Invenčon hereby granted, shall make any transfor or assignment, or any
pretended transfer or assignment of the said liberty and priviledge, or any
share or shares of the benefit or profit thereof, or shall declare any trust
thereof to or for any number of persons exceeding the number of five, or shall
open or cause to be opened any book or books for publick subscriptions to be
made by any number of persons exceeding the number of five, in order to the
raising any sume or sumes of money vnder pretence of carrying on the said
liberty or priviledge hereby granted, or shall by him or themselves, or his or
their agents or servante, receive any sume or sumes of money whatsoever of
any number of persons exceeding in the whole the number of five, for such
or the like intents or purposes, or shall presume to act as a corporate body, or
shall divide the benefit of these our our Letters Patents, or the liberty and
priviledges hereby by vs granted, into any number of shares exceeding tho
number of five, or shall comitt or do or procure to be comitted or done any
act, matter, or thing whatsoever during such time as such person shall have
any right or title, either in law or equity, in or to the said premisses, which
will be contrary to the true intent and meaning of a certain act of parliament
made in the sixth year of our reign, entituled (An Act for the better securing
certain powers and priviledges intended to be granted by His Majestio
by two charters for assurance of ships and merchandizes at sea, and for
lending money vpon bottomry, and for restraining severall extravagant and
vnwarrantable practices therein menconed), if these our Letters Patente had
not been granted, or in case the said power, priviledge, or authority shall at
any time hereafter become vested in or in trust for more than the number of
five persons, or their representatives, at any one time (reckoning executors

page_text: or administrators, as and for the single person whom they represent, as to such
interest as they are or shall be intituled to in right of such their testator or in-
testate), that then and in any of the said cases these our Letters Patente, and
all liberties, priviledges, and advantages whatsoever hereby granted, shall
vtterly cease, determine, and become void, anything herein-before contained to
the contrary thereof in any wise notwithstanding. And, lastly, wee do, by
these presents, for vs, our heires and successors, grant vnto the said Thomas
Ripley and Richard Holt, their executors, administrators, and assignes, that
that these our Letters Patents, or the inrollment or exemplificačon thereof,
shall be in and by all things good, firm, 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 Thomas Ripley and Richard Holt, their executors,
administrators, and assignes, as well in all courte of record as elsewhere, and
by all and singular the officers and ministers whatsoever of vs, our heires and
successors, within that part of our said kingdom of Great Britaine called
England, our dominion of Wales, and Town of Berwick-vpon-Tweed aforesaid,
and amongst all and every the subiect of vs, our heires and successors, what-
soever and wheresoever, notwithstanding the not full and certain describing
the nature or quality of the said Invenčon, or of the materials thereto
conduceing and belonging.
In witness. &c. Witness ourselfo at Westminster, the One-and-thirtieth
day of May.
By Writt of Privy Seal.