A WAY TO RENDER SALT OR BRACKISH WATER SWEET AND FITT FOR DRINKING, BOYLING MEATE, WASHING, OR ANY OTHER ORDINARY VSE, BY THE MEANES OF A CERTAINE ENGINE OR ENGINES NOT HERETOFORE VSED OR PRACTISED IN OUR DOMINIONS
Year: 1683

page_text: FITZGERALD, OGLETHORPE, BRIDGEMAN, TRANT, AND
MAULE'S PATENT.
CHARLES THE SECOND, by the grace of God, &c., to all to whome these
Psente shall come, greeting.
WHEREAS our trusty and welbeloved ROBERT FITZGERALD, THEOPHILUS
OGLETHORPE, WILLIAM BRIDGEMAN, PATRICK TRANT, and THOMAS MAULE,
Esquires, have humbly repsented vnto vs, that with great expences, and
industry, they have invented and atteined vnto "A WAY TO RENDER SALT OR
BRACKISH WATER SWEET AND FITT FOR DRINKING, BOYLING MEATE, WASHING, OR
ANY OTHER ORDINARY VSE, BY THE MEANES OF A CERTAINE ENGINE OR ENGINES NOT
HERETOFORE VSED OR PRACTISED IN OUR DOMINIONS;" that the said Invenčon wilbe
of great and publick vse, both at land and at sea, and especially in long
voyages, when many times great inconveniences, mortalityes, and sicknesses
(whereby the benefitt of voyages are lost), happen for want of fresh water,
which by the meanes of this Invencon wilbe vented, itt being to be putt in
vse and practice with great ease and safety on shipp board, and soe as to
supply the seamen with sufficient quantityes of good and wholsome water
from time to time, and the said Robert Fitzgerald, Theophilus Oglethorpe,
William Bridgeman, Patrick Trant, and Thomas Maule, having humbly
besought vs to grant them our licence for the sole vse and benefitt of the said
art or Invenčon, and engine or engines for the terme of fourteene yeares, wee
being willing to give all fitting encouragement to an art or Invenčon which
wee are satisfyed wilbe soe vsefull and beneficiall to the publick, and more
particularly to trade and navigačon.
KNOW YEE, THEREFORE, that wee, of our especiall grace, certaine know-
ledge, and meer močon, have given and granted, and by these psents, for vs,

page_text: our heires and successors, doe give and grant vnto the said Robert Fitzgerald,
Theophilus Oglethorpe, William Bridgeman, Patrick Trant, and Thomas
Maule, and the survivors and survivor of them, his and their executors,
administrators, and assignes, and to noe others, especiall licence, 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 deputyes, servante, or agente, or such others as they, the
said Robert Fitzgerald, Theophilus Oglethorpe, William Bridgeman, Patrick
Trant, and Thomas Maule, their executors, administrators, or assignes, shall
att any time agree with, from time to time and at all times during the
terme of yeares hereafter in these psente expssed, shall and may lawfully vse,
excise, and enioy, the said art or Invenčon within any part or parte, placé or
places whatsoever of, in, or belonging to our Kingdomes of England and
Ireland, Dominion of Wales, and Towne of Berwick-vpon-Tweed, and all and
every or any of our kingdomes and dominions whatsoever, in such manner
and according to such reasonable and lawfull rates and limitačons as to them,
the said Robert Fitzgerald, Theophilus Oglethorpe, William Bridgeman,
Patrick Trant, and Thomas Maule, their executors, administrators, and
assignes, or any of them, shall in their discrecčons seem meet, and that
they, the said Robert Fitzgerald, Theophilus Oglethorpe, William Bridge-
man, Patrick Trant, and Thomas Maule, their executors, administrators, and
assignes, shall and may have and enioy the whole benefitt, pffitt, comodity,
and advantage from time to time coming, growing, and ariseing by reason
of the said art.or Invencon, for and during the full terme of yeares here-
after menconed; to have, hold, excise, and enioy the said lycence, powers,
priviledges, and advantages herein and bereby granted or menčoned to be
granted vnto the said Robert Fitzgerald, Theophilus Oglethorpe, William
Bridgeman, Patrick Trant, and Thomas Maule, and the survivor and survivors
of them, his and their executors, administrators, and assignes, for and dureing
and vnto the full end and terme of fourteene years from the date of these
Psente next and immediately ensueing, and fully to be compleate and ended
according to the statute in this case made and pvided. And to the end that
the said Robert Fitzgerald, Theophilus Oglethorpe, William Bridgeman,
Patrick Trant, and Thomas Maule, and every of them, theire and every of theire
executors, administrators, and 'assignes, and every of them, may enioy the full
benefitt, and the sole vse and excise of the said Invencon, according to our
gracious intencon herein-before declared, wee doe by these psente for vs, our
heires, and successors, require and strictly command all and every pson and
psons, bodyes politique and corporate, and all other our subiecte whatsoever,

page_text: of what estate, quality, or degree, name, or condicon, soever they be within
all and every our kingdomes and dominions, that neither they nor any of
them, at any tyme dureing the continueance of the said terme of foureteene
yeares hereby granted, either directly or indirectly, doc vse or putt in practice
the said art or Invenčon, or any part of the same soe attained vuto by the
said Robert Fitzgerald, Theophilus. Oglethorpe, William Bridgeman, Patrick
Trant, and Thomas Maule, nor shall in any manner imitate the same or mako
or cause to be made any addicon thereto or subtracčon from the same,
whereby to tend themselves the inventers or devisers thereof, without the
lycence, consent, and agreement of the sayd Robert Fitzgerald, Theophilus
Oglethorpe, William Bridgeman, Patrck Trant, and Thomas Maule, or the
survivor and survivors of them, his and their executors, administrators, or
assignes, in writeing vnder theire or some or one of theire hande and scales
first had and obteyned in that behalfe, vpon such paines and penaltyes as can
or may be iustly inflicted on such offenders for their contempt of this our
royall command, and further to be answerable to the said Robert Fitzgerald,
Theophilus Oglethorpe, William Bridgeman, Patrick Trant, and Thomas
Maule, 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 knoweledge, and meere močon for vs, our heires and
successors, grant vnto the said Robert Fitzgerald, Theophilus Oglethorpe,
William Bridgeman, Patrick Trant, and Thomas Maule, their executors,
administrators, and assignes, by these psente, that the said Robert Fitzgerald,
Theophilus Oglethorpe, William Bridgeman, Patrick Trant, and Thomas
Maule, and every of them, theire and every of theire deputyes, agente,
and servante (having first obteined a lawfull warrant from the Lord Cheife
Justice of our Court of King Bench at Westñi for the tyme being), and
with the assistance of a constable or any other lawfull 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 kingdomes and dominions (where there shalbe
iust cause of suspicon), for the discovery and finding out of all and every
pson and psons as shall imitate or cause to be imitated, or shall vse or
putt in practice the engine or engines, art or Invenčon aforesaid, or shall
make or counterfeite any instrumente or materialle to the same belonging,
that soe such offender or offenders may be pceeded against and punished
according to law. And further wee doe by these psents, for vs, our heires
and successors, will, authorize, and command all and singular justices of the
peace, mayors, sheriffes, bayliffes, constables, headboroughs, and all other

page_text: officers and ministers whatsoever, of vs, our heires and successors, for
the tyme being, aswell within our Kingdome of England and Dominion of
Wales as within all and every other our kingdomes and dominions, that
they and every of them respectively be, from time to time dureinge the terme
hereby granted, in their respective offices favouringe, aideinge, helping, and
assisting vnto the said Robert Fitzgerald, Theophilus Oglethorpe, William
Bridgeman, Patrick Trant, and Thomas Maule, their executors, administrators,
and assignes, and to every of them, their and every of their deputy and
deputyes, servante, and agente, in and by all thing in and aboute the
accomplishment of our royall will and pleasure herein-before declared, and
in the excise and execučon of the powers and priviledges hereby granted, as
aforesaid. And moreover wee doe by these psente, for vs, our heires, and
successors, will and command that our said respective officers and ministers
before menconed or any of them, doe not nor shall at any time hereafter,
dureing the said terme hereby granted, in any wise molest, trouble, or hinder
the said Robert Fitzgerald, Theophilus Oglethorpe, William Bridgeman,
Patrick Trant, and Thomas Maule, or any or either of them, or any or either
of their executors, administrators, or assignes, or their or any or either of
their deputys, servante, or agente, in or aboute the due and lawfull vse or
excise of the aforesaid engine or engines, art or Invenĉon, or any thing re-
lateing thereto: Provided alwayes, and these our Letters Patente are and
shalbe vpon this condicon, that if, at any tyme dureing the said terme of
fourteene yeares, itt shall be made appeare to vs, our heires, or successors, or
any six or more of our or their Privy Councill, that this our psent grant is
contrary to law or Piudiciall or inconvenient to our subiecte in generall, or
that the said Invenčon by the said instrument is not a new Invenčon as to
the publicke vse and excise thereof within this our kingdome, then vpon
significacon and declaračon thereof to be made by vs, our heires or successors,
vnder our or their signet or privy seale, or by the Lorde and others of our or
their Privy Councill, or my six or more of them, vnder their hande, these our
Letters Patent shall forthwith cease, determine, and be vtterly voyd to all
intent and purposes, any thing before herein conteyned to the contrary in any
wise notwithstanding: Provided alsoe, that these our Letters Patente, or
any thing therein conteined, shall not extend or be construed to extend to give
priviledge vnto the said Robert Fitzgerald, Theophilus Oglethorpe, William
Bridgeman, Patrick Trant, and Thomas Maule, or any of them, their or any
of their executors, administrators, or assignes, or any of them, to vse or
imitate any invenčon or worke whatsoever which hath been heretofore found
out or invented by any other of our subiecte whatsoever, and publickly vsed

page_text: or excised within our said realme and dominions, or any of them, vnto whome
wee have already granted our like Letters Patent or priviledge, for the
sole vse, excise, and benefitt thereof, itt being our will and pleasure that the
said Robert Fitzgerald, Theophilus Oglethore, William Bridgeman, Patrick
Trant, and Thomas Maule, their executors, administrators, and assignes, and
all and singular other pson and psons to whom wee have already granted our
like Letters Patente or priviledges as aforesaid, shall distinctly vse and practise
their severall Invenčons by them invented and found out according to the
true intent and meaneing of the same respective Letters Patente, and of these
Psente. And lastly, wee doe by these psente, for vs, our heires and suc-
cessors, grant vnto the said Robert Fitzgerald, Theophilus Oglethorpe, William
Bridgeman, Patrick Trant, and Thomas Maule, their executors, administrators,
and assignes, that these our Letters Patente, or the inrollment thereof, shalbe
in and by all thing good, firme, valid, sufficient, and effectuall, in the lawe,
according to the true intent and meaneing thereof, and shalbe taken, con-
strued, and adiudged, in the most favourable and beneficiall sence, for the best
advantage of the said Robert Fitzgerald, Theophilus Oglethorpe, William
Bridgeman, Patrick Trant, and Thomas Maule, their executors, administra-
tors, and assignes, aswell in all Courte of Record as elcewhere, and by all
and singular the officers and ministers whatsoever of vs, our heires, and suc-
cessors, in all and singular our realmes and dominions whatsoever, and
amongst all and every the subiect of vs, our heires, and successors whatso-
ever and wheresoever, notwithstanding the not full and certaine describeing
the nature or quality of the said Invenčon or art, or of the materiall thereto
conducing and belonging, or any other defecte or incertaynetyes in these
Psente conteyned, or any act, statute, ordinance, pvision, pelamačon, or
restriccon, or other matter, cause, or thing whatsoever to the contrary in any
wise notwithstanding.
In witnesse, &c. Witnesse ourselfe at Westin, the Nyneth day of June.
WISE HOLWIC
In witnesse, &c. Witnesse ourselfe at Westin, the Nyneth day of June.
Pbře de privato sigillo, &c.