AN INSTRUMENT OR ENGINE WHICH WILL AMEND AND LEVELL THE ROADS OF THIS OUR KINGDOME, AND PRESERVE THE SAME IN CONSTANT REPAIRE WITHOUT ANY DAMAGE OR CHARGE TO OUR SUBIECTS, AND THAT THE HIGH- WAYS WILL THEREBY BECOME MORE SAFE, COMODIOUS, AND PLEASANT THAN HITHERTO THEY HAVE BEENE
Year: 1699

page_text: Presents shall come greeting.
grace
வO
WHEREAS our trusty and welbeloved subiect NATHANIEL BARD, Esquire,
hath by his humble petičon represented vnto vs that hee hath by his long study
and endeavours found out "AN INSTRUMENT OR ENGINE WHICH WILL AMEND AND
LEVELL THE ROADS OF THIS OUR KINGDOME, AND PRESERVE THE SAME IN CONSTANT
REPAIRE WITHOUT ANY DAMAGE OR CHARGE TO OUR SUBIECTS, AND THAT THE HIGH-
WAYS WILL THEREBY BECOME MORE SAFE, COMODIOUS, AND PLEASANT THAN HITHERTO
THEY HAVE BEENE," and the said Nathaniel Bard hath therefore prayed vs
to grant him our Letters Patents for the sole makeing and vseing of the said
instrument or engine for the terme of fourteene yeares.
KNOW YEE, THEREFORE, that wee, being gratiously pleased to con-
descend to that his request, and willing to encourage the inventors of
such arts as may be of publick vse and benefitt, of our especiall grace,
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 Nathaniel Bard, his executors, administrators, and assignes,
especiall lycence, full power, sole priviledge and authority, that hee, the said
Nathaniel Bard, his executors, administrators, and assignes, and every of them,
by themselves, or his and their deputy and deputies, servants or agents, or
such others as the said Nathaniel Bard, his executors, administrators, or
assignes, should at any time agree with, and noe others, from time to time and

page_text: at all times dureing the terme of yeares herein expressed, shall and lawfully
may make, vse, exercise, and enioy the said new invented instrument or
engine for amending and levelling the roads as aforesaid within this our
Kingdome of England, and all other our dominions, as to him, the said
Nathaniel Bard, his executors, administrators, and assignes, or any of them,
shall in their discretions seeme meete, and that hee, the said Nathaniel Bard,
his executors, administrators, and assignes, shall and may have and enjoy the
the sole profitt, benefitt, commodity, and advantage from time to time comeing,
growing, accrewing, and ariseing by reason of the said Invenčon for and
dureing the full terme of yeares herein menconed, to have, hold, exercise, and
enioy, the said lycence, power, priviledges, and advantages herein-before
granted or menčoned to be granted vnto the said Nathaniel Bard, his ex-
ecutors, administrators, and assignes, for and dureing and vnto the full end
and terme of fourteene yeares from the date of these Presents next and
imediately ensueing and fully to bee compleate and ended, according to the
Statute in this case made and provided. And to the end that the said Nathaniel
Bard, his executors, administrators, and assignes, and every of them, may have
and enioy the full benefitt and the sole makeing, vse, and exercise, of the said
Invenčon, according to our gratious intenĉons herein-before declared, wee
doe by these Presents, for vs, our heires and successors, require and
strictly command all and every person and persons, bodies politick &
corporate, and all other our subiects whatsoever, of what estate, quality,
or degree, name or condičon soever they bee, within all and every our
kingdomes and dominions, that neither they nor any of them, at any time
dureing the continuance of the said terme of fourteene yeares hereby granted,
either directly or indirectly doe make, vse, or put in practice the said Inventon,
or any part of the same, soe attained vnto by the said Nathaniel Bard as
aforesaid, nor shall in anywise counterfeite, imitate, or resemble the same, nor
shall make or cause to be made any addičon thereto or substracčon from
the same, whereby to pretend themselves the inventer or inventers, deviser
or devisers thereof, without the lycence, consent, or agreement of the said
Nathaniel Bard, his executors, administrators, or assignes, in writeing vnder
his, 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 Nathaniel Bard, his executors, administrators, and
assignes, according to law, for his and their damages thereby occasioned. And
moreover wee doe by these Presents, for vs, our heires and successors, will and
comand all and singular our justices of the peace, mayors, sheriffs, bayliffs,

page_text: 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 doe not
nor shall at any time hereafter dureing the said terme hereby granted, in 'any-
wise molest, trouble, or hinder the said Nathaniel Bard, his executors, adminis-
trators, or assignes, or any of his or their deputies, servants, or agents, in or
about the due and lawfull makeing, vse, or exercise of the aforesaid Inven-
Con, or anything relateing thereto: Provided always, and these our Letters
Patents are and shall be vpon this condičon, that if at any time dureing the
terme hereby granted it shall be made appeare to vs, our heires or successors,
or any six or more of our or their Privy Councell, that this our grant is contrary
to law, or preiudiciall or inconvenient to our subiects in generall, or that the
said Invenčon is not a new invenĉon as to the publick vse and exercise thereof
within this our Kingdome of England, and not invented and found out by the
said Nathaniel Bard as aforesaid, 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 Lords and others of our or their Privy Councell, 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, anything
before herein contained to the contrary in anywise notwithstanding: Provided
alsoc, that these our Letters Patents or anything herein contained shall not
extend or be construed to extend to give priviledge vnto the said Nathaniel
Bard, his executors, administrators, or assignes, or any of them, to vse or
imitate any invenčon or worke whatsoever which hath beene heretofore found
out or invented by any other of our subiects whatsoever, and publickly vsed or
exercised within our said realmes and dominions, or any of them, vnto whom
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
Nathaniel Bard, his executors, administrators, and assignes, and all and
singular other person and persons to whom like Letters Patents or priviledges
have beene already granted as aforesaid, shall distinctly vse and practice their
severall Invenčons by them invented and found out, according to the true
intent and meaneing of the same respective Lřes Patents and of these Presents.
And lastly, wee doe by these Presents, for vs, our heires and successors, grant
vnto the said Nathaniel Bard, bis executors, administrators, and assignes, that
these our Letters Patents, or the inrollment thereof, shall be in and by all
things good, firme, valid, sufficient, and effectuall in the law, according to tho
true intent and meaning thereof, and shall be taken, construed, and adiudged
in the most favourable and beneficiall sence for the best advantage of the said
Nathaniel Bard, his executors, administrators, and assignes, as well in all

page_text: Courts of Record as elsewhere, and by all and singular 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 describing the nature or quality of the said Invenčon, with the
materialls thereto conduceing and belonging.
In witnesse, &c. Witnesse our selfe at Westin, the Sixteenth day of
February.
By Writt of Privy Scale.