THE ART AND MISTERIE OF MAKEING OF WAFER SEALES WCH ARE MORE NECESSARIE AND SECURE, AND ALSOE CHEAPER THEN ANY WAY FOR THE SEALING OF LETTERS OR OTHER NECESSARIE WRITEING, AND THAT SUCH WAFER SEALES (BEING NOT SOE GOOD AS THE PETITIONER CANN MAKE) ARE BROUGHT OUT OF FORRAIGNE PARTE INTO THIS OUR KINGDOME AND SOULD ATT A PARRE HIGHER RATE THEN THE PETICONER WILL AFORDE THEM, TO THE DETRIMENT NOT ONLY OF THE PETICONER, BUT LIKEWISE OF ALL OUR SUBIECT IN GENERAL
Year: 1635

page_text: CHARLES, by the grace of God King of England, Scotland, France, and
Ireland, Defendor of the Faith, &c., to all to whom theis psente shall come,
greeteing.
WHEREAS our welbeloved subiect MATHEW Cox, by his humble peticon
to vs exhibited, hath shewed vnto vs that he hath by his great industrie and
charge attained vnto "THE ART AND MISTERIE OF MAKEING OF WAFER SEALES
WCH ARE MORE NECESSARIE AND SECURE, AND ALSOE CHEAPER THEN ANY WAY FOR
THE SEALING OF LETTERS OR OTHER NECESSARIE WRITEING, AND THAT SUCH WAFER
SEALES (BEING NOT SOE GOOD AS THE PETITIONER CANN MAKE) ARE BROUGHT OUT OF
FORRAIGNE PARTE INTO THIS OUR KINGDOME AND SOULD ATT A PARRE HIGHER RATE
THEN THE PETICONER WILL AFORDE THEM, TO THE DETRIMENT NOT ONLY OF THE
PETICONER, BUT LIKEWISE OF ALL OUR SUBIECT IN GENERALL; in consideračon
whereof, and for that many hundred of poore people which are vtterly desti-
tute of imployment to relieve theire great necessities, will hereby be sett to
worke, he hath humbly desired vs to be pleased to graunte vnto him a Patent
for the terme of fowreteene years next ensueing the date thereof, vnder our
great seale of England, thereby licencing & authorizing him & his deputies
for the sole makeing of the wafer seales, & he wilbe bound to sell one
hundred of them for a penny, wee phibiting all other psons whatsoeuer as-
well to sell any wafer seales wch haue beene or shalbe brought into this
kingdome as aforesayde, whereby our owne poore subiect may be sett on
worke, as alsoe all wafer seales to be made, or the stuffe whereof the sayd
seales be made within any of our dominions, and he hath offered to pay

page_text: vnto us the yearly rent of twenty-sixe shilling & eight pence p anñ dureing
the sayd terme for the same.
.
°°
KNOW YEA that wee, graciously fauouring and willing to further such
pfitable invenčons tending to the publique good in setting of poore people on
worke, of our especiall grace, certaine knowledge, and meere močon, haue giuen
and graunted, & by theise psente for vs, our heires & successors, doe giue
and graunt vnto the sayd Mathew Cox, his executors, administrators, &
assignes, full, free, & absolute licence, power, privilege, & authority, that he,
the sayd Mathew Cox, his executors, administrators, and assignes, and his &
theire deputies & substitutes, and none other, shall and may, from tyme to
tyme and at all tymes dureing the terme of fowerteene, yeares next ensueing,
att his and theire and every of theire wille and pleasures, vse, exercise,
practise, & put in vso within theis our dominions, according to his owne
way and, invencon, the sole makeing of wafer seales by him invented, and
not formerly vsed or practised to be made by any other or others, and the
same soe made to vtter, sell; & putt to sale within our realmes and domi-
nions at his and their pleasure; wherefore our will and pleasure is and
wee doe hereby for ys, our heires and successors, streightly charge, phibit, &
forbid all and every other pson and psons whatsoever, of what estate, degree,
or condičon soever, hee, they, or any of them be or shalbe, that none of
them other then the sayd Mathew Cox, his executors, administrators, deputies,
substitutes, workemen, or assignes, doe or shall, dureing the sayd terme of
fowerteene years, directly or indirectly make or vse, exercise, practise, or put
in vse the makeing of any wafer seales after the way and manner by the sayd
Mathew Cox first invented, and not vsed or practised by any other without
the special licence & consent of him, the sayd Mathew Cox, his executors,
administrators, and assignes, or one of them, first had & obteyned, to haue,
hould, vse, exercise, and enioy the sayd licences, priviledges, powers, and
authorities, and other the pmisses by theis psents graunted to the sayd Mathew
Cox, his executors, administrators, & assignes, vnto the full end & tearme, and
for and dureing the full 'tearme and tyme of fowerteene years next insueing, &
fully to be compleate and ended, yeilding and paying therefore, and the sayd
Mathew Cox, for him, his heires; executors, administrators, & assignes, & for
every of them, doth hereby covenant and pmise to and with vs, our heires &
successors, to yeild & pay. yearly dureing the sayd terme vnto vs, our heires
and successors, the yearly rent of twenty-sixe shilling and eight pence of
lawfull mony of England, att the receipt of the Exchequer of vs, our heires
and successors, att the feast of Saint Michaell the Archangell, and the Añua-
ciacon of our blessed lady Saynt Mary the Virgine, by even and equall porcons;

page_text: and the sayd Mathew Cox doth further hereby for him, his executors and
assignes, covenaunt, pmise, and graunt to and with vs, our heires and succes-
sors, that he, the said Mathew Cox, his executors and assignes; shall and will
dureing the sayd terme vtter and sell, and from tyme to tyme afford vnto all
our loveing subiecte that shall haue occasion to vse the same, one hundred of
the sayd seales for a penny, such as shalbe fitt & serviceable, without fraud
or covin. And wee doe by theis psente for vs, our heires and successors,
straightly charge and comaund all and every pson & psons whatsoever that they
nor any of them doe from & after the end or expiracon of sixe week from
the date of theise psente, dureing the terme of fowerteene years aforesayd, sell,
vtter, vent, or put to sale within our realmes and, dominions, any wafer seales.
whatsoever not made by the sayd Mathew Cox, his executors, deputies, or
assigues, vpon such paynes, penalties, & punnishment as by our lawes may be
inflicted vpon-the offenders for breach & contempt of this our royall will &
comandm. And wee doe further by theis psente for vs, our heires & succes-
sors, giue full power and authority vnto the sayd Mathew Cox, his executors,
administrators, and assignes, & every of them, with the assistance of a con-.
stable or other officer, at all convenient tyme and tymes to search in all place
or places, house or houses where any just cause of suspicon shalbe for dis-
covery of all such as shall make or put in practice the makeing of any wafer
seales, or vtter or sell any such wafer seales contrary to our will and pleasure
herein declared and the true intent & meaning of theis psente, to the end the
delinquent therein may be discovered and receave condigne punishm* according
to theire demerritte; and wee doe alsoe by theise psente will, require, &
comand all & singuler mayors, sheriffe, justices of peace, bayliffe, constables,
head-borouge, & other officere, ministers, and. subiect of vs, our heires and
successors, that they & every of them be from tyme to tyme dureing the
terme aforesayd; ayding, helping, furthering, and assisting to the sayd Mathew
Cox, his executors, administrators, deputies, and assignes, in all thing in &
about the accomplishment of our pleasure herein declared and in the exercise
and execučon of this our graunt, and that they nor any of them doe in any
wise hinder or interrupt him or them con?ning the same, as they tender our
pleasure, & will avoyd the contrary at theire perrille. And theis psente, or
the inrollm thereof shalbe their sufficient warrant in that behaulfe; provided
allways, and our pleasure is, that if att any tyme dureing the sayd tearme yt
shall appeare vnto vs, our heires or 'successors, or vnto the lorde and others of
our Privie Councill, that this our graunt shall be inconvenient or piudiciall to
the comion welth. Then vpon significacon and declaračon to be made by vs,
our heires or successors, vnder our or their signett or privic seale, or by the
Ó

page_text: lorde and others of our Privie Councell, or sixe of them, for the tyme being in
writeing under their hands of such piudice or inconvenience, theis our Letters
Patente shall forthwith cease, determine, and be vtterly voyde, anything before
menconed to the contrarie notwithstanding; and wee doe hereby for vs, our
heires and successors, graunte that théis our Letters, or the inrollment of them,
shalbe firme, good, and effectuáll, according to the true meaning of the same.
Although expresse mencon, &c.