A NEW AND PFECT WAY TO GRIND OPTICKE GLASSES IN FIGURES THAT ARE NOT SPHERICALL, WHICH WILL ADD MUCH TO THE VSE OF PSPECTIVE GLASSES BY SEA AND BY LAND, AS WELL AS FOR THE HEAVENS, BECAUSE HIS ARE ALL OPEN AND SOE SHEW THE OBIECT CLEARER AS ADMITTING MORE SIGHT, WHEREAS THE SPHERICALL, WHICH ARE HITHERTO MADE MUST BE COVERED FOR THE MOST PART; AND WILL ALSOE, IN READING OR MAGNIFYING GLASSES,NOW COMONLY CALLED MICROSCOPES, SHEWE ALL THING IN MORE DISTINCT AND IN TRUER PROPORCONS; IN BURNING GLASSES WILL FIRE MORE STRONGLY, AND DISCOVER IN THE DARKE AT MUCH GREATER DISTAUNCE
Year: 1660

page_text: presente shall come, greeting.
WHEREAS wee have beene informed by our trusty and welbeloved FRANCIS
SMETHWICK, Gentleman, that by his great study and charge he hath found out
"A NEW AND PFECT WAY TO GRIND OPTICKE GLASSES IN FIGURES THAT ARE NOT
SPHERICALL, WHICH WILL ADD MUCH TO THE VSE OF PSPECTIVE GLASSES BY SEA AND
BY LAND, AS WELL AS FOR THE HEAVENS, BECAUSE HIS ARE ALL OPEN AND SOE SHEW
THE OBIECT CLEARER AS ADMITTING MORE SIGHT, WHEREAS THE SPHERICALL, WHICH
ARE HITHERTO MADE MUST BE COVERED FOR THE MOST PART; AND WILL ALSOE, IN
READING OR MAGNIFYING GLASSES, NOW COMONLY CALLED MICROSCOPES, SHEWE ALL
THING IN MORE DISTINCT AND IN TRUER PROPORCONS; IN BURNING GLASSES WILL
FIRE MORE STRONGLY, AND DISCOVER IN THE DARKE AT MUCH GREATER DISTAUNCE."
And whereas the said Francis Smethwick hath humbly besought our royall
graunt of licence and sole priviledge that he may have the sole vse and benefit
of this his said Invenčon within our Kingdome of England and Dominion of
Wales for and during the terme of foureteene yeares, according to the Statute
in that behalfe made and pvided.
NOWE KNOWE YEE, that wee, of our princely inclinacon, being willing
to give all fitting and due encouragement to the Inventors of such arte as may
be of pubique vse and benefitt, of our especiall grace, certeine knowledge, and
meere močon, and vpon the humble petičon of the said Francis Smethwick,
have given and graunted, and by these Presente, for vs, our heires and succes-
sors, doe give give and graunt, vnto the said Francis Smethwick, his executors,

page_text: administrators, and assignes, speciall licence, full power, priviledge and autho-
rity, that they, and either and every of them, by themselves, theire or any of
theire deputic or deputies, servante, workemen, and assignes, at all tymes from
time to time hereafter, during the terme of yeares hereafter in these Presente
expressed, shall and may have, vse, exercise, employ, and enioy the said new
Invencon, in and throughout our Kingdome of England and Dominion of
Wales, in such manner as to them, either or any of them, in theire discrecons
shall seeme meete, and shall may have and enioy the sole benefitt and
advantage coming or arising by reason thereof during the terme of yeares
hereby graunted; and to the end the said Francis Smethwick, his executors,
administrators, and assignes, and every of them, may the better enioy the full
and wholle benefitt, and the sole vse and exercise of the said Invencon, as well
within the liberties as without, wee doe by these Presente, for vs, our heires
and successors, require and streightly comaund all and every pson and psons,
bodies politique and corporate, of whatsoever quality, degree, name, or condicon
they be, that neither they nor any of them, during the terme of yeares hereby
graunted either directly or indirectly, doe or shall vse or put in practice the
said Invenĉon soe by the said Francis Smethwick invented or atteyned vnto as
aforesaid, nor doe or shall counterfeit, imitate, or resemble the same, nor do
or shall make any addičon therevnto, or substracčon from the same, whereby
to pretend themselves the inventors or devisors thereof, without the licence,
consent, and agreement of the said Francis Smethwick, his executors, adminis-
trators, or assignes, in writing vnder his or theire hand and seales first had and
obteyned in that behalfe, vpon such paines and penalties as can or may be
inflicted on such offendors for theire contempt of this our comaund in that
behalfe; and further to be aunswerable to the said Francis Smethwick, his exe-
cutors, administrators, and assignes, according to law and justice for theire
damages thereby susteyned; to have and to hold all and every the licences,
powers, priviledges, and authorities hereby graunted or menconed to be graunted
as aforesaid vnto the said Francis Smethwick, his executors, administrators, and
assignes, as well within the liberties as without, for and during the terme of
foureteene yeares from the making of these Presente next ensueing and fully
to be compleate and ended, according to the Statute in such case made and
pvided. And further, wee doe by these Presente, for vs, our heires and
successors, give and graunte vnto the said Francis Smethwick, bis executors,
administrators, and assignes, full power and authority, that he or they, or any
of theire deputies, servante, and agente, or any of them, having first obteyned
a warrant in this behalfe from the Lord Chiefe Justice of the Court of Kinge
Bench for the tyme being, may, with the assistance of a constable or any

page_text: other lawful officer, as well within liberties as without, vpon request at con-
venient tymes of the day during the terme aforesaid, and in lawfull manner,
enter into and make search in any houses or other places where there shall
be iust cause of suspiton for discovering and finding out of all such psons as
shall, within the terme of foureteene yeares aforesaid, imitate or cause to be
imitated, or shall vse or put in practice the said Invenčon, soe by the said
Francis Smethwick found out and atteyned vnto as aforesaid, that soe such
offendors may be peceded against and punished according to theire demerite,
and their Invenčons and workes tending to the end aforesaid then and thero
found to be seised vpon, broken in pieces, and defaced, and the materialle
thereof left in the handf and custody of some constable or officer, to be
disposed of in such manner and forme as wee, our heires and successors, shall
from tyme to tyme direct and appoint. And further, wee doe by these Presente,
for vs, our heires and successors, will, authorize, and require all and singuler
justices of peace, maiors, sheriffe, bayliffe, constables, headboroughs, and
all others officers and ministers whatsoever of vs, our heires and successors, for
the tyme being, that they and every of them respectively be from tyme to
tyme during the said terme hereby graunted in theire respective places,
favouring, ayding, helping, and assisting vnto the said Francis Smethwick, his
executors, administrators, and assignes, and to his and theire deputie and
deputies, servant, and agente, in and by all thinge in and about the accomplish-
ment of our will and pleasure herein declared, and in the exercise and execucon
of the powers and priviledges hereby graunted or menconed to be graunted as
aforesaid. And moreover wee will and commaund by these Presente, for vs, our
heires and successors, that our said officers and ministers or any of them doe not
molest, trouble, or interrupt the said Francis Smethwick, his executors, admin-
istrators, or assignes, or his or theire deputy or deputies, servante, or agente,
or any of them, in or about the vse or exercise of the said Invencon, or in any
matter or thing concerning the same. Provided alwayes, that if at any tyme.
during the said terme of foureteene yeares, it shall be made appeare vnto vs,
our heires and successors, or any six or more of our or theire Privy Councell,
that this our graunt is contrary to law, or Piudiciall or inconuenient, or not of
publique vse or benefitt, or that the grinding of the said optick glasses in
figures that are not sphericall is not a new Invenčon of the said Francis
Smethwick, as to the publique vse or evercise thereof within our Kingdome of
England and Dominion of Wales aforesaid, then vpon significacon and declaracon
thereof to be made by vs, our heires or successors, these our Letters Patente,
and all thing therein conteyned, shall forthwith cease, determine, and be
voyd to all intente and purposes, and the said Invencon not to be further

page_text: vsed, exercised, or imployed by virtue or colour thereof, any thing herein-
before conteyned to the contrary notwithstanding; provided further, that these
our Letters Patente, or anything therein conteyned, shall not extend or be
construed to extend to give priviledge to the said Francis Smethwick, his
executors, administrators, or assigns, or any of them, to vse or imitate any
Invenĉon or work found or invented by any other pson or psons, and
publiquely exercised within this our realme or any the dominions
territoryes therevnto belonging, vnto whom wee have already graunted our
like Letters Patent of priviledge for the sole vse, exercise, and benefitt
thereof, it being our will and pleasure that the said Francis Smethwick,
his exccutors, administrators, or assignes, and all and singuler other pson
and psons to whom wee have already graunted our like Letters Patente
of priviledge as aforesaid, shall distinctly vse and practice theire severall
Invenĉons by them invented and found out, according to the true intent and
meaning of the said several and respective Letters Patent and of these
Presente. And lastly, wee doe by these Presente, for vs, our heires and
successors, graunt vnto the said Francis Smethwick, his executors, admi-
nistrators, and assignes, that these our Letters Patente, or the inrollment
thereof, shall be in and by all thing good, valid, sufficient, and effectuall
in the law, according to the true intent and meaning thereof, and shall be
taken, construed, and adiudged most favourable and beneficiall for the best
benefitt and advantage of the said Francis Smethwick, his executors, admi-
nistrators, and assignes, aswell in all our Courte of Record as elsewhere,
notwithstanding the not full and certeine describing the manner and quality
of the said Invencon, or of the materialle, way, and manner of working and
grinding of the said glasse or other mettalle, or of the true and certeine vse
and benefitt thereof, and notwithstanding any other defecte, incerteinties, or
impfecčons in these present conteyned, or any act, statute, ordinance, pvision,
pelamacon, or restraint, to the contrary thereof in anywise notwithstanding.
In wittnes, &c. Wittnes our selfe at Westñi, the Foureteenth day of