AN EXPEDIENT WITH SECURITY TO MAKE MUSKETT, CARBINES, PISTOLLE, OR ANY OTHER SMALL FIRE ARMES TO DISCHARGE TWICE, THRICE, OR MORE SEVERALL AND DISTINCTE SHOTT IN A SINGELL BARRELL AND LOCKE WITH ONCE PRIMEING, AND WITH DOUBLE LOCK OFTENER, RESERVING ONE OR MORE SHOTT TILL OCCASION OFFER, WHICH HITHERTO BY NONE BUT HIMSELFE HATH BEENE INVENTED OR KNOWNE, THE MISTERY OR MAINE LYEING IN THE CHARGE, WHICH BEING PUT INTO PRACTICE MAY BE OF GREATE ADVANTAGE TO OUR SUBJECT IN GENERALL
Year: 1682

page_text: these presents shall come, greeting.
WHEREAS wee have beene informed by our trusty and welbeloved
CHARLES CARDIFFE, Gentleman, that he hath, by his long experience, found
out "AN EXPEDIENT WITH SECURITY TO MAKE MUSKETT, CARBINES, PISTOLLE,
OR ANY OTHER SMALL FIRE ARMES TO DISCHARGE TWICE, THRICE, OR MORE
SEVERALL AND DISTINCTE SHOTT IN A SINGELL BARRELL AND LOCKE WITH ONCE
PRIMEING, AND WITH DOUBLE LOCK OFTENER, RESERVING ONE OR MORE SHOTT
TILL OCCASION OFFER, WHICH HITHERTO BY NONE BUT HIMSELFE HATH BEENE
INVENTED OR KNOWNE, THE MISTERY OR MAINE LYEING IN THE CHARGE, WHICH
BEING PUT INTO PRACTICE MAY BE OF GREATE ADVANTAGE TO OUR SUBJECT IN
GENERALL;" and he hath humbly besought vs to grant vnto him Letters
Patents vnder our Greate Seale of England to impower and enable him to
put in execucon the said Invenčon to continue for the terme of foureteene
yeares, according to the Statute in that behalfe made.
NOW KNOW YE that we being desirous to incourage the inventers 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, doc give and grant vnto the said Charles
Cardiffe, his executors, administrators, and assignes, especiall licence, full and
sole power, priviledge and authority that he and they and his and theire
workemen and servants, and noc other, shall or may dureing the terme of

page_text: foureteene yeares next ensueing the date hereof, vse, practise, exercise, enioy,
and put in execučon the said art or invenĉon within our Kingdome of
England or any other our dominions, in such manner as to them shall seeme
meete, and shall have and enioy the sole benefitt and advantage ariseing
thereby or by reason thereof, to have, hold and enioy the said lycence, power,
priviledge and authority, and other the premisses hereby granted or intended
to be granted to the said Charles Cardiffe, his executors, administrators, and
assignes, from the day of, the date of these presents, for and durcing the terme
of foureteene yeares thence next ensueing, fully to be compleate and ended,
according to the Statute in that case made and provided; and to the end that
the said Charles Cardiffe, his executors, administrators, and assignes, and
every of them, may the better enioy the full and whole benefitt, and the sole
vse and exercise of the said Invenčon, as well within liberties as without, we
doc by these presents, for vs, our heires and successors, require and strictly
charge and comand all and every person and persons, bodies politique and
corporate, that they or any of them doe not or shall not, dureing the terme of
yeares hereby granted, either directly or indirectly, vse or put in practice or
execucon the said art or invenčon, nor doc or shall counterfeite, imitate, or
resemble the same, nor doe or shall make any addičon therevnto or sub-
stracčon from the same whereby to pretend themselves the inventers or
devisers thereof without the lycence, consent, or agreement of the said Charles
Cardiffe, bis executors, administrators, or assignes, in writeing vnder his
or theire hand and scales, first had and obteyned in that behalfe, vpon such
paines and penaltys as can or may be inflicted on such offenders for the
contempt of this our comand. And further, to be answerable to the said
Charles Cardiffe, his executors, administrators, and assignes, for theire
damages susteyned thereby. And further, we doe by these presents,
for vs, our heires and successors, give and grant vnto the said Charles
Cardiffe, his executors, administrators, and assignes, full power and authority
that he, they, and every of them, his, theire, and every of theire deputies,
servant, or agents, or any of them, haveing first obteyned warrant in
that behalfe from the Lord Cheife Justice of Court of King's Bench for
the time being, may, with the assistance of a constable or any other
lawful officer, aswell within liberties as without, vpon request, at con-
venient times in the day dureing the time aforesaid, and in lawful manner,
enter and make search in any place or places where there shall be iust cause
of suspicon for discovering and finding out of all such persons as shall, within
the said terme of foureteene yeares, imitate or cause to be imitated, or shall
vse or putt in practice the art or invenĉon aforesaid, that soe such offenders

page_text: may be proceeded against and punished according to theire demerrits. And
further, we doc by these psents, for vs, our heires and successors, will,
authorize, and require all and singuler justices of the peace, mayors, sheriffes,
bayliffes, headboroughs, and all other officers and ministers of vs, our heires
and successors, for the time being, that they and every of them respectively
be from time to time, dureing the said terme hereby granted, in theire
respective places favouring, aiding, helpeing, and assisting vnto the said
Charles Cardiffe, his executors, administrators, and assignes, and his and
theire deputy or deputies, servants, and agents, or any of them, in and about
the accomplishment of our will and pleasure herein declared, and the exercise
and exccučon of the powers and priviledges herein and hereby granted or
menconed to be granted as aforesaid. And moreover we will and comand
by these presents, for vs, our heires and successors, that our said officers, or
any of them, doe not molest, trouble, or interrupt the said Charles Cardiffe,
his executors, administrators, or assignes, his or theire deputy or deputies,
servants, or agents, or any of them, in or about the vse or exercise of the said
art or invenčon, in any matter or thing concerning the same: provided
allwaies, that if att any time during the said terme of foureteene yeares itt
shall be made appeare to vs, our heires or successors, or any six or more of
our or theire Privy Councell, that this grant is preiudicial or inconvenient
to our comon wealth, or that the said art or invenĉon is not a new invencon
of the said Charles Cardiffe, as to the vse and practice thereof, within this
kingdome, then, vpon significačon and declaracon to be made by vs, our heires
or successors, vnder our or theire signett or privy seale, or by the lorde and
others of our or theire Privy Councill, or six or more of them, for the time
being, in writeing vnder theire hande, of such preiudice and inconvenience,
these our Letters Patents, and all things therein conteyned, shall forthwith
cease, determine, and be vtterly voyd to all intents and purposes, any thing
herein-before conteyned to the contrary notwithstanding. Provided alsoe,
that these our Letters Patents, or any thing herein conteyned, shall not extend
or be construed to extend to give priviledge vnto the said Charles Cardiffe,
his exccutors, administrators, or assigues, or any of them, to vse or imitate
invenčon or worke found out or invented by any other person or persons,
any
and publickly exercised in our kingdome of England or dominion of Wales,
vnto whome we have already granted our like Letters Patents or priviledge
for the sole vse and benefitt thereof, itt being our will and pleasure that the
said Charles Cardiffe, his executors, administrators, and assignes, and all
other person and persons to whome we have already granted our like Letters
Patents er priviledge, shall distinctly vse and practise theire severall invencons

page_text: by them invented and found out, according to the true intent and meaneing
of the said severall and respective Letters Patents and of these presents.
And, lastly, we doe by these presents, for vs, our heires and successors, grant
vnto the said Charles Cardiffe, his executors, administrators, and assignes, that
these our Letters Patents, or the inrollment thereof, shall be in and by all
things good, valid, sufficient, and effectuall in the law, according to the true
intent and meaneing of these presents, and shall be taken, construed, and
adiudged most favourably and beneficially for the best benefitt and advantage
of the said Charles Cardiffe, his executors, administrators, and assignes, as
well in all our courts of record as elsewhere, notwithstanding the not full
and certaine describeing of the said art or invenĉon, or of the certaine vse or
benefitt thereof, and notwithstanding any other defects or incertainetyes in
these presents conteyned, or any act, statute, ordinance, provision, or restreint
to the contrary in any wise notwithstanding.
In witnesse, &c.
of February.
Witnesse ourselfe at Westminster, the Sixteenth day
By Writt of Privy Seale.