ART OR MISTERY OF MAKEING ORCHALL AND LITMUS
Year: 1693

page_text: WHEREAS our trusty and welbeloved ABRAHAM EMP, Merchant, nath
humbly represented vnto vs that, for severall yeares last past, he hath traded
in great quantities of orchall and litmus, and has at his owne great costs
and charges beyond the seas and at home made it his buisinesse to discover and
finde out the "ART OR MISTERY OF MAKEING ORCHALL AND LITMUS," (commonly
called or knowne beyond the seas by the name of Lackmus,) not heretofore vsed
or practised in England, and that he hath at length attained to a perfection
of makeing the same, and that severall of the ingredients whereof it is
made are of the groweth and product of England, and other nations have of
late made it their sole businesse in their dying trade to intermix this new art
or mistery in their severall colours, and particularly in scarletts, crimsons,
claret colours, blews, purples, and others, whereby they have found great help
and advantage, and that the like advantage will be to the publique in this
kingdome, and has prayed our Letters Patents for the sole vse and benefitt of
the said new Invention.
KNOW YEE, THEREFORE, that wee, being graciously pleased to condescend
to that his request, and willing to encourage the inventers of such arts as may
be of publick vse and benefitt, of our especiall grace, certaine knowledge, and
meer močon, have given and granted, and by these psents, for vs, our heires
and successors, doe give and grant vnto the said Abraham Kemp, his executors,
administrators, and assignes, speciall lycence, full power, sole priviledge. and

page_text: authority, that he, the said Abraham Kemp, his executors, administrators, and
assignes, and every of them, by theinselves or his or their deputy and deputies,
servants, or agents, or such others as the said Abraham Kemp, his executors,
administrators, or assignes, shall at any time agree with, and noe others, from
time to time and at all times dureing the terme of yeares herein expressed,
shall and lawfully may make, vse, exercise, and enioy the said Invention of
makeing orchall and litmus, within our Kingdome of England, Dominion of
Wales, and Towne of Berwick-vpon-Tweed, or any other our dominions, in
such manner and according to such reasonable and lawfull rates and lymita-
tions as to him, the said Abraham Kemp, his executors, administrators, and
assignes, or any of them, shall in their discretions seeme meet; and that he,
the said Abraham Kemp, his executors, administrators, and assignes, shall and
may have and enioy the sole profitt, benefitt, commodity, and advantage from
time to time comeing, growing, accrewing, and ariseing by reason of the said
Invention, for and dureing the full terme of yeares herein mentioned; to have,
hold, exercise, and enioy the said lycence, powers, priviledges, and advantages
herein-before granted or mentioned to be granted vnto the said Abraham
Kemp, his executors, administrators, and assignes, for and durcing and vnto
the full end and terme of fourteen yeares from the date of these Presents next
and immediately ensueing, and fully to be compleate and ended, according to
the Statute in that case made provided. And to the end that the said Abraham
Kemp, 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 Invention, according to our gratious intentions herein-before declared,
wee doe by these Presents, for vs, our heires and successors, require and strictly
comand all and every person and persons, bodies politique and corporate, and
all other our subiects whatsoever, of what estate, quality, or degree, name or
condition soever they be, within all and every our kingdomes and dominions,
that neither they or any of them at any time dureing the continuance of the
said terme of fourteen yeares hereby granted, either directly or indirectly, doe
make, vse, or put in practise the said Invention or any part of the same soe
attained vnto by the said Abraham Kemp as aforesaid, nor shall in any wise
counterfeit, imitate, or resemble the same, nor shall make or cause to be made
any addition thereunto or substraccon from the same, whereby to pretend
themselves the inventer or inventers, deviser or dovisers thereof, without the
lycence, consent, or agreement of the said Abraham Kemp, his executors, admi-
nistrators, or assignes, in writeing vnder his, their, or some of their hands and
seales, first bad 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

page_text: our royall command; and further to be answerable to the said Abraham
Kemp, 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 command all and singular
our justices of the peace, mayors, sherriff's, bayliffs, 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 Abraham Kemp, his executors, administrators, or assignes,
or any of his or their deputies, servants, or agents, in or about the due and
lawful makeing, vse, or exercise of the aforesaid Invention or any thing
relateing thereto: Provided alwaies, and these our Letters Patents are and shall
be vpon this condicon, that if at any time dureing the terme bereby granted it
shall be made appeare to vs, our heires or successors, or any six or more of our
or their Privy Councill, that this our grant is contrary to law, or preiudiciall or
inconvenient to our subiects in generall, or that the said Invention is not a
new Invention as to the publick vse and exercise thereof within this our
Kingdome of England, and not invented and found out by the said Abraham
Kemp as aforesaid, then, vpon signification and declaration thereof to be
made by vs, our heires or successors, vnder our or their signet or privy scale,
or by the Lords and others of our or their Privy Councill, or any six or more
of them vnder their hands, these our Letters Patent shall forthwith cease,
determine, and be vtterly void to all intents and purposes, anything before
herein contained to the contrary in any wise notwithstanding: Provided also,
that these our Letters Patents, or any thing herein contained, shall not extend
or be construed to extend to give priviledge vnto the said Abraham Kemp, bis
executors, administrators, or assignes, or any of them, to vse or imitate any
invention or worke whatsoever, which hath been 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 whome
like Letters Patents or priviledge have been already granted for the solo
vse, exercise, and benefitt thereof, it being our will and pleasure that the
said Abraham Kemp, his executors, administrators, and assignes, and all and
singular other person and persons to whome like Letters Patents or priviledges
have been already granted as aforesaid, shall distinctly vse and practise their
severall Inventions by them invented and found out, according to the true
intent and meaning of the same respective Letters Patents and of these
Presents. And lastly, wee doe by these Presents, for vs, our heires and
successors, grant vnto the said Abraham Kemp, his executors, administrators,

page_text: 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 the true intent and meaneing thereof, and shall be taken, con-
strued, and adiudged in the most favourable and beneficiall sense for the best
advantage of the said Abraham Kemp, his executors, administrators, and
assignes, aswell in all 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 describeing the nature or quality of
the said Invention, or of the materialls thereto conduceing and belonging.
In witnesse, &c. Witnesse ourselves at Westminster, the One-and-
twentieth day of July.