A NEW INVENTION OF SEVERALL SMALL ENGINES OF DIVERS KINDES TO BE SAPELY AND ADVANTAGEOUSLY NADE VSE OF ON BOARD ANY FRIGATTES OR MERCHANT SHIPS BELONGING TO ANY OF OUR SUBJECTS, WHEREBY ANY NUMBER OF FRENCH OR OTHER ENEMIES SHALL BE IMMEDIATELY DESTROYED UPON THEIR BOARDING ANY SUCH MERCHANT SHIPPS OR FRIGATTS
Year: 1694

page_text: Presents shall come greeting.
WHEREAS Colonell JACOB RICHARDS has by his humble petition repre-
sented unto vs that he has contrived and found out "A NEW INVENTION OF
SEVERALL SMALL ENGINES OF DIVERS KINDES TO BE SAPELY AND ADVANTAGEOUSLY
NADE VSE OF ON BOARD ANY FRIGATTES OR MERCHANT SHIPS BELONGING TO ANY OF
OUR SUBJECTS, WHEREBY ANY NUMBER OF FRENCH OR OTHER ENEMIES SHALL BE
IMMEDIATELY DESTROYED UPON THEIR BOARDING ANY SUCH MERCHANT SHIPPS OR
FRIGATTS," and hath humbly prayed us to grant him our Letters Patents for
the sole vse thereof.
KNOW YEE, THEREFORE, that wee, being graciously pleased to condiscend
to that his request, and willing to encourage the inventers of all such arts as
may be of publick vse and benefitt, of our especiall grace, certaine knowledge,
and meere motion, have given and granted, and by these Presents, for vs, our
licires and successors, doe give and grant unto the said Jacob Richards, his
executors, administrators, and assignes, speciall lycence, full power, sole privi-
ledge and authority, that he, the said Jacob Richards, his executors, adminis-
trators, and assignes, and every of them, by themselves or his or their deputy
or deputies, servants, or agents, or such others as the said Jacob Richards, his
executors, administrators, or assignes, shall at any time agree with, and no
others, from time to time and at all times dureing the terme of years herein
expressed, shall and lawfully may make, vsc, exercise, and enioy the said

page_text: Invention, within our Kingdomes of England and Ireland, Dominion of Wales,
and Towne of Berwick-upon-Tweed, or any other our dominions, in such
manner and according to such reasonable and lawfull rates and limitations as
to him, the said Jacob Richards, his exccutors, administrators, and assignes,
or any of them, shall in their discretions seeme meete; and that he, the
said Jacob Richards, his executors, administrators, and assignes, shall and may
have and enjoy the sole proffit, benefit, comodity, and advantage from time to
time coming, growing, accrewing, and ariseing by reason of the said Invention
for and durcing the full terme of years herein mentioned, to have, hold,
exercise, and enjoy the said lycence, powers, priviledges, and advantages herein-
before granted or mentioned to be granted unto the said Jacob Richards, his
executors, administrators, and assignes, for and durcing and unto the full end
and terme of fourteene yeares from the date of these Presents next and
immediately ensucing, and fully to be compleat and ended according to the
Statute in this case made and provided. And to the end that the said Jacob
Richards, his executors, administrators, and assignes, and every of them, may
have and enjoy the full benefitt, and the sole makeing vse and exercise of the
said Invention, according to our gracious intentions herein-before declared, wee
dce by these sents, for vs, our heires and successors, require and strictly
comand all and every person and persons, bodies politique and corporate, and
all other our subiccts 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 durcing the continuance of
the said terme of fourteene. years hereby granted, either directly or in-
directly, doe make, vse, or put in practise the said Invention, or any
part of the same so attained unto by the said Jacob Richards as
aforesaid, nor shall in any wise counterfeite, imitate, or resemble the same,
nor shall make or cause to be made any addition thereunto, or substraction
from the same, whereby to tend themselves the inventer or inventers, deviser
or devisers thereof, without the lycence, consent, or agreement of the said
Jacob Richards, his executors, administrators, or assignes in writeing, under
his, their, or some of their hands and scales first bad and obtained in that
behalfe, upon such paines and penalties as can or may be justly inflicted on
such offenders for their contempt of this our royall command, and further to bo
answerable to the said Jacob Richards, his executors, administrators, and
assignes, according to law, for his and their damages thereby occasioned. And
moreover, wee do by these prents, for vs, our heires and successors, will and
comand all and singular our justices of the peace, mayors, sheriffes, bayliffes,
constables, headboroughs, and all other officers and ministers whatsover of vs.

page_text: our heires and successors, now and 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 Jacob Richards, his
executors, administrators, 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 Invention, or any thing relating thereto Provided alwaies, and
these our Letters Patents are and shall be vpon this condition, 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 Councill, that this
our grant is contrary to law, or prejudiciall or inconvenient to our subjects.in
generall, or that the said Invention is not a new invention as to the publique
vse and exercise thereof within this our Kingdom of England, and not invented
and found out by the said Jacob Richards as aforesaid, then, spon signification
and declaration thereof to be made by vs, our heires or successors, under our
or their signett or privy scale, or by the Lords and others of our or their Privy
Council, or any six or more of them, under their hands, these our Letters
Patents shall forthwith cease, determine, and be utterly voyd to all intents and
purposes, any thing 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
unto the said Jacob Richards, bis executors, administrators or assignes, or
any of them, to use or imitate any Invention or worke whatsoever which hath
been heretofore found out or invented by any other of our subjects whatsoever,
and publickly used or exercised within our said realmes and dominions, or any.
of them, unto 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 Jacob Richards, his executors, administrators, and assignes,
and all and singular other person and persons to whom 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 unto the said Jacob Richards, his executors, administrators,
and assignes, that these our Letters Patents, or the inrollment thereof, shall
be in and by all things good, firm, valid, sufficient, and effectuall in the law,
according to the true intent and meaning thereof, and shall be taken, construed,
and adjudged in the most favourable and beneficiall sence for the best advan-
tage of the said Jacob Richards, his executors, administrators, and assignes, as
well in all Courts of Record as elsewhere, and by all and singular the officers

page_text: and ministers whatsoever of vs, our heires and successors, in all and singular
our realmes and dominions whatsoever, and amongst all and every the subjects
of us, our heires and successors, whatsoever and wheresoever, notwithstanding
the not full and certain describing the nature or quality of the said Invention,
or of the materialls thereto conduceing and belonging.
This containes your Mas grant unto Colonel Jacob Richards of the sole vse
and benefitt of his new Invention of severall small engines of divers kinds to
be safely and advantageously made use of on board any frigates or merchant
shipps belonging to any of our subjects, whereby any number of French or other
enemics shall be immediately destroyed upon their boarding any such merchant
shipps or frigats, to hold the same to the said Jacob Richards, his executors,
administrators, and assignes, for the terme of fourteen years, according to the
Statute in that behalfe; and such prohibitions, provisoes, and clauses are
inserted as are usuall in grants of like nature.
Signified to be your Mats pleasure, by warrant under your royalf signe
manuall.
manuall.
mac
Toyan signe
EWD. WARD,
24 Sept. 1694.