The Pendulum Clock

ROYAL PRIVILEGE.

LOUIS, by the grace of God King of France and Navarre: To our beloved and loyal Counselors, the members of our Courts of Parliament, Masters of Requests in ordinary of our Household, Bailiffs, Seneschals, Provosts, their Lieutenants, and all other Justices and Officers to whom it shall appertain, Greetings.

Our dear and well-beloved FRANÇOIS MUGUET, our ordinary Printer, has very humbly represented to Us that there has been placed in his hands a Book entitled, The Pendulum Clock, or Geometrical Demonstrations Concerning the Motion of Pendulums as Applied to Clocks, by Christiaan Huygens of Zulichem, son of Constantijn original: "Christiani Hugenii Zulichemii Const. F. Horologium Oscillatorium, seu de motu Pendulorum ad horologia aptato demonstrationes Geometricae", which he desires to give to the public if it should please us to grant him permission, for which he humbly petitions.

FOR THESE REASONS, wishing to treat the Petitioner favorably, We have permitted and granted, and do permit and grant by these presents, the right to print or cause to be printed the said Book in such form, character, volume, and as many times as he sees fit, during the span of six full and consecutive years, beginning from the day it is finished printing for the first time; strictly forbidding all persons of whatever quality and condition they may be, from printing or causing it to be printed, selling, or distributing it during the said time in any place in our Kingdom, without the consent of the Petitioner, or those who hold rights from him, under any pretext whatsoever, upon pain of a fine of fifteen hundred livres A substantial sum of money in the 17th century, one third applicable to Us, one third to the General Hospital of our city of Paris, and the other third to the Petitioner, along with the confiscation of counterfeit copies, and all costs, damages, and interests; on the condition that two copies be placed in our ordinary Library, one in that of the cabinet of our Louvre, and another in that of our beloved and loyal Keeper of the Seals, Lord d'Aligre Étienne d'Aligre (1592–1677), a high-ranking French magistrate.

We therefore command you to ensure that the Petitioner and those holding rights from him enjoy and use the contents of these presents fully and peacefully, ceasing and causing to cease all troubles and hindrances to the contrary; desiring that by inserting these presents or an extract thereof in each of the copies, they shall be held as well and duly notified; We command our first Usher or Sergeant required for this purpose, to perform all necessary acts for the execution of these presents. FOR such is our pleasure. GIVEN at Versailles the last day of September in the year of grace one thousand six hundred and seventy-two. And of our Reign the thirtieth. Signed, LOUIS. By the King, COLBERT Jean-Baptiste Colbert, King Louis XIV's influential Minister of Finances.

Registered in the Book of the Community of Booksellers and Printers of Paris, November 4, 1672, following the Decree of Parliament of April 8, 1653, and that of the King's Private Council of February 27, one thousand six hundred and sixty-five. Signed, D. THIERRY, Syndic.

Finished printing for the first time the first day of April 1673.