Chemical Library

...to all persons, of what-
ever quality and condition they
may be, from printing
or counterfeiting the said Book, nor
from selling and distributing any
others than those which shall have
been printed by those whom the
said Borel shall have chosen, under penalty
to the offenders of 3,000 livres The "livre" was the currency of France until 1795. 3,000 livres was an enormous sum at the time—equivalent to several years' wages for a skilled laborer—intended to be a powerful deterrent against illegal printing.
fine, and other penalties
set forth by the said Privilege.

The said Borel has ceded the right
of the present Privilege to Charles
du Mesnil and Thomas Jolly,
Bookseller Merchants in Paris,
as concerns this book. It was common for authors to "cede" or sell their royal privilege to professional booksellers who had the capital and equipment to manage the actual production and distribution of the work.