THE KING'S LICENCE
Louis,
by the grace of God, King of France and of Navarre, to our beloved and
liege Councillors, the Members of our Courts of Parliament, Masters of
the Requests ordinary of our House, Bailiffs, Seneschals, or their
Lieutenants, and to all others whom it may concern, greeting : our well
beloved Jean-Baptiste Tavernier, Esq., Baron of Aubonne, having
informed us that he has written a book which has for title, ' Six
Voyages made in Turkey, Persia, and India, during the space of forty
years, and by all the routes that can be taken,' which he desires to
print and sell, if it pleases us to grant our letters, necessary to him
who humbly seeks them: for these reasons we have permitted and shall
permit the Petitioner to have the said Book printed in such volume,
margin, or type, as he may be advised, and to sell and dispose of it
throughout our Kingdom and the territories subject to us," during the
space of fifteen years, to date from the day on which the said
impression may be completed; during which time we expressly inhibit all
Booksellers and Printers from printing, selling, or disposing of the
said Book, and also reprinting it, except with the consent of the
Petitioner or of those who hold the right to do so from him, on pain,
to those acting otherwise, of a penalty of three thousand livres fine,
one-third to us, one-third to the Hotel Dieu of our City of Paris, and
the remaining third to the said Petitioner ; also of confiscation of
the counterfeit copies, and of all expenditure, damages, and interest ;
on condition of placing two copies of the said Book in our Public
Library, one in that of our Chamber in the Palace of the Louvre, and
one in that of our beloved and loyal Chevalier and Chancellor of
France, the Sieur Daligre, before offering it for sale, on pain of
nullifying these presents, which will be registered in the proper place
; and in placing at the beginning and end of them a statement
acknowledging that they are bound by the terms agreed upon, and of
their willingness to allow the Petitioner to enjoy them quietly and
peaceably.
We
command in the first place our Usher or Sergeant, on this requisition,
to undertake for the execution of these presents all necessary deeds
and actions without further permission, notwithstanding ' Clameur de
Haro', ' Charte Normande', and all else to the contrary. For such is
our pleasure. Given at Versailles the 7th day of October, in
