41 8 C. 19. Anno odavo Ann^ Reginae. A. D. 1709. thereof, or the Bookfeller or Bookfelkrs, Printer or Printers, or other Perfbn or Perfons, who hath or have purchafed or acquired the Copy or Copies of any Book or Books, in order to print or reprint the fame, fliall have the fole Right and Liberty of printing fuch Book and Books for the Term of one and And the Au- twenty Years, to commence from the faid tenth Day of Jpril and no longer ; and that the Author of any thors of Books gook or Books ah-eady compofed, and not printed and publifhed, or that fliall hereafter be compofed, and have*"!!!"' fo'le " ^'^ Affignee or Affigns, fhall have the fole Liberty of printing and reprinting fuch Book and Books for the Rjght of print- Term of fourteen Years, to commence from the Day of the firft publifliing the fame, and no longer; and ingfot i4Years. that if any other Bookfeller, Printer or other Perfon whatfoever, from and after the tenth Day of Jpril Punifhment of one thoufand feven hundred and ten, within the Times granted and limited by tjiis Aift as aforefaid, (hall BookfeUer, &c. prjiit^ reprint or import, or caufe to be printed, reprinted or imported, any fuch Book or Books, without Confine o" the ' ^^^ Confent of the Proprietor or Proprietors thereof firft had and obtained in Writing, figned in the Pre- Proprietor, fence of two Or more credible Witneflcs ; or knowing the fame to be fo printed or reprinted, without the Confent of the Proprietors, fhallfell, puislifti or expofe to Sale, or caufe to be fold, publifhed or expofed to Sale, any fuch Book or Books, without fuch Confent firft had and obtained as aforefaid : Then fuch Offender or Offenders fhall forfeit fuch Book or Books, and all and every Sheet or Sheets, being Part of fuch Book or Books, to the Proprietor or Proprietors of the Copy thereof, who fhall forthwith Damask and make VVafle Paper of them ; and further, That every fuch Oiiender or Offenders flaall forfeit one Penny for every Sheet which fliall be found in his, her or their Cuftody, either printed or printing, pub- lifhed or expofed to Sale, contrary to the true Intent and Meaning of this Aft; the one Moiety thereof to the Queen's moft Excellent Majefty, her Heirs and SuccefTors, and the other Moiety thereof to any Per- fon or Perfons that fhall fue for the fame, to be recovered in any of her Majeflry's Courts of Record at Wejlmhifter, by Adion of Debt, Bill, Plaint or Liformation, in which no Wager of Law, EfToin, Privi- lege or Protedfion, or more than one Imparlance fhall be allowed. ' II. And whereas many Perfons m.ay through Ignorance offend againfl this Aft, unlefs fome Provifion ' be made, whereby the Property in every fuch Book, as is intended by this KSt to be fecured to the Pro- ' prietor or Proprietors thereof, may be afcertained, as likewife the Confent of fuch Proprietor or Proprie- Co Us of Books ' '■"^ ^"^"^ ^^ printing or reprinting of fuch Book or Books may from time to time be known ;' Be it there- toTeentred be- ^^^^^ further ena£ted by the Authority aforefaid. That nothing in this Aft contained fliall be conflrued to fore Publication extend to fubjeft any Bookfeller, Printer or other Perfon whatfoever, to the Forfeitures or Penalties there- in the Regifter in mentioned, for or by Reafon of the printing or reprinting of any Book or Books without fuch Confent Book of the gs aforefaid, unlefs the Title to the Copy of fuch Book or Books hereafter publifhed fnall, before fuch St*ationers • Publication, be entred in the Regifter Book of the Company of Stationers, in fuch Manner as hath been ■which may'be ufual, which Regifter Book fhall at all Times be kept at the Hall of the faid Company, and unlefs fuch jnfpeaed at any Confent of the Proprietor or Proprietors be in like Manner entered as aforefaid, for every of which feve- Time withoat ral entries fix Pence fhall be paid, and no more ; which faid Regifter Book may, at all feafonable and ^"j • convenient Times, be reforted to, and infpefted by any Bookfeller, Printer or other Perfon, for the Pur- Corapanv to pofes before-mentioned, without any Fee or Reward ; and the Clerk of the faid Company of^ Stationers give a Certificate Aiall, when and as often as thereunto required, give a Certificate under his Hand of fuch Entry or Entries cf fuch Entry, and for every fuch Certificate may take a Fee not exceeding fix Pence. Penalty of the HI- Provided neverthelefs, That if the Clerk of the faid Company of Stationers for the time beings Clerk' refufing fhall refufe Or negleft to regifter, or make fuch Entry or Entries, or to give fuch Certificate, being there- lb to do. unto required by the Author or Proprietor of fuch Copy or Copies, in the Prefence of two or more cre- dible Witneffes, That then fuch Perfon and Perfons fo refufing, Notice being firft duly given of fuch Re- fufal, by an Advertifement in the Gazette, fhall have the like Benefit, as if fuch Entry or Entries, Certifi- cate or" Certificates had been duly made and given ; and that the Clerks fo refufing fhall, for any fuch Offence, forfeit to the Proprietor of fuch Copy or Copies tlie Sum of twenty Pounds, to be recovered in any_ of her Majefty's Courts of Record at JVeJlminJlcr, by Aftion of Debt, Bill, Plaint or Information, in which no Wager of Law, Effoin, Privilege or Proteflion, or more than one Imparlance fhall be allowed. IV. Provided neverthelefs, and it is hereby further enafted by the Authority aforefaid. That if any ^fter 15 March Bookfeller or Bookfellers, Printer or Printers, fhall after the faid five and twentieth Day of March one
- ,7Jo- the Arch- (houfand feven hundred and ten, fet a Price upon, or fell, or expofe to Sale, any Book or I3ooks at fuch a
bury^&c to "'^' Pj^'ce or Rate as fhall be conceived by any Perfon or Perfons to be too high and unreafonable ; it fhall fettle' the Prices and may be lawful for any Perfon or Perfons to make Complaint thereof to the Lord Archbifhop of Can- cf Books, upon terbury for the time being, the Lord Chancellor or Lord Keeper of the Great Seal oi Great Britain, for Complaint made the time being, the Lord Bifhop of London for the time being, the Lord Chief JufHce of the Court of ^'afonabie Queen's Bench, the Lord Chief Juftice of the Court of Common Pleas, the Lord Chief Baron of the Court snteaona . q^ £x chequer for the time being, the Vice-Chancellors of the two Univerfities for the time being, in that Part of Great Britain called England; the Lord Prefident of the SefBons for the time being, the Lord Juf- tice General for the time being, the Lord Chief Baron of the Exchequer for the time being, the Reftor of the College of Edinburgh for the time being, in that Part of Great Britain called Scotland; who, or any; one of them, fhall and have hereby full Power and Authority, from time to time, to fend for, fummon or call before him or them fuch Bookfeller or Bookfellers, Printer or Printers, and to examine and enquire of the Reafon of the Dearnefs and Inhancement of the Price or Value of fuch Book or Books by him or them fo fold or expofed to Sale; and if upon fuch Enquiry and Examination it fhall be found, that the I'rice of fuch Book or Books is inhanced, or any wife too high or unreafonable, then and in fuch cafe the faid Archbifhop of Canterbury, Lord Chancellor or Lord Keeper, Bifhop of London, two Chief Juf- tices, Chief Baron, Vice-Chancellors qf the Univerfitiesj iji that Part of Great Britain called England^ ' I . and
