Holograph draft of MINT00651 (Mint 19/2/425)

<439r>

Our Will & please is & We do hereby authorise & command you S^r Isaac Newton Master & Worker of our Mint in the Tower of London to receive into our said Mint barrs of C \from time to time/ fine British copper \in barrs or fillets/ {illeg}|w|^ch {illeg}|w|hen heated red hott will spread thin under the hammer without cracking & wh{illeg}|i|ch are\shall/ be of a due thi size or thickness \to be prescribed by you/ & to out of the same to coyne half pence & farthings of such a bigness that forty & size half pence or ninety & two farthings may make a pound weight Averdupois excepting such small errors as may happen through in & by the \unequal/ sizing of the barrs: which errors you shall endeavour that they do not be not in excess or defect above the 40^th part of the whole weight & this not by designe but only by accident. And you shall pay the Importer for such copper imported after {illeg}|s|uch rates as the Lords Comm^rs of our Treasury now being or our High Treasurer or Comm^ers of our Treasury for the time being shall allow \not exceeding eighteen pence by the pound weight/, the one half thereof \in money/ upon receiving the said copper & the other half upon {illeg} in money & scissell together upon returning back the scissel, the said scissel being recconed at the same price by the pound weight with the Copper imported. And if the said Copper dot{illeg}|h|{illeg} not beare the Assay in size\size/ & fineness you shall not receive the same but return it back to be manufactured anew. And you shall coyne such quantities of such moneys & at such times as the said Comm^rs of his Ma^ts Treary our Treary or L^d High Treasurer shall allow.|^☉| < insertion from f 439v > ☉ And one one side of each piece stamp\you shall cause/ our effigies with the inscription G{illeg}|E|ORGIVS REX & on the other side you shall stamp\to be stamped on one side of each piece &/ the Effigies of a Britannia sitting upon a Globe with a speare in her left hand & a Mirtle in her left\right/ & the inscription Brit|RI|TANNIA & under her the date\to stamped on the other si{illeg}|d|e/ as {illeg}|i|n the late copper m{illeg}|o|ney, & under her the Date. < text from f 439r resumes > And when any Quantity of such moneys shall be coyned the same shall be well mixed in a heap, & assayed by counting out 23 pence from several parts of the heap & weighing the sa every parcel so counted out & taking \you shall take/ a medium of th \all/ the weights for the weight of 23 pence, & thereby estimati|e|ng the value of the whole of the whole heap & of every part thereof according to its weight. And you assay the same \in fineness/ \shall cause the same to/ \be also assayed in fineness/ by taking some pieces of the money, heating them r{illeg}|ed| hot & be|a|ttering them to see if they will spread thin under the hammer, & then you shall receive the said new moneys from the moneyers by weight & deliver the same in smaller parcells to o^r p such of |o^r| people as \shall/ come for the same at the price se{illeg}|ttl|ed & stated by the assay as above, abating them one penny in every se{illeg}|v|en pounds weight in consideration recompence for any \small/ defect which may sometimes happen in the tale by the unequal sizing of the barrs of Copper. And the Moneyers shall not vend \pay or/ distribute any of the said new coined moneys before the same be duely assayed & delivered to the said M^r & W^r as above.

And we doe further appoint & ordein that all receips|t|s & deliveries of Copper in barrs or scissel with the weight or price & all deliveries of new moneys {to}|fr|om the Moneyers to the M^r & W^r with the assays in weight & the price stated & setled by the assays \shall/ be entered in {illeg}|books| {illeg}|by| a Clerk who shall be appointed by us & be called the kings Clerk, & that our said Clerk shall see all the assays performed & the copper & moneys & scissel weighed, & one or more pieces taken out of every parcel of moneys assayed to be kept in a box under his key & the key of the M^r & W^r to be tryed annually in weight & fineness before whom the Comm^rs of our Treasury now being or the L^d H. Trearer or Comm^ers of our Treary for the time being shal{illeg}|l| appoint|.| to see the trial performed a|A|nd our said Clerk shall also \yearly/ make a Roll upon oath of all the weight <440r> & price of every parcell of new moneys coined & delivered from time to time by the Moneyers to the Ma^r & W^r. And th the said M^r & W^r of our Mint shall account annually before the Auditor of the\our/ Mint for all the said copper moneys coyned, & be answerable to {hi} us for all the profits thereof above the charges{,}|.| And our said Auditor in auditing the said Accounts shall have all the same power as in auditing the accounts for the coinage of gold & silver. And our said Clerk shall {illeg}|e|xamin & signe all bills of Charges for repairs of buildings & Offices & for providing things requisite for setting up this coinage. And the said S^r Isaac Newton shall be allowed in his Accounts all summs of money paid by him for repairs of \the/ buildings used in this coina{illeg}|g|e & for repairing or providing coining tools & \all/ other things necessary for setting on foot this coinage, & all sums {illeg}|o|f money paid for copper {illeg}|im|ported, & the summ of three pence farthing for by the pound {p}|w|eight for coining the said copper moneys & for bearing & sustaining all manner of wasts necessaries provisions necessaries & charges c{illeg}|o|ming arising & growing in & about the coining assaying & weighing & delivering the said copper & copper moneys. And the said S^r Isaac Newton shall also be allowed pay unto our Clerk one poun\twenty shillings sterling. {sic}/ per by the Tunn for\of/ all the moneys \coined/ for his attendance on this service & be allowed the same in his accounts. And our said Clerk shall examin & tes all bills of charges which the said S^r Isaac Newton shall want as {illeg}|v|ouchers to his Accounts & {illeg}|t|estify his examina {illeg}|th|ere{illeg}|o|f under his hand writing. A {sic}

|‡| And our further will & pleasure is & we do hereby command \& charge all/ the chief Governour Constable Deputy Coverour & all other Officers & Ministers of the Tower \aforesaid/ that all persons bringing such copper in barrs to the Tower\said Mint/, & or coming thither for copper money shall have at all times free ingress & regress \& issue/ into & out of the said Tower Mint, through {illeg}|th|e Gates of y^e sai{illeg}|d| Tower & Franchises thereof without the\any/ lett, arrest or molestation for debt or upon any other account or pretence whatsoever. < insertion from f 439v > ‡ And our further will & pleasure is & we do hereby command & charge all the Officers of the Tower afforesaid, that all persons bringing \{illeg}/Copper in barrs to the said Mint or coming thither for money or scissel of copper shall have free ingress egress & issue by the Gates & through the same Tower & Fanchises {sic} thereof inward & outward at all times without any arresting, disturbance letting {illeg}|o|r gainsaying of the chief Governour Constable or Lieutenant \or {illeg}|th|e Porter/ or any other Officer or person whatsoever he be, for any manner of Debt, matter or cause whatsoever it be, & without any thing given to them or to any other to have such entry. < text from f 440r resumes > And we do further command & require the Moneyers Graver, Moneyers, Smith, & all others attending on this service to do their duty with diligence & application & to observe the \tasks &/ directions of \given them by/ our said Master & Worker for coining our said monies well & with dispatch. And for so doing this shall be your Warrant & the Warrant of all others concerned in this coinage.

To o^r trusty & well beloved

S^r Iassc Newton Knight Ma

Master & Worker of o^r Mint