Deel ff. 28–9 - Articles of agreement (apparently a draft) between Timothy Goodwin, John Walthoe senior, John Nicholson, Benjamin Tooke, Jacob Tonson I, John Walthoe junior, and John Darby

2 single sheets

The parties have undertaken to print ‘A Complete Collection of State Tryal Proceedings upon Impeachments, etc., for High Treason and other Crimes and Misdemenours from the Beginning of the Reign of King James the first to the End of the Reign of Queen Ann’, and have published proposals for doing so by subscription. Some of the trials intended to be printed have never previously been published; others have been printed, but their proprietors are unknown; and the rights in the residue are owned by the parties. The parties therefore agree that, when the book is printed, the copyrights to trials in the first two groups shall be equally divided between them, and the rights in the residue shall remain to their present owners. The printing costs shall be apportioned among the parties according to their rights in it. If anyone claiming a right in any of the trials proves that right to the satisfaction of a majority of the parties, that person shall given a proportional share in the copyright of the book, provided they pay a propor-tional share of the printing costs. If any of the parties should obstruct such a claim, and the claim is subsequently proved in court, the obstructing party must pay the legal costs of the other parties. If any of the parties should purchase a right in any of the trials intended to be printed from someone who is not a party to this agreement, he must, within a month of the purchase being known, sell a seventh share in it to any of the other parties who want to buy it, for a seventh of the price he paid for the whole. No right of survivorship shall take effect against any of the parties, but all may bequeath by will their respective shares in the book. Any of the parties who obtain any subscriptions for the book shall only account for such sums after the rate at which the parties agree to sell the book to booksellers. If there are not enough subscribers, or if the par-ties decide not to proceed with the undertaking for some other reason, the costs incurred to that point shall be evenly distributed among them.

Two sheets, each pasted to a guard in Crewe MS 21 (ff. 28–9).