ORIGINAL STATUTES OF 16C3 119 



those persons, that are not of the Society, shall withdraw : Excepting, that it 

 shall be free for any of his Majesty's subjects of England, Scotland, or Ireland, 

 having the title and place of a Baron, or having any higher title and place, 

 or any of his Majesty's Privy Council of any of his three kingdoms, and for 

 any foreigner of eminent repute, with the allowance of the President, to stay for 

 that time ; and that it shall be free for any other person, upon leave obtained 

 of the President and Fellows present, or the; major part of them, to stay for 

 that time. And the name of every person permitted to stay, of any person 

 that moved for him, and the allowance, shall be entered in the Journal-books. 



III. When any Fellow speaketh, he shall address his speech to the Presi- 

 dent, and be uncovered, and the rest shall be silent. 



IV. When two or more offer to speak together, the President shall determine 

 which of them shall speak first. 



V. The business of the Society in their ordinary Meetings shall be, to order, 

 take account, consider, and discourse of philosophical experiments and obser- 

 vations ; to read, hear, and discourse upon letters, reports, and other papers, 

 containing philosophical matters ; as also to view, and discourse upon, rarities 

 of nature and art: and thereupon to consider, what may be deduced from 

 them, or any of them ; and how far they, or any of them, may be improved for 

 use or discovery. 



CHAP. V Of Experiments, and the Reports thereof. 



I. No Experiment shall be made at the charge of the Society, but by order 

 of the Society or Council. 



II. In order to the propounding and making of Experiments for the Society, 

 consideration shall be had of the importance of any Experiment, to the dis- 

 covery of any truth or axiom in nature, or to the use and benefit of mankind. 



III. Two or more Curators shall be appointed (if it may consist with 

 convenience) of every Experiment, or natural Observation, that cannot 

 conveniently be made in the presence of the Society. Which Curators, or any 

 two or more of them, shall (as soon as conveniently may be) meet together at 

 time and place l by them agreed on, to make the said Experiment or Observa- 

 tion ; and also shall jointly draw up the Report of the matter of fact, in every 

 such Experiment or Observation ; or if any difference shall happen between them 

 in their apprehensions thereabout, the same shall be related in the Report. 



IV. In all Reports of Experiments to be brought into the Society, the 

 matter of fact shall be barely stated, without any prefaces, apologies, or 

 rhetorical flourishes ; and entered so in the Register-book, by order of the 

 Society. And if any Fellow shall think fit to suggest any conjecture, con- 

 cerning the causes of the phaenomena in such Experiments, the same shall be 

 done apart ; and so entered into the Register-book, if the Society shall order 

 the entry thereof. 



1 So in the Original. 



