diff --git a/.travis.yml b/.travis.yml
index ec96f1ec..95635ed5 100644
--- a/.travis.yml
+++ b/.travis.yml
@@ -1,10 +1,3 @@
-dist: trusty
-sudo: false
-cache:
-    directories:
-        - $HOME/.cache/pip
-
-
 language: python
 
 
diff --git a/apprise/Apprise.py b/apprise/Apprise.py
index eb8c4f48..7a162bf6 100644
--- a/apprise/Apprise.py
+++ b/apprise/Apprise.py
@@ -28,6 +28,7 @@ from .utils import compat_is_basestring
 
 from .AppriseAsset import AppriseAsset
 
+from . import NotifyBase
 from . import plugins
 
 logger = logging.getLogger(__name__)
@@ -111,6 +112,70 @@ class Apprise(object):
         if servers:
             self.add(servers)
 
+    @staticmethod
+    def instantiate(url, asset=None, suppress_exceptions=True):
+        """
+        Returns the instance of a instantiated plugin based on the provided
+        Server URL.  If the url fails to be parsed, then None is returned.
+
+        """
+        # swap hash (#) tag values with their html version
+        # This is useful for accepting channels (as arguments to pushbullet)
+        _url = url.replace('/#', '/%23')
+
+        # Attempt to acquire the schema at the very least to allow our plugins
+        # to determine if they can make a better interpretation of a URL
+        # geared for them anyway.
+        schema = GET_SCHEMA_RE.match(_url)
+        if schema is None:
+            logger.error('%s is an unparseable server url.' % url)
+            return None
+
+        # Update the schema
+        schema = schema.group('schema').lower()
+
+        # Some basic validation
+        if schema not in SCHEMA_MAP:
+            logger.error(
+                '{0} is not a supported server type (url={1}).'.format(
+                    schema,
+                    _url,
+                )
+            )
+            return None
+
+        # Parse our url details
+        # the server object is a dictionary containing all of the information
+        # parsed from our URL
+        results = SCHEMA_MAP[schema].parse_url(_url)
+
+        if not results:
+            # Failed to parse the server URL
+            logger.error('Could not parse URL: %s' % url)
+            return None
+
+        if suppress_exceptions:
+            try:
+                # Attempt to create an instance of our plugin using the parsed
+                # URL information
+                plugin = SCHEMA_MAP[results['schema']](**results)
+
+            except:
+                # the arguments are invalid or can not be used.
+                logger.error('Could not load URL: %s' % url)
+                return None
+
+        else:
+            # Attempt to create an instance of our plugin using the parsed
+            # URL information but don't wrap it in a try catch
+            plugin = SCHEMA_MAP[results['schema']](**results)
+
+        # Save our asset
+        if asset:
+            plugin.asset = asset
+
+        return plugin
+
     def add(self, servers, asset=None):
         """
         Adds one or more server URLs into our list.
@@ -120,66 +185,27 @@ class Apprise(object):
         # Initialize our return status
         return_status = True
 
+        if asset is None:
+            # prepare default asset
+            asset = self.asset
+
+        if isinstance(servers, NotifyBase):
+            # Go ahead and just add our plugin into our list
+            self.servers.append(servers)
+            return True
+
         servers = parse_list(servers)
         for _server in servers:
 
-            # swap hash (#) tag values with their html version
-            # This is useful for accepting channels (as arguments to
-            # pushbullet)
-            _server = _server.replace('/#', '/%23')
-
-            # Attempt to acquire the schema at the very least to allow
-            # our plugins to determine if they can make a better
-            # interpretation of a URL geared for them anyway.
-            schema = GET_SCHEMA_RE.match(_server)
-            if schema is None:
-                logger.error(
-                    '%s is an unparseable server url.' % _server,
-                )
+            # Instantiate ourselves an object, this function throws or
+            # returns None if it fails
+            instance = Apprise.instantiate(_server, asset=asset)
+            if not instance:
                 return_status = False
                 continue
 
-            # Update the schema
-            schema = schema.group('schema').lower()
-
-            # Some basic validation
-            if schema not in SCHEMA_MAP:
-                logger.error(
-                    '%s is not a supported server type.' % schema,
-                )
-                return_status = False
-                continue
-
-            # Parse our url details
-            # the server object is a dictionary containing all of the
-            # information parsed from our URL
-            results = SCHEMA_MAP[schema].parse_url(_server)
-
-            if not results:
-                # Failed to parse the server URL
-                logger.error('Could not parse URL: %s' % _server)
-                return_status = False
-                continue
-
-            try:
-                # Attempt to create an instance of our plugin using the parsed
-                # URL information
-                plugin = SCHEMA_MAP[results['schema']](**results)
-
-            except:
-                # the arguments are invalid or can not be used.
-                return_status = False
-                continue
-
-            # Save our asset
-            if asset:
-                plugin.asset = asset
-
-            else:
-                plugin.asset = self.asset
-
             # Add our initialized plugin to our server listings
-            self.servers.append(plugin)
+            self.servers.append(instance)
 
         # Return our status
         return return_status
diff --git a/apprise/__init__.py b/apprise/__init__.py
index ba7b3d76..3331a008 100644
--- a/apprise/__init__.py
+++ b/apprise/__init__.py
@@ -27,6 +27,7 @@ from .common import NOTIFY_TYPES
 from .common import NOTIFY_IMAGE_SIZES
 from .common import NotifyImageSize
 from .plugins.NotifyBase import NotifyFormat
+from .plugins.NotifyBase import NotifyBase
 
 from .Apprise import Apprise
 from .AppriseAsset import AppriseAsset
@@ -38,7 +39,7 @@ logging.getLogger(__name__).addHandler(NullHandler())
 
 __all__ = [
     # Core
-    'Apprise', 'AppriseAsset',
+    'Apprise', 'AppriseAsset', 'NotifyBase',
 
     # Reference
     'NotifyType', 'NotifyImageSize', 'NotifyFormat', 'NOTIFY_TYPES',
diff --git a/apprise/plugins/NotifyBase.py b/apprise/plugins/NotifyBase.py
index 5bfa39fe..53ec9c7c 100644
--- a/apprise/plugins/NotifyBase.py
+++ b/apprise/plugins/NotifyBase.py
@@ -38,26 +38,15 @@ from ..common import NOTIFY_TYPES
 
 from ..AppriseAsset import AppriseAsset
 
-# Define a general HTML Escaping
-try:
-    # use sax first because it's faster
-    from xml.sax.saxutils import escape as sax_escape
+# use sax first because it's faster
+from xml.sax.saxutils import escape as sax_escape
 
-    def _escape(text):
-        """
-        saxutil escape tool
-        """
-        return sax_escape(text, {"'": "'", "\"": """})
 
-except ImportError:
-    # if we can't, then fall back to cgi escape
-    from cgi import escape as cgi_escape
-
-    def _escape(text):
-        """
-        cgi escape tool
-        """
-        return cgi_escape(text, quote=True)
+def _escape(text):
+    """
+    saxutil escape tool
+    """
+    return sax_escape(text, {"'": "'", "\"": """})
 
 
 HTTP_ERROR_MAP = {
@@ -344,17 +333,16 @@ class NotifyBase(object):
         # Support SSL Certificate 'verify' keyword. Default to being enabled
         results['verify'] = True
 
-        if 'qsd' in results:
-            if 'verify' in results['qsd']:
-                results['verify'] = parse_bool(
-                    results['qsd'].get('verify', True))
+        if 'verify' in results['qsd']:
+            results['verify'] = parse_bool(
+                results['qsd'].get('verify', True))
 
-            # Password overrides
-            if 'pass' in results['qsd']:
-                results['password'] = results['qsd']['pass']
+        # Password overrides
+        if 'pass' in results['qsd']:
+            results['password'] = results['qsd']['pass']
 
-            # User overrides
-            if 'user' in results['qsd']:
-                results['user'] = results['qsd']['user']
+        # User overrides
+        if 'user' in results['qsd']:
+            results['user'] = results['qsd']['user']
 
         return results
diff --git a/test/test_api.py b/test/test_api.py
index 0425a504..88b4ce00 100644
--- a/test/test_api.py
+++ b/test/test_api.py
@@ -23,9 +23,10 @@ from os.path import dirname
 from apprise import Apprise
 from apprise import AppriseAsset
 from apprise.Apprise import SCHEMA_MAP
-from apprise.plugins.NotifyBase import NotifyBase
+from apprise import NotifyBase
 from apprise import NotifyType
 from apprise import NotifyImageSize
+from apprise.Apprise import __load_matrix
 
 
 def test_apprise():
@@ -33,6 +34,11 @@ def test_apprise():
     API: Apprise() object
 
     """
+    # Caling load matix a second time which is an internal function causes it
+    # to skip over content already loaded into our matrix and thefore accesses
+    # other if/else parts of the code that aren't otherwise called
+    __load_matrix()
+
     a = Apprise()
 
     # no items
@@ -165,12 +171,49 @@ def test_apprise():
     # simply returns False
     assert(a.notify(title="present", body="present") is False)
 
+    # Test instantiating a plugin
+    class ThrowInstantiateNotification(NotifyBase):
+        def __init__(self, **kwargs):
+            # Pretend everything is okay
+            raise TypeError()
+    SCHEMA_MAP['throw'] = ThrowInstantiateNotification
+
+    # Reset our object
+    a.clear()
+    assert(len(a) == 0)
+
+    # Instantiate a good object
+    plugin = a.instantiate('good://localhost')
+    assert(isinstance(plugin, NotifyBase))
+
+    # We an add already substatiated instances into our Apprise object
+    a.add(plugin)
+    assert(len(a) == 1)
+
+    # Reset our object again
+    a.clear()
+    try:
+        a.instantiate('throw://localhost', suppress_exceptions=False)
+        assert(False)
+
+    except TypeError:
+        assert(True)
+    assert(len(a) == 0)
+
+    assert(a.instantiate(
+        'throw://localhost', suppress_exceptions=True) is None)
+    assert(len(a) == 0)
+
 
 def test_apprise_asset(tmpdir):
     """
     API: AppriseAsset() object
 
     """
+    a = AppriseAsset(theme=None)
+    # Default theme
+    assert(a.theme == 'default')
+
     a = AppriseAsset(
         theme='dark',
         image_path_mask='/{THEME}/{TYPE}-{XY}.png',