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16 By this order, ( which the council was in a manner nessesitated to put forth to quiet the people). The poore chtian indians were reduced to great sufferings, beeing hindred from their hunting and looking after their catle, swine, & getting in their corn: or lauboring among the English to get clothes: & many other waies incomoded. also were daily exposed to bee slaine or imprisoned if at any time they were found without their limmets, And there wanted not some English ( if wileng to them) that tooke ocasion to sease upon them & take away yr guns & detayne them to this day & to bring them to prison, And wheras it was intended and ordered by the councill, that two or three English men should bee kept at entry of the indian plantations afforsaid, to Inspect their carrrige & conversation [ which thing the indians earnestly desired] but few were found willing to live among them only at Natick two persons were perswaded to reside with John watson senior & Henery Prentis of Cambridge, And for a short space some others tooke turnes to keep at Punkapog, but they were chainged weekly & so I have not an Accot of their names, But those two above named sojorned with the Natick indians[ where were the greatst number] for many weekes yea untill they were removed to Deare Iland Island, And those two persons were men of Good creditt for piety & honesty. who did give a very good testimony of the honest & sober deportment of those indians which apperes by the certificate following suscribed by them...
Wheras wee John watson senior & Henery Prentice were appointed by the honble councill of massachusets in New England to reside among the praying Indians liveing at naticke, to observe & inspect their manners & conversation, which service wee attended for about twelve weekes; during att all this time wee carefuly observed that they behaved them selves, both religiously towards God, & Respectively obediently & faithfully to the English & in testimony of the truth herof wee have herunto set our hands. the blank of blank 1697 John Watson Senior Henry Prentice
I have also spoken with som of the English that inspected the Indians at Punkapog, & in particular with quarter master Thomas Swift who testified the same thing for substance concerning the chtian Indians liveing there, and hee also saw that others who were there affirmed the same thing. By all which testimonies [& many others that might bee produced if need requested] It is most Evedent that he jelousies & suspitions suspicions of some Englishmen concerning those poore chtians were groudles groundless&