I then shewed him those which were not yet translated, and he said that they were Egyptian, Chaldeak, Assyriac, and Arabac, and he said that they were true characters. He gave me a certificate certifying to the people of that they were true characters and that the translation of such of them as had been translated was also correct.

I took the Certificate and put it into my pocket, and was just leaving the house, when called me back and asked me how the young man found out that there were gold plates in the place where he found them. I answered that an Angel of God had revealed it unto him. He then said to me, let me see that certificate, I accordingly took it out of my pocket and gave it [to] him when he took it and tore it to pieces, saying that there was no such thing now as ministring of angels, and that if I would bring the plates to him, he would translate them.<​*​> <​I informed him that part of the plates were sealed, and that I was forbidden to bring them, he replied “I cannot read a sealed book”.​> I left him and went to Dr Mitchel [Samuel L. Mitchill] who sanctioned what had said respecting both the Characters and the translation.”

having returned from this tour he left me and went home to , arranged his affairs, and returned again to my house about the twelfth of April, Eighteen hundred and twentyeight, and commenced writing for me while I translated from the plates, which we continued untill the fourteenth of June following, [HC 1:20] by which time he had written one hundred and sixteen <​pages​> of manuscript on foolscap paper. Some time after had began to write for me, he began to tease me to give him liberty to carry the writings home and shew them, and desired of me that I would enquire of the Lord through the Urim and Thummin if he might not do so. I did enquire, and the answer was that he must not. However he was not satisfied with this answer, and desired that I should enquire again. I did so, and the answer was as before. Still he could not be contented but insisted that I should enquire once more. after After much solicitation I again enquired of the Lord, and permission was granted him to have the writings on certain conditions, which were, that he shew them only to his brother. , his own wife [], his father [Nathan], and his mother [Rhoda Lapham Harris], and a Mrs [Polly Harris] Cobb a sister to . In accordance with this last answer I required of him that he should bind himself in a covenant to me [p. 9]