Document: Compliance of the magistrates of the town of Gravesend with the judgment against them

Whereas we, the magistrates and delegates of the village of Gravesande, by order of the director general and councilors, have, as representatives of the aforesaid village been detained [ to satisfy your honors’ orders and judgment or in default thereof to give bail, are unable to do either at present, because we can find no bondsmen here and whereas on account of the ] harvesting time we can be considerably hindered in our private affairs; therefore, for ourselves individually and for the rest of the inhabitants of the aforesaid village, our neighbors, we hereby bind and engage ourselves to obey and carry out the sentence and order of the director general and councilors and to comport ourselves in the meantime as we have done before, as good and faithful subjects. In witness whereof we have signed this at Fort Amsterdam in New Netherland, the 22nd of August 1656.[i]

As they stood up to sign this, they requested that they might first have a copy thereof, which was granted, and a day or two later they appeared again before the session.