The Words of Mormon, Chapter One. Book of Mormon 1830 First Edition.

Here we learn of Mormon. Mormon states it is hundreds of years since the coming of Christ and that most of the Nephites had been destroyed. He says the plates that were given to king Benjamin by Amaleki were added to the plates kept by the kings and that they had been delievered into the hands of Mormon who was making an abridgement of all the parts he felt were most important to share, stating he could but share a hundredth of all that were written or engraved. He shares that there had been false Christs, false prophets and false teachers who had all been punished. He says although there was wickedness, king Benjamin was a righteous man and that there were many holy prophets among the people at the time of King Benjamin who were able to establish peace. Mormon shares that he is passing the plates to his son Moroni. That before he had passed them on, he had searched the plates he had and found the small record of the prophets from Jacob down to the reign of King Benjamin and shared an abridgement. He says he shared also many of the words of Nephi, making an abridgement from the plates of Nephi.