<DOCUMENT>
<TYPE>EX-99
<SEQUENCE>3
<FILENAME>exs.txt
<DESCRIPTION>POWERS OF ATTORNEY
<TEXT>



John Hancock Capital Series                 John Hancock Strategic Series
John Hancock Declaration Trust              John Hancock Tax-Exempt Series Fund
John Hancock Income Securities Trust        John Hancock World Fund
John Hancock Investors Trust                John Hancock Investment Trust II
John Hancock Equity Trust                   John Hancock Investment Trust III
John Hancock Sovereign Bond Fund


                                POWER OF ATTORNEY
                                -----------------

         The undersigned Trustee/Officer of each of the above listed Trusts,
each a Massachusetts business trust or Maryland corporation, does hereby
severally constitute and appoint Susan S. Newton, WILLIAM h. KING, and AVERY P.
MAHER, and each acting singly, to be my true, sufficient and lawful attorneys,
with full power to each of them, and each acting singly, to sign for me, in my
name and in the capacity indicated below, any Registration Statement on Form
N-1A and any Registration Statement on Form N-14 to be filed by the Trust under
the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the "1940 Act"), and under the
Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "1933 Act"), and any and all amendments
to said Registration Statements, with respect to the offering of shares and any
and all other documents and papers relating thereto, and generally to do all
such things in my name and on my behalf in the capacity indicated to enable the
Trust to comply with the 1940 Act and the 1933 Act, and all requirements of the
Securities and Exchange Commission thereunder, hereby ratifying and confirming
my signature as it may be signed by said attorneys or each of them to any such
Registration Statements and any and all amendments thereto.

         IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunder set my hand on this Instrument as
of the 12th day of September, 2001.



/s/Maureen R. Ford                                 /s/Gail D. Fosler
----------------------------                       -----------------
Maureen R. Ford, as Chairman                       Gail D. Fosler
and Chief Exective Officer

/s/John M. DeCiccio                                /s/William F. Glavin
----------------------------                       --------------------
John M. DeCiccio, as Trustee                       William F. Glavin

/s/Dennis S. Aronowitz                            /s/John A. Moore
----------------------                            ----------------
Dennis S. Aronowitz                               John A. Moore

/s/Richard P. Chapman, Jr.                        /s/Patti McGill Peterson
--------------------------                        ------------------------
Richard P. Chapman, Jr.                           Patti McGill Peterson

/s/William J. Cosgrove                            /s/John W. Pratt
----------------------                            ----------------
William J. Cosgrove                               John W. Pratt

/s/Richard A. Farrell
---------------------
Richard A. Farrell

<TABLE>
<CAPTION>


<S>     <C>

Panel A
-------
John Hancock Capital Series                                      John Hancock Strategic Series
John Hancock Declaration Trust                                   John Hancock Tax-Exempt Series Fund
John Hancock Income Securities Trust                             John Hancock World Fund
John Hancock Investors Trust                                     John Hancock Investment Trust II
John Hancock Equity Trust                                        John Hancock Investment Trust III
John Hancock Sovereign Bond Fund


Panel B
-------
John Hancock Bank and Thrift Opportunity Fund                    John Hancock Patriot Global Dividend Fund
John Hancock Bond Trust                                          John Hancock Patriot Preferred Dividend Fund
John Hancock California Tax-Free Income Fund                     John Hancock Patriot Premium Dividend Fund I
John Hancock Current Interest                                    John Hancock Patriot Premium Dividend Fund II
John Hancock Institutional Series Trust                          John Hancock Patriot Select Dividend Trust
John Hancock Investment Trust                                    John Hancock Series Trust
John Hancock Cash Reserve, Inc.                                  John Hancock Tax-Free Bond Trust




                                POWER OF ATTORNEY
                                -----------------

         The undersigned Officer of each of the above listed Trusts, each a
Massachusetts business trust, or Maryland Corporation, does hereby severally
constitute and appoint SUSAN S. NEWTON, WILLIAM H. KING, AND AVERY P. MAHER, and
each acting singly, to be my true, sufficient and lawful attorneys, with full
power to each of them, and each acting singly, to sign for me, in my name and in
the capacity indicated below, any Registration Statement on Form N-1A and any
Registration Statement on Form N-14 to be filed by the Trust under the
Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the "1940 Act"), and under the
Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "1933 Act"), and any and all amendments
to said Registration Statements, with respect to the offering of shares and any
and all other documents and papers relating thereto, and generally to do all
such things in my name and on my behalf in the capacity indicated to enable the
Trust to comply with the 1940 Act and the 1933 Act, and all requirements of the
Securities and Exchange Commission thereunder, hereby ratifying and confirming
my signature as it may be signed by said attorneys or each of them to any such
Registration Statements and any and all amendments thereto.

         IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunder set my hand on this Instrument as
of the 23rd day of June, 2001.



                                              /s/Richard A. Brown
                                              -------------------
                                              Richard A. Brown
                                              Chief Financial Officer
</TABLE>

</TEXT>
</DOCUMENT>
