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PREFACE.
No one can wonder that men are curious to know something of a class of compositions dignified or branded with the name of Apocryphal Gospels. They hope to find in them at least some fragments of genuine history not contained in the Canonical Gospels. This hope must be disappointed; but a faithful version of the documents, with notes, and other accompaniments, will be found both useful and interesting. All who read them, with any attention, will see that they are fictions and not histories; not traditions even, so much as legends.
It would have been easy to add a great deal to what is here printed, by way of illustration and criticism; but I have not pretended to say everything. I have rather tried to say as little
