Everything pales by the side of that marvellous first century.

By a peculiarity rare in history, we see much better what passed in the Christian world from the year 50 to the year 75, than from the year 100 to the year 150.
The plan followed in this history has prevented the introduction into the text of long critical dissertations upon controverted points.

A continuous system of notes enables the reader to verify from the authorities all the statements of the text.

These notes are strictly limited to quotations from the primary sources; that is to say, the original passages upon which each assertion or conjecture rests.

I know that for persons little accustomed to studies of this kind many other explanations would have been necessary.