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Excerpt from The Washington Manuscript of Deuteronomy and Joshua IN presenting this study of the first of the Biblical manuscripts in the possession of Mr. Freer, a few words of explanation seem necessary. The great age and probable value of the manuscripts were apparent upon first inspection, in October, 1907; but it was not possible to commence the work of opening them up and deciphering them till December of that year. Although it was at once determined to publish the manuscript of Deuteronomy and Joshua first, the necessity of separating the leaves of the other three manuscripts and of making complete collations of them caused a delay which was further increased by the limita tions put upon my time by the continuance of university duties. Thus two full years elapsed before the text of this volume could be sent to the printer; and yet I am well aware of the incomplete ness of my study, which has had as its chief aim the full presenta tion of the evidence of this manuscript rather than the addition of all the explanations and theories which seem worthy of con sideration. It is hoped that the publication of the remaining manuscripts of the Freer collection may proceed more promptly. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.