Chapter IV 



BY THE RIVERS OF BABYLON 



The civilization of Crete had been lost entirely to 

 the world for more than two thousand years. Even 

 in Greek literature the few references to it were so 

 clearly exaggerated and legendary that no serious 

 notice was taken of them until the excavations began 

 in the latter half of the nineteenth century. The 

 Egyptian civilization could not be so easily forgotten. 

 Not only did the Greeks plainly acknowledge that 

 their early wise men had wandered in Egypt and 

 found it a land of ancient learning, but the Old 

 Testament itself bore witness to the fact ; and the 

 stately temples and pyramids still rose high above 

 the soil for every traveller to behold. 



Yet Babylon was, until recent times, the chief 

 representative of the older era — the world " before 

 Christ," as we say. Not a single trace of the cities 

 of Babylonia and Assyria remained. Certain shape- 

 less mounds that rose above the monotonous desola- 

 tion of Mesopotamia were believed to mark their 

 sites, but there was nothing in the least like the 

 beautiful ruins of old Egypt. In spite of all this, 

 " ancient Babylon " was known by repute all over 

 the earth, and it stood as a type and symbol of the 

 ancient world — rich, powerful, wise in its way, but 

 very wicked, very elementary in its morals and 

 religion. 



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