BABYLONIAN LITERATURE. 17 



Agriculture." Besides, so strong is the 

 conviction of Dr. Chwolson ; so great the 

 sincerity with which he lays bare the ob- 

 jections which may be made to it, that 

 his work furnishes the means of criticising 

 his own opinions. It is needless, to add, 

 that to dissent from him on such a subject 

 cannot diminish those sentiments of acknow- 

 ledgment and esteem which are due to a 

 scholar who was the first to open up such 

 a series of investigations. Dr. Chwolson, 

 in turning the attention of critics to facts 

 and texts too much disregarded before, 

 fully merits to be called their originator; 

 and it would be unjust to forget, that if his 

 opinions are combatted, it is with weapons 

 which he himself has furnished, and on 

 ground which he himself has prepared. And 

 even if his opinion as to the age of the 

 XabathaBan books should hereafter be given 

 up, it will be no more a discredit to him than 

 is a similar bold opinion a stain on the glory 

 of the great Indian scholars of Calcutta, 

 regarding the antiquity of works, which they 



