BABYLONIAN LITERATURE. 9 



the work which now engages our attention. 1 

 Unfortunately, out of the nine parts or books 

 into which " The Eook of Nabathsean Agri- 

 culture" is divided, the Paris manuscript 

 (Ancien Fonds Arabe, "No. 913), only contains 

 two, being about one-third of the entire 

 work. By examining the portion thus at 

 his disposal, M. Quatremere ascertained the 

 various features of the work. He saw that 

 " The Eook of Nabathiean Agriculture" was 

 a translation from a Chaldeean author. He 

 fixed, with much hesitation however, the 

 name of the original author as Kuthami. He 

 gathered from the treatise in question much 

 curious information as to the civilization of 

 the Nabathaeans. He shewed that " The Agri- 

 culture" contained much more than its mere 

 title promised, and threw most valuable light 

 on the ancient literature of Babylon. Finally, 

 he promulgated an opinion as to the epoch 

 of the composition of the work, which ap- 



1 "Memoire sur les jSTabateens," inserted in the "Journal 

 Asiatique," 1835. Since reprinted in the " Melanges d'Histoire et 

 de Philologie Orientale," edited by M. Barthelemcy Saint Hilaire. 



