10 . BABYLONIAN LITERATURE. 



peared at first sight altogether paradoxical. 

 Surprised at the omission, in the midst of 

 ample information as to the religions of 

 Asia, of one word which directly or indi- 

 rectly bore reference to Christianity ; struck 

 by the perfection of the agricultural theories 

 which are developed in every page ; and not 

 being able to find any one period in Baby- 

 lonian history after Alexander where such 

 prosperity could correctly be placed, — remark- 

 ing : 1st, that the author speaks of Babylon 

 as being, in his own day, a flourishing city, 

 and the seat of the principal religion of the 

 East ; 2nd, that he speaks of ISTineveh as a 

 city still in existence ; 3rd, that among the 

 cities situated in Babylon and the neigh- 

 bouring provinces, he makes no mention of 

 Seleucia, Apamea, Ctesiphon, and other 

 cities founded by the Seleucides, the Arsa- 

 cides, the Sassanides ; and not recognising 

 the possibility that, at a time when that 

 vast cyclopedia of agriculture was written, 

 Babylon could be under a foreign yoke, M, 

 Quatremere finds himself compelled to fix 



