48 BABYLONIAN LITERATURE. 



his ideas of disputed precedence, then pro- 

 ceeds to say : 



" There are persons who believe that the 

 ChaldaBans began the attack on the Assyrians ; 

 but it is not so. The Assyrians, in fact, are 

 not of the race of Adam, while the Chaldseans 

 are his descendants. Thus, the language of 

 the Assyrians, and the names by which they 

 call different objects, cannot be older than 

 Adam, who first gave to everything its name, 

 and was the first who established and or- 

 ganized language itself. Therefore it is not 

 the Chaldseans whom the Assyrians oppose, 

 but Adam ; for Adam named this plant 

 alcermai. Now, it is universally acknow- 

 ledged that what Adam ordained is true 

 and wise ; and what others have ordained 

 is without foundation. Then, too, the As- 

 syrians are the children of Shabrikan the 

 First, who is neither comparable nor equal 

 to Adam, and who cannot even come near 

 to him." 



Now, is it possible not to see the allusion 

 made here to what is related in Genesis, 



