14i THEOPHILUS G. PINCHES, LL.D., M.R.A.S., ON THE 



The fragment discovered by Mr. Smith,* moreover, appears in 

 the form of a separate legend referring to the flood alone, and 

 the narrative seems to be related in the third person. The first 

 paragraph gives the instructions of the god Ea to Atra-hasis 

 (not Ut-napistim in this version) to build the ship, enter 

 therein, and close the door, taking into the midst of it his 

 grain, furniture, and goods ; his family, relatives, the artizans ; 

 the beasts and animals of the field, as many as the god should 

 send to him, and his door was to protect them. Atra-hasis 

 answers, apparently stating that he had not (= never) built a 

 ship, but apparently expressing his willingness to do so now, 

 and seemingly asking that its form and plan should be shown 

 to him. The question naturally arises, whether this may not 

 be a portion either of the legend published some time ago by 

 Father Scheil, or whether it may not belong to the new frag- 

 ment published by Hilprecht, and of which I shall presently 

 treat. 



Turning to the version first published by Father Scheil, 

 which is now in the J. Pierpont Morgan Library at New York, 

 we find an exceedingly fragmentary text. The first column 

 mentions someone who " did not go," and has the word for 

 royal insignia," or " regnal years." There is also a reference 

 to their cry " — perhaps the cry of the people, the pronoun 

 being feminine, and the word nisu, "people," the gender of 

 which is feminine, may have stood in the gap. After this 

 " mankind " is spoken of. A few lines lower down we come 

 upon the phrase, " May Kimmon (or Hadad) cause to be slain," 

 followed by fragments of words and doubtful phrases, of which 

 no connected sense can be made. The second column is in a 

 more perfect state, but it cannot be said that the record it 

 contains is more satisfactory. There is a statement about 

 (apparently) killing and destroying, and a phrase asking that 

 destruction may be caused to rain down in the morning. Euin 

 was to be made great, and a cry caused to ascend on high. 



At this point the tablet is broken, and the text is wanting 

 until the seventh column is reached, when Ea appears, asking 

 why the deity referred to in the text wished to kill the people. 

 After this comes a reference to the promised deluge, from which 

 Ea seems to state that he intends to free his people. Every- 

 thing, however, is doubtful, and the four lines of the last 

 column (the eighth) of which two are imperfect, do not yield 



It belongs to the Dailj Tehjraph collection. 



