318 



T. G. PINCHES, LL.D., M.R.A.S., ON VER IONS 



In E-bara-gu-du-du he gave unto him : 

 In E-[rab]-ga-ra-an he gave unto him. 



The divine Tagtug was entrusted. The left hand he raised : 

 the right hand he folded (on his waist)." 



It is unfortunate that Professor Langdon's proof went down 

 with the Lusztania, as, through his kind offer, I might have been 

 able to verify some of these lines. As it is, I can only suggest 

 that the 9th line may refer rather to Tagtug than to the crod 

 Enki, and that the missing word is " offering, " or something 

 similar. He finds in them, however, a leal parallel with the 

 priestly narrative in Genesis. 



The above lines form the end of the fourth column, the first 

 of the reverse, and after that the text is defective, the number 

 of lines wanting or exceedingly mutilated being about 16. 

 At this point, however, " we come to the real fall of man 

 according to the doctrines of Xippur." The tablet, Professor 

 Langdon goes on to point out, gives a list of the plants which 

 grew in the garden (their names, at least in part, were in the 16 

 lines which are lacking). The text here reads as follows, but it 

 is right to state that my rendering differs somewhat from that 

 of the learned professor : — 



" Her herald, the divine Isimu. returned to her : 

 As for the plants, their fate I have decided — 

 Something it is — something it is."* 

 Her herald Isimu returned to her : 



" My king concerning the woody-plants has commanded — 

 He may cut them — he shall cut. 



My king concerning the . . . -plants has commanded : 

 He may pluck them, he shall eat. 



My king concerning the mas- . . -an (?) has commanded : 



He may cut them, he shall eat. 



My king concerning the u-a-pa-sar commanded : 



He may pluck it, he shall eat. 



My king concerning the herb of the mountains commanded : 

 He may pluck it, he shall eat." 



Here the text again practically breaks off, but four lines of 

 the same nature, and with the same repetition, must have 

 followed. According to Professor Laugdon, the instructions 

 refer to seven classes of plants — the sacred number, which was 

 so popular, and which exercised so much influence on the minds 



* " It is such and such, such and such. :: 



