2. If at any time we built a house, if ever we establish .... 3. If ever brothers fixed .... 4. If ever hatred is in .... 5. If ever the river makes a (great) flood. 6. (If ever) reviling within the mouth .... 7. the face that will bow before Samas .... 8. from of old is not .... 9. Spoiling and death together .... 10. of death the image they guarded not .... 11. The man or servant on approaching (death), 12. the spirits of the earth the great gods are they. 13. The goddess Mammetu maker of fate, to them their fate brings, 14. she has fixed death and life; 15. of death its days are not known. [Illustration: COMPOSITE FIGURES (SCORPION MEN); FROM AN ASSYRIAN CYLINDER.] This statement closes the tenth tablet and leads to the next question of Izdubar and its answer, which includes the story of the Flood. The present division of the legends has its own peculiar difficulties; in the first place it does not appear how Hea-bani was killed. Possibly he fell in an attempt to slay a lion. The land of Mas or desert of Mas over which Izdubar travels in this tablet is the desert on the west of the Euphrates, and the name reminds us of the Biblical Mash who is called a son of Aram in Genesis x. 23; on the sixth column the fragments appear to refer to some bird with magnificent feathers like precious stones, seen by Izdubar on his journey. CHAPTER XVI. THE STORY OF THE FLOOD AND CONCLUSION. Eleventh tablet.—The gods.—Sin of the world.—Command to build the ark.—Its contents.—The building.—The Flood.—Destruction of people.—Fear of the gods.—End of Deluge.—Nizir.—Resting of ark.—The birds.—The descent from the ark.—The sacrifice, covenant, and rainbow.—Speeches of gods.—Translation of Adra-Khasis.—Cure of Izdubar.—His return.—Lament over Hea-bani.—Resurrection of Hea-bani.—Burial of warrior.—Age and composition of the Deluge tablet.—Comparison with Genesis.—Syrian nation.—Connection of legends.—Points of contact.—Duration of Deluge.—Mount of descent.—Ten generations.—Early cities. The eleventh tablet of the Izdubar series is the one which first attracted attention, and is certainly the most important on account of its containing the story of the Flood. This tablet is the most perfect in the series, scarcely any line being entirely lost. A new fragment of it, belonging to another edition of the story, has been recently brought to the museum by Mr. Hormuzd Rassam. TABLET XI. COLUMN I. 1. (Izdubar) to him also speaks even to Xisuthrus afar off: 2. O Xisuthrus, 3. (why) dost thou not again (to me) as I (to thee)? 4. (why) dost thou not again (to me) as I (to thee)? 5. .... my heart to make war 6. .... I come up after thee, 7. when thou didst take, and in the assembly of the gods didst obtain life. —–———–———–———–———–———–———–———–———–———–———–— 8. Xisuthrus to him also speaks, even to Izdubar: 9. Let me reveal to thee (Izdubar) the story of my preservation, 10. and the judgment of the gods let me relate to thee.