A fresh illustration of the fact has been afforded even while the present volume has been passing through the press. Mr. Pinches has come across two fragments (one marked S 669, the other unnumbered) which belong to two separate copies or editions of a very interesting work. This is nothing less than a list of the ancient epics and legends of Chaldea, along with the names of their reputed authors, many of whom, however, are probably as mythical as the famous Rishis of India. The list shows how numerous these early poems were, and how few of them, comparatively, we possess at present. Both fragments belong to the same part of the list, and we are therefore ignorant of many of the ancient compositions it must originally have contained. Some of the works mentioned receive their names from the heroes celebrated in them, others are named from their opening lines. A distinction is drawn between those that belonged to the Accadian period, and were written by Accadian poets in the Accadian language, and those that were of Semitic Babylonian origin. The interest of the list is enhanced by the great antiquity of the poems it records, none of them being later than about 2000 B.C. Here is a translation of the text as restored from a comparison of the two fragments according to the copies I have made of them:— OBVERSE. 1. _Ca_ .... 2. This is the work (_literally_ from the mouth) of . —–———–———–———–———–———–———–———–———–———–———–— 3. “_a khus ba a ri_ .... 4. the god .... _tsu bu nu_” .... [Accadian.] 5. This is the work of Nupatuv .... —–———–———–———–———–———–———–———–———–———–———–— 6. “The mighty lady, the winged one, Nigirra,” or “Bel” .... 7. “He restored Til-enni,” or “Life.” 8. “May Merodach the great lord firmly defend.” [Semitic.] 9. This is the work of Basa-Gula, the scribe ... —–———–———–———–———–———–———–———–———–———–———–— 10. “The king of the sphere in their front,” or “the lord” .... [Acc.] 11. This is the work of En-me-duga .... —–———–———–———–———–———–———–———–———–———–———–— 12. .... “head, thy lustre” .... [Acc.] 13. This is the work of Elum .... —–———–———–———–———–———–———–———–———–———–———–— 14. .... _ci bat_ .... REVERSE. 1. .... 2. (This is the work of ....) ragas, the scribe, the man (of a non-existent tablet). —–———–———–———–———–———–———–———–———–———–———–— 3. ..... “the gods” [Acc.]. This is the work of .... —–———–———–———–———–———–———–———–———–———–———–— 4. .... “the bull of Bit-Esir (the firmament),” or “The great fortress of the royal crown” .... [Acc.] 5. This is the work of Cus-dib the son of.... —–———–———–———–———–———–———–———–———–———–———–— 6. .... _nun-na_ [Acc.]. This is the work of Elum-ban-cudur, the son of Khumetis, the scribe, the man of (a non-existent) tablet. —–———–———–———–———–———–———–———–———–———–———–— 7. .... “the _paggalti_ which over heaven are placed” [Sem.].