6. May I take hold of thee and thou lacerate not .... 7. May I seize thee and not tear (thee) to pieces. 8. May I tear thy limbs to pieces and (not) .... 9. The fox weeps .... 10. he bowed his face .... 11. I went and .... Five other mutilated lines. The next fragment has lost the commencements and ends of all the lines. 1. .... he carries (?) in the mouth .... 2. .... the face of his .... 3. .... thou knowest wisdom all .... 4. .... in the pathway the fox they are .... 5. .... in the field the fox a combatant .... 6. .... was decided under the ruler .... 7. .... all (?), the lying down of his feet at dawn .... 8. .... a sign he set up and he fled .... 9. .... no one .... 10. .... may it become old to thee .... and take .... 11. .... in those days also the fox carried .... 12. .... to the people he spoke. Why .... 13. .... the dog is removed and .... The following fragment is in a similar condition. 1. .... The limbs I did not .... 2. .... I did not weave and against the unclothed (?) I did not .... 3. .... a stranger I cover .... 4. .... I caught and I surrounded (?) .... 5. .... from of old also the dog was my brother .... 6. .... he begot me, a firm place .... 7. .... of the city of Nisin; I of Bel .... 8. .... limbs and the bodies did not stand ... 9. .... life I did not end (?) .... The fourth fragment contains only five legible lines. 1. .... was placed also right (and left) .... 2. .... their shepherd was prostrate .... 3. .... let it not be .... 4. .... they guarded and did not throw down his spoil ... —–———–———–———–———–———–———–———–———–———–———–— 5. ...... the fox in the trap (?) .... The last fragment is a small scrap, at the end of which the fox petitions Samas to spare him. The incidental allusions in these fragments show that the fox was even then considered cunning, and the animal in the story was evidently a watery specimen, as he brings tears to his assistance whenever anything is to be gained by it. He had offended Samas by some means and the god sentenced him to death, a sentence which he escaped through powerful pleading on his own behalf. III. FABLE OF THE HORSE AND OX. The next fable, that of the horse and the ox, is a single tablet with only two columns of text. The date of the tablet is in the reign of Assur-bani-pal, and there is no statement that it is copied from an earlier text. There are altogether four portions of the text, but only one is perfect enough to be worth translating. This largest fragment, K 3456, contains about one-third of the story. K 3456. (Several lines are lost at the commencement.) 1. ..... the river .... 2. of food (?) .... rest .... 3. full flood .... the Tigris .... 4. they restrained .... they had the face ... 5. the water-lily .... not in the neighbourhood 6. the high place .... appearance 7. the valley .... the mountain (was perishing), 8. at the appearance .... the timid fled (not), 9. a boundless place .... he turned