“By a comparison of the three copies of the poem that the library of the palace of Nineveh contained, it has been possible to restore the narrative with hardly any breaks.  These three copies were, by order of the King of Assyria, Asshurbanabal, made in the eighth century B.C., from a very ancient specimen in the sacerdotal library of the town of Uruk, founded by the monarchs of the first Chaldean empire.  It is difficult precisely to fix the date of the original, copied by Assyrian scribes, but it certainly goes back to the ancient empire, seventeen centuries at least before our era, and even probably beyond; it was therefore much anterior to Moses, and nearly contemporaneous with Abraham.  The variations presented by the three existing copies prove that the original was in the primitive mode of writing called the hieratic, a character which must have already become difficult to decipher in the eighth century B.C., as the copyists have differed as to the interpretation to be given to certain signs, and in other cases have simply reproduced exactly the forms of such as they did not understand.  Finally, it results from a comparison of these variations, that the original, transcribed by order of Asshurbanabal, must itself have been a copy of some still more ancient manuscript, it, which the original text had already received interlinear comments.  Some of the copyists have introduced these into their text, others have omitted them.  With these preliminary observations, I proceed to give integrally the narrative ascribed ill the poem to Khasisatra: 

“’I will reveal to thee, O Izdhubar, the history of my preservation-and tell to thee the decision of the gods.

“’The town of Shurippak, a town which thou knowest, is situated on the Euphrates—­it was ancient, and in it [men did not honor] the gods. [I alone, I was] their servant, to the great gods—­[The gods took counsel on the appeal of] Ann—­[a deluge was proposed by] Bel—­[and approved by Nabon, Nergal and] Adar.

“’And the god [Ea], the immutable lord, repeated this command in a dream.—­I listened to the decree of fate that he announced, and he said to me:—­” Man of Shurippak, son of Ubaratutu—­thou, build a vessel and finish it [quickly].—­[By a deluge] I will destroy substance and life.—­Cause thou to go up into the vessel the substance of all that has life.—­The vessel thou shall build-600 cubits shall be the measure of its length—­and 60 cubits the amount of its breadth and of its height. [Launch it] thus on the ocean, and cover it with a roof.”—­I understood, and I said to Ea, my lord:—­“[The vessel] that thou commandest me to build thus—­[when] I shall do it,—­young and old [shall laugh at me.]”—­[Ea opened his mouth and] spoke.—­He said to me, his servant:—­“[If they laugh at thee] thou shalt say to them:—­[shall be punished] he who has insulted me, [for the protection of the gods] is over me.—­ . . . like to caverns . . . —­ . . .  I will exercise my judgment on that which is on high and that which