SomethousandsofyearsagotherewasacityinMesopotamiacalledSurippak。Onenightastrangedreamcametoadwellertherein，whosename，ifrightlyreported，wasHasisadra。
Thedreamforetoldthespeedycomingofagreatflood；anditwarnedHasisadratolosenotimeinbuildingaship，inwhich，whennoticewasgiven，he，hisfamilyandfriends，withtheirdomesticanimalsandacollectionofwildcreaturesandseedofplantsoftheland，mighttakerefugeandberescuedfromdestruction。Hasisadraawoke，andatonceacteduponthewarning。Astrongdeckedshipwasbuilt，andhersideswerepaid，insideandout，withthemineralpitch，orbitumen，withwhichthecountryabounded；thevessel’sseaworthinesswastested，thecargowasstowedaway，andatrustypilotorsteersmanappointed。
Thepromisedsignalarrived。Wifeandfriendsembarked；
Hasisadra，following，prudently"shutthedoor，"or，asweshouldsay，putonthehatches；andNes—Hea，thepilot，wasleftaloneondecktodohisbestfortheship。Thereuponahurricanebegantorage；rainfellintorrents；thesubterraneanwatersburstforth；adelugesweptovertheland，andthewindlasheditintowavesskyhigh；heavenandearthbecamemingledinchaoticgloom。Forsixdaysandsevennightsthegaleraged，butthegoodshipheldoutuntil，ontheseventhday，thestormlulled。Hasisadraventuredondeck；and，seeingnothingbutawasteofwatersstrewedwithfloatingcorpsesandwreck，weptoverthedestructionofhislandandpeople。Faraway，themountainsofNizirwerevisible；theshipwassteeredforthemandranagrounduponthehigherland。Yetanothersevendayspassedby。Ontheseventh，Hasisadrasentforthadove，whichfoundnorestingplaceandreturned；thenheliberatedaswallow，whichalsocameback；finally，aravenwasletloose，andthatsagaciousbird，whenitfoundthatthewaterhadabated，cameneartheship，butrefusedtoreturntoit。
Uponthis，Hasisadraliberatedtherestofthewildanimals，whichimmediatelydispersedinalldirections，whilehe，withhisfamilyandfriends，ascendingamountainhardby，offeredsacrificeuponitssummittothegods。
Thestorythusgiveninsummaryabstract，toldinanancientSemiticdialect，isinscribedincuneiformcharactersuponatabletofburntclay。Manythousandsofsuchtablets，collectedbyAssurbanipal，KingofAssyriainthemiddleoftheseventhcenturyB。C。，werestoredinthelibraryofhispalaceatNineveh；and，thoughinasadlybrokenandmutilatedcondition，theyhaveyieldedamarvellousamountofinformationtothepatientandsagaciouslabourwhichmodernscholarshavebestoweduponthem。Amongthemultitudeofdocumentsofvariouskinds，thisnarrativeofHasisadra’sadventurehasbeenfoundinatolerablycompletestate。ButAssyriologistsagreethatitisonlyacopyofamuchmoreancientwork；andthereareweightyreasonsforbelievingthatthestoryofHasisadra’sfloodwaswellknowninMesopotamiabeforetheyear2000B。C。
Nodoubt，then，weareinpresenceofanarrativewhichhasalltheauthoritywhichantiquitycanconfer；anditispropertodealrespectfullywithit，eventhoughitisquiteasproper，andindeednecessary，toactnolessrespectfullytowardsourselves；and，beforeprofessingtoputimplicitfaithinit，toinquirewhatclaimithastoberegardedasaseriousaccountofanhistoricalevent。
Itisofnousetoappealtocontemporaryhistory，althoughtheannalsofBabylonia，nolessthanthoseofEgypt，gomuchfurtherbackthan2000B。C。Allthatcanbesaidis，thattheformerarehardlyconsistentwiththesuppositionthatanycatastrophe，competenttodestroyallthepopulation，hasbefallenthelandsincecivilisationbegan，andthatthelatterarenotoriouslysilentaboutdeluges。Insuchacaseasthis，however，thesilenceofhistorydoesnotleavetheinquirerwhollyatfault。Naturalsciencehassomethingtosaywhenthephenomenaofnatureareinquestion。Naturalsciencemaybeabletoshow，fromthenatureofthecountry，eitherthatsuchaneventasthatdescribedinthestoryisimpossible，oratanyratehighlyimprobable；or，ontheotherhand，thatitisconsonantwithprobability。Intheformercase，thenarrativemustbesuspectedorrejected；inthelatter，nosuchsummaryverdictcanbegiven：onthecontrary，itmustbeadmittedthatthestorymaybetrue。Andthen，ifcertainstrangelyprevalentcanonsofcriticismareaccepted，andiftheevidencethataneventmighthavehappenedistobeacceptedasproofthatitdidhappen，Assyriologistswillbeatlibertytocongratulateoneanotheronthe"confirmationbymodernscience"oftheauthorityoftheirancientbooks。
Itwillbeinteresting，therefore，toinquirehowfarthephysicalstructureandtheotherconditionsoftheregioninwhichSurippakwassituatedarecompatiblewithsuchafloodasisdescribedintheAssyrianrecord。
ThesceneofHasisadra’sadventureislaidinthebroadvalley，sixorsevenhundredmileslong，andhardlyanywherelessthanahundredmilesinwidth，whichistraversedbythelowercoursesoftheriversEuphratesandTigris，andwhichiscommonlyknownasthe"Euphratesvalley。"Rising，attheoneend，intoahillcountry，whichgraduallypassesintotheAlpineheightsofArmenia；and，attheother，dippingbeneaththeshallowwatersoftheheadofthePersianGulf，whichcontinuesinthesamedirection，fromnorth—westtosouth—east，forsomeeighthundredmilesfarther，thefloorofthevalleypresentsagradualslope，fromeighthundredfeetabovethesealeveltothedepthsofthesouthernendofthePersianGulf。Theboundarybetweenseaandland，formedbytheextremestmudflatsofthedeltaofthetworivers，isbutvaguelydefined；and，yearbyyear，itadvancesseaward。Onthenorth—easternside，thewesternfrontierrangesofPersiariseabruptlytogreatheights；onthesouth—westernside，amoregradualascentleadstoatable—landoflesselevation，which，verybroadinthesouth，whereitisoccupiedbythedesertsofArabiaandofSouthernSyria，narrows，northwards，intothehighlandsofPalestine，andiscontinuedbytherangesoftheLebanon，theAntilebanon，andtheTaurus，intothehighlandsofArmenia。
Thewideandgentlyinclinedplain，thusinclosedbetweenthegulfandthehighlands，oneachsideandatitsupperextremity，isdistinguishableintotworegionsofverydifferentcharacter，oneofwhichliesnorth，andtheothersouthoftheparallelofHit，ontheEuphrates。Exceptintheimmediatevicinityoftheriver，thenortherndivisionisstonyandscantilycoveredwithvegetation，exceptinspring。Overthesoutherndivision，onthecontrary，spreadsadeepalluvialsoil，inwhichevenapebbleisrare；andwhich，though，undertheexistingmisrule，mainlyawasteofmarshandwilderness，needsonlyintelligentattentiontobecome，asitwasofold，thegranaryofwesternAsia。
Exceptintheextremesouth，therainfallissmallandtheairdry。Theheatinsummerisintense，whilebitterlycoldnorthernblastssweeptheplaininwinter。Whirlwindsarenotuncommon；
and，intheintervalsoftheperiodicalinundations，thefine，dry，powderysoilisswept，evenbymoderatebreezes，intostiflingclouds，orratherfogs，ofdust。Lowinequalities，elevationshereanddepressionsthere，diversifythesurfaceofthealluvialregion。Thelatterareoccupiedbyenormousmarshes，whiletheformersupportthepermanentdwellingsofthepresentscantyandmiserablepopulation。
Inantiquity，solongasthecanalisationofthecountrywasproperlycarriedout，thefertilityofthealluvialplainenabledgreatandprosperousnationstohavetheirhomeintheEuphratesvalley。Itsabundantclayfurnishedthematerialsforthemassesofsun—driedandburntbricks，theremainsofwhich，intheshapeofhugeartificialmounds，stilltestifytoboththemagnitudeandtheindustryofthepopulation，thousandsofyearsago。Goodcementisplentiful，whilethebitumen，whichwellsfromtherocksatHitandelsewhere，notonlyanswersthesamepurpose，butisusedtothisday，asitwasinHasisadra’stime，topaytheinsideandtheoutsideofboats。
InthebroadlowercourseoftheEuphrates，thestreamrarelyacquiresavelocityofmorethanthreemilesanhour，whilethelowerTigrisattainsdoublethatrateintimesofflood。ThewaterofbothgreatriversismainlyderivedfromthenorthernandeasternhighlandsinArmeniaandinKurdistan，andstandsatitslowestlevelinearlyautumnandinJanuary。Butwhenthesnowsaccumulatedintheupperbasinsofthegreatrivers，duringthewinter，meltunderthehotsunshineofspring，theyrapidlyrise，andatlengthoverflowtheirbanks，coveringthealluvialplainwithavastinlandsea，interruptedonlybythehigherridgesandhummockswhichformislandsinaseeminglyboundlessexpanseofwater。
IntheoccurrenceoftheseannualinundationsliesoneofseveralresemblancesbetweenthevalleyoftheEuphratesandthatoftheNile。Butthereareimportantdifferences。Thetimeoftheannualfloodisreversed，theNilebeinghighestinautumnandwinter，andlowestinspringandearlysummer。TheperiodicaloverflowsoftheNile，regulatedbythegreatlakebasinsinthesouth，areusuallypunctualinarrival，gradualingrowth，andbeneficialinoperation。NolakesareinterposedbetweenthemountaintorrentsoftheupperbasisoftheTigrisandtheEuphratesandtheirlowercourses。Hence，heavyrain，oranunusuallyrapidthawintheuplands，givesrisetothesuddenirruptionofavastvolumeofwaterwhichnoteventherapidTigris，stilllessitsmoresluggishcompanion，cancarryoffintimetopreventviolentanddangerousoverflows。Withoutanelaboratesystemofcanalisation，providinganescapeforsuchsuddenexcessesofthesupplyofwater，theannualfloodsoftheEuphrates，andespeciallyoftheTigris，mustalwaysbeattendedwithrisk，andoftenproveharmful。
ThereareotherpeculiaritiesoftheEuphratesvalleywhichmayoccasionallytendtoexacerbatetheevilsattendantontheinundations。Itisverysubjecttoseismicdisturbances；andtheordinaryconsequencesofasharpearthquakeshockmightbeseriouslycomplicatedbyitseffectonabroadsheetofwater。
MoreovertheIndianOceanlieswithintheregionoftyphoons；
andif，attheheightofaninundation，ahurricanefromthesouth—eastsweptupthePersianGulf，drivingitsshallowwatersuponthedeltaanddammingbacktheoutflow，perhapsforhundredsofmilesup—stream，adiluvialcatastrophe，fairlyuptothemarkofHasisadra’s，mighteasilyresult。
ThusthereseemstobenovalidreasonforrejectingHasisadra’sstoryonphysicalgrounds。Idonotgatherfromthenarrativethatthe"mountainsofNizir"weresupposedtobesubmerged，butmerelythattheycameintoviewabovethedistanthorizonofthewaters，asthevesseldroveinthatdirection。Certainlytheshipisnotsupposedtogroundonanyoftheirhighersummits，forHasisadrahastoascendapeakinordertoofferhissacrifice。ThecountryofNizirlayonthenorth—easternsideoftheEuphratesvalley，aboutthecoursesofthetworiversZab，whichentertheTigriswhereittraversestheplainofAssyriasomeeightorninehundredfeetabovethesea；and，sofarasI
canjudgefrommapsandothersourcesofinformation，itispossible，underthecircumstancessupposed，thatsuchashipasHasisadra’smightdrivebeforeasoutherlygale，overacontinuouslyfloodedcountry，untilitgroundedonsomeofthelowhillsbetweenwhichboththelowerandtheupperZabenterupontheAssyrianplain。
Thetabletwhichcontainsthestoryunderconsiderationistheeleventhofaseriesoftwelve。Eachoftheseanswerstoamonth，andtothecorrespondingsignoftheZodiac。TheAssyrianyearbeganwiththespringequinox；consequently，theeleventhmonth，called"therainy，"answerstoourJanuary—February，andtothesignwhichcorrespondswithourAquarius。TheaquaticadventureofHasisadra，therefore，isnotinappropriatelyplaced。Itiscurious，however，thattheseasonthusindirectlyassignedtothefloodisnotthatofthepresenthighestleveloftherivers。Itistoolateforthewinterriseandtooearlyforthespringfloods。
Ithinkitmustbeadmittedthat，sofar，thephysicalcross—
examinationtowhichHasisadrahasbeensubjecteddoesnotbreakdownhisstory。Onthecontrary，heprovestohavekeptitinallessentialrespectswithintheboundsofprobabilityorpossibility。However，wehavenotyetdonewithhim。FortheconditionswhichobtainedintheEuphratesvalley，fourorfivethousandyearsago，mayhavedifferedtosuchanextentfromthosewhichnowexistthatweshouldbeabletoconvicthimofhavingmadeuphistale。Buthereagaineverythingisinfavourofhiscredibility。Indeed，hemayclaimverypowerfulsupport，foritdoesnotlieinthemouthsofthosewhoaccepttheauthorityofthePentateuchtodenythattheEuphratesvalleywaswhatitis，evensixthousandyearsback。AccordingtothebookofGenesis，PhratandHiddekel——theEuphratesandtheTigris——arecoevalwithParadise。AneditionoftheScriptures，recentlypublishedunderhighauthority，withanelaborateapparatusof"Helps"fortheuseofstudents——andtherefore，asIamboundtosuppose，purgedofallstatementsthatcouldbyanypossibilitymisleadtheyoung——assignstheyearB。C。4004asthedateofAdam’stoobriefresidenceinthatlocality。
ButIamfarfromdependingonthisauthorityfortheageoftheMesopotamianplain。Onthecontrary，Iventuretorely，withmuchmoreconfidence，onanotherkindofevidence，whichtendstoshowthattheageofthegreatriversmustbecarriedbacktoadateearlierthanthatatwhichouringenuousyouthisinstructedthattheearthcameintoexistence。For，thealluvialdeposithavingbeenbroughtdownbytherivers，theymustneedsbeolderthantheplainitforms，asnavviesmustneedsantecedetheembankmentpainfullybuiltupbythecontentsoftheirwheel—barrows。Forthousandsofyears，heatandcold，rain，snow，andfrost，thescrubbingofglaciers，andthescouringoftorrentsladenwithsandandgravel，havebeenwearingdowntherocksoftheupperbasinsoftherivers，overanareaofmanythousandsquaremiles；andthesematerials，groundtofinepowderinthecourseoftheirlongjourney，haveslowlysubsided，asthewaterwhichcarriedthemspreadoutandlostitsvelocityinthesea。ItisbecausethisprocessisstillgoingonthattheshoreofthedeltaconstantlyencroachesontheheadofthegulfintowhichthetworiversareconstantlythrowingthewasteofArmeniaandofKurdistan。Hence，asmightbeexpected，fluviatileandmarineshellsarecommoninthealluvialdeposit；andLoftusfoundstrata，containingsubfossilmarineshellsofspeciesnowliving，inthePersianGulf，atWarka，twohundredmilesinastraightlinefromtheshoreofthedelta。Itfollowsthat，ifatrustworthyestimateoftheaveragerateofgrowthofthealluvialcanbeformed，thelowestlimit（bynomeansthehighestlimit）ofageoftheriverscanbedetermined。Allsuchestimatesarebesetwithsourcesoferrorofveryvariouskinds；andthebestofthemcanonlyberegardedasapproximationstothetruth。ButIthinkitwillbequitesafetoassumeamaximumrateofgrowthoffourmilesinacenturyforthelowerhalfofthealluvialplain。
Now，thecycleofnarrativesofwhichHasisadra’sadventureformsapartcontainsallusionsnotonlytoSurippak，theexactpositionofwhichisdoubtful，buttoothercities，suchasErech。ThevastruinsatthepresentvillageofWarkahavebeencarefullyexploredanddeterminedtobeallthatremainsofthatoncegreatandflourishingcity，"Erechthelofty。"
Supposingthatthetwohundredmilesofalluvialcountry，whichseparatesthemfromtheheadofthePersianGulfatpresent，havebeendepositedattheveryhighrateoffourmilesinacentury，itwillfollowthat4000yearsago，orabouttheyear2100B。C。，thecityofErechstilllayfortymilesinland。
Indeed，thecitymighthavebeenbuiltathousandyearsearlier。
Moreover，thereisplentyofindependentarchaeologicalandotherevidencethatinthewholethousandyears，2000to3000B。C，thealluvialplainwasinhabitedbyanumerouspeople，amongwhomindustry，art，andliteraturehadattainedaveryconsiderabledevelopment。AnditcanbeshownthatthephysicalconditionsandtheclimateoftheEuphratesvalley，atthattime，musthavebeenextremelysimilartowhattheyarenow。
Thus，oncemore，wereachtheconclusionthat，asaquestionofphysicalprobability，thereisnogroundforobjectingtotherealityofHasisadra’sadventure。Itwouldbeunreasonabletodoubtthatsuchafloodmighthavehappened，andthatsuchapersonmighthaveescapedinthewaydescribed，anytimeduringthelast5000years。Andifthepostulateofloosethinkersinsearchofscientific"confirmations"ofquestionablenarratives——proofthataneventmayhavehappenedisevidencethatitdidhappen——istobeaccepted，surelyHasisadra’sstoryis"confirmedbymodernscientificinvestigation"beyondallcavil。
However，itmaybewelltopausebeforeadoptingthisconclusion，becausetheoriginalstory，ofwhichIhavesetforthonlythebroadoutlines，containsagreatmanystatementswhichrestuponjustthesamefoundationasthosecited，andyetarehardlylikelytomeetwithgeneralacceptance。Theaccountofthecircumstanceswhichleduptotheflood，ofthoseunderwhichHasisadra’sadventurewasmadeknowntohisdescendant，ofcertainremarkableincidentsbeforeandaftertheflood，areinseparablyboundupwiththedetailsalreadygiven。AndIamunabletodiscoveranyjustificationforarbitrarilypickingoutsomeoftheseanddubbingthemhistoricalverities，whilerejectingtherestaslegendaryfictions。Theystandorfalltogether。
Beforeproceedingtotheconsiderationoftheselesssatisfactorydetails，itisneedfultoremarkthatHasisadra’sadventureisamereepisodeinacycleofstoriesofwhichapersonage，whosenameisprovisionallyread"Izdubar，"isthecentre。ThenatureofIzdubarhoversvaguelybetweentheheroicandthedivine；sometimesheseemsamereman，sometimesapproachessocloselytothedivinitiesoffireandofthesunastobehardlydistinguishablefromthem。AsIhavealreadymentioned，thetabletwhichsetsforthHasisadra’sperilsisoneoftwelve；and，sinceeachoftheserepresentsamonthandbearsastoryappropriatetothecorrespondingsignoftheZodiac，greatweightmustbeattachedtoSirHenryRawlinson’ssuggestionthattheeposofIzdubarisapoeticalembodimentofsolarmythology。
Intheearlierbooksoftheepos，thehero，notcontentwithrejectingtheprofferedloveoftheChaldaeanAphrodite，Istar，freelyexpresseshisverylowestimateofhercharacter；anditisinterestingtoobservethat，eveninthisearlystageofhumanexperience，menhadreachedaconceptionofthatlawofnaturewhichexpressestheinevitableconsequencesofanimperfectappreciationoffemininecharms。TheinjuredgoddessmakesIzdubar’slifeaburdentohim，untilatlast，sickinbodyandsorryinmind，heisdriventoseekaidandcomfortfromhisforbearsintheworldofspirits。SothisantitypeofOdysseusjourneystotheshoreofthewatersofdeath，andtheretakesshipwithaChaldaeanCharon，whocarrieshimwithinhailofhisancestorHasisadra。ThatvenerablepersonagenotonlygivesIzdubarinstructionshowtoregainhishealth，buttellshim，somewhataproposdesbottes（afterthemannerofvenerablepersonages），thelongstoryofhisperilousadventure；
andhowitbefellthathe，hiswife，andhissteersmancametodwellamongtheblessedgods，withoutpassingthroughtheportalsofdeathlikeordinarymortals。
Accordingtothefullstory，thesinsofmankindhadbecomegrievous；and，atacouncilofthegods，itwasresolvedtoextirpatethewholeracebyagreatflood。And，oncemore，letusnotetheuniformityofhumanexperience。Itwouldappearthat，fourthousandyearsago，theobligationsofconfidentialintercourseaboutmattersofstateweresometimesviolated——
ofcoursefromthebestofmotives。Ea，oneofthethreechiefsoftheChaldaeanPantheon，thegodofjusticeandofpracticalwisdom，wasalsothegodofthesea；and，yieldingtothetemptationtodoafriendagoodturn，irresistibletokindlyseafaringfolksofallranks，hewarnedHasisadraofwhatwascoming。WhenBelsubsequentlyreproachedhimforthisbreachofconfidence，EadefendedhimselfbydeclaringthathedidnottellHasisadraanything；heonlysenthimadream。Thiswasundoubtedlysailingverynearthewind；buttheattributionofalittlebenevolentobliquityofconducttooneofthehighestofthegodsisatriflecomparedwiththetrulyHomericanthropomorphismwhichcharacterisesotherpartsoftheepos。
TheChald？andeitiesare，intruth，extremelyhuman；and，occasionally，thenarratordoesnotscrupletorepresenttheminamannerwhichisnotonlyinconsistentwithourideaofreverence，butissometimesdistinctlyhumorous。Whenthestormisatitsheight，heexhibitsthemflyinginastateofpanictoAnu，thegodofheaven，andcrouchingbeforehisportallikefrighteneddogs。AsthesmokeofHasisadra’ssacrificearises，thegods，attractedbythesweetsavour，arecomparedtoswarmsofflies。IhavealreadyremarkedthattheladyIstar’sreputationistorntoshreds；whilesheandEascoldBelhandsomelyforhisferocityandinjusticeindestroyingtheinnocentalongwiththeguilty。OneisremindedofHerehungupwithweightedheels；ofmisleadingdreamssentbyZeus；ofAreshowlingashefliesfromtheTrojanbattlefield；andoftheveryquestionabledealingsofAphroditewithHelenandParis。
Buttoreturntothestory。Belwas，atfirst，excludedfromthesacrificeastheauthorofallthemischief；whichreallywassomewhatharduponhim，sincetheothergodsagreedtohisproposal。Buteventuallyareconciliationtakesplace；thegreatbowofAnuisdisplayedintheheavens；Belagreesthathewillbesatisfiedwithwhatwar，pestilence，famine，andwildbeastscandointhewayofdestroyingmen；andthat，henceforward，hewillnothaverecoursetoextraordinarymeasures。Finally，itisBelhimselfwho，bywayofmakingamends，transportsHasisadra，hiswife，andthefaithfulNes—Heatotheabodeofthegods。
Itisasindubitableasitisincomprehensibletomostofus，that，forthousandsofyears，agreatpeople，quiteasintelligentasweare，andlivinginashighastateofcivilisationasthatwhichhadbeenattainedinthegreaterpartofEuropeafewcenturiesago，entertainednottheslightestdoubtthatAnu，Bel，Ea，Istar，andtherest，wererealpersonages，possessedofboundlesspowersforgoodandevil。
ThesincerityofthemonarchswhoseinscriptionsgratefullyattributetheirvictoriestoMerodach，ortoAssur，isaslittletobequestionedasthatoftheauthorsofthehymnsandpenitentialpsalmswhichgivefullexpressiontotheheightsanddepthsofreligiousdevotion。An"infidel"boldenoughtodenytheexistence，ortodoubttheinfluence，ofthesedeitiesprobablydidnotexistinallMesopotamia；andevenconstructiverebellionagainsttheirauthoritywasapttoendinthedeprivation，notmerelyofthegoodname，butoftheskinoftheoffender。Theadherentsofmoderntheologicalsystemsdismisstheseobjectsoftheloveandfearofahundredgenerationsoftheirequals，offhand，as"godsoftheheathen，"merecreationsofawickedandidolatrousimagination；and，alongwiththem，theydisown，assenseless，thecrudetheology，withitsgrossanthropomorphismanditslowethicalconceptionofthedivinity，whichsatisfiedthepioussoulsofChaldaea。
Iimagine，thoughIdonotpresumetobesure，thatanyendeavourtosavetheintellectualandmoralcreditofChaldaeanreligion，bysuggestingtheapplicationtoitofthatuniversalsolventofabsurdities，theallegoricalmethod，wouldbescouted；Iwillnotevensuggestthatanyingenuitycanbeequaltothediscoveryoftheantitypesofthepersonificationseffectedbythereligiousimaginationoflaterages，inthetriadAnu，Ea，andBel，stilllessinIstar。Therefore，unlesssomeplausiblereconciliatoryschemeshouldbepropoundedbyaNeo—Chaldaeandevotee（and，withNeo—Buddhiststothefore，thissuppositionisnotsowildasitlooks），Isupposethemodernswillcontinuetosmile，inasuperiorway，atthegrievousabsurdityofthepolytheisticidolatryoftheseancientpeople。
ItisprobablyacongenitalabsenceofsomefacultywhichI
oughttopossesswhichwithholdsmefromadoptingthissummaryprocedure。ButIamnotashamedtoshareDavidHume’swantofabilitytodiscoverthatpolytheismis，initself，altogetherabsurd。Ifwearebound，orpermitted，tojudgethegovernmentoftheworldbyhumanstandards，itappearstomethatdirectoratesareproved，byfamiliarexperience，toconductthelargestandthemostcomplicatedconcernsquiteaswellassolitarydespots。Ihaveneverbeenabletoseewhythehypothesisofadivinesyndicateshouldbefoundguiltyofinnateabsurdity。ThoseAssyrians，inparticular，whoheldAssurtobetheonesupremeandcreativedeity，towhomalltheothersupernalpowersweresubordinate，mightfairlyaskthattheessentialdifferencebetweentheirsystemandthatwhichobtainsamongthegreatmajorityoftheirmoderntheologicalcriticsshouldbedemonstrated。Inmyapprehension，itisnotthequantity，butthequality，ofthepersons，amongwhomtheattributesofdivinityaredistributed，whichistheseriousmatter。Ifthedivinemightisassociatedwithnohigherethicalattributesthanthosewhichobtainamongordinarymen；ifthedivineintelligenceissupposedtobesoimperfectthatitcannotforeseetheconsequencesofitsowncontrivances；ifthesupernalpowerscanbecomefuriouslyangrywiththecreaturesoftheiromnipotenceand，intheirsenselesswrath，destroytheinnocentalongwiththeguilty；oriftheycanshowthemselvestobeaseasilyplacatedbypresentsandgrossflatteryasanyorientaloroccidentaldespot；if，inshort，theyareonlystrongerthanmortalmenandnobetter，asitmustbeadmittedHasisadra’sdeitiesprovedthemselvestobe——then，surely，itistimeforustolooksomewhatcloselyintotheircredentials，andtoacceptnonebutconclusiveevidenceoftheirexistence。
Tothemajorityofmyrespectedcontemporariesthisreasoningwilldoubtlessappearfeeble，ifnotworse。However，tomymind，sucharetheonlyargumentsbywhichtheChaldaeantheologycanbesatisfactorilyupset。SofarfromtherebeinganygroundforthebeliefthatEa，Anu，andBelare，oreverwere，realentities，itseemstomequiteinfinitelymoreprobablethattheyareproductsofthereligiousimagination，suchasaretobefoundeverywhereandinallages，solongasthatimaginationriotsuncontrolledbyscientificcriticism。
ItisonthesegroundsthatIventure，attheriskofbeingcalledanatheistbytheghostsofalltheprincipalsofallthecollegesofBabylonia，orbytheirlivingsuccessorsamongtheNeo—Chaldaeans，ifthatsectshouldarise，toexpressmyutterdisbeliefinthegodsofHasisadra。Hence，itfollows，thatI
findHasisadra’saccountoftheirshareinhisadventureincredible；and，asthephysicaldetailsofthefloodareinseparablefromitstheophanicaccompaniments，andareguaranteedbythesameauthority，Imustletthemgowiththerest。Theconsistencyofsuchdetailswithprobabilitycountsfornothing。TheinhabitantsofChaldaeamustalwayshavebeenfamiliarwithinundations；probablynogenerationfailedtowitnessaninundationwhichroseunusuallyhigh，orwasrenderedseriousbycoincidentatmosphericorotherdisturbances。Andthememoryofthegeneralfeaturesofanyexceptionallysevereanddevastatingflood，wouldbepreservedbypopulartraditionforlongages。What，then，couldbemorenaturalthanthataChaldaeanpoetshouldseekfortheincidentsofagreatcatastropheamongsuchphenomena？Inwhatotherwaythanbysuchanappealtotheirexperiencecouldhesosurelyawakeninhisaudiencethetragicpityandterror？Whatpossiblegroundisthereforinsistingthathemusthavehadsomeindividualgoodinview，andthathishistoryishistorical，inthesensethattheaccountoftheeffectsofahurricaneintheBayofBengal，intheyear1875，ishistorical？
MorethanthreecenturiesafterthetimeofAssurbanipal，BerosusofBabylon，borninthereignofAlexandertheGreat，wroteanaccountofthehistoryofhiscountryinGreek。
TheworkofBerosushasvanished；butextractsfromit——howfarfaithfulisuncertain——havebeenpreservedbylaterwriters。
Amongtheseoccursthewell—knownstoryoftheDelugeofXisuthros，whichisevidentlybuiltuponthesamefoundationasthatofHasisadra。Theincidentsofthedivinewarning，thebuildingoftheship，thesendingoutofbirds，theascensionofthehero，betraytheircommonorigin。Butstories，likeMadeira，acquireaheightenedflavourwithtimeandtravel；andtheversionofBerosusischaracterisedbythosecircumstantialimprobabilitieswhichhabituallygatherroundthelegendofalegend。Thelaternarratorknowstheexactdayofthemonthonwhichthefloodbegan。ThedimensionsoftheshiparestatedwithMunchausenianprecisionatfivestadiabytwo——say，halfbyone—fifthofanEnglishmile。Theshiprunsagroundamongthe"Gordaeanmountains"tothesouthofLakeVan，inArmenia，beyondthelimitsofanyimaginablerealinundationoftheEuphratesvalley；and，bywayofclimax，wehavetheassertion，worthyofthesailorwhosaidthathehadbroughtuponeofPharaoh’schariotwheelsontheflukeofhisanchorintheRedSea，thatpilgrimsvisitedthelocalityandmadeamuletsofthebitumenwhichtheyscrapedofffromthestillextantremainsofthemightyshipofXisuthros。
Supposethatsomelaterpolyhistor，asdevoidofcriticalfacultyasmostofhistribe，hadfoundtheversionofBerosus，aswellasanothermuchnearertheoriginalstory；that，havingtoomuchrespectforhisauthoritiestomakeupatertiumquidofhisown，outofthematerialsoffered，hefollowedapractice，commonenoughamongancientand，particularly，amongSemitichistorians，ofdividing，bothintofragmentsandpiecingthesetogether，withouttroublinghimselfverymuchaboutthoseresultingrepetitionsandinconsistencies；theproductofsuchaprimitiveeditorialoperationwouldbeanarrativeanalogoustothatwhichtreatsoftheNoachiandelugeinthebookofGenesis。
ForthePentateuchalstoryisindubitablyapatchwork，composedoffragmentsofatleasttwo，differentandpartlydiscrepant，narratives，quiltedtogetherinsuchaninartisticfashionthattheseamsremainconspicuous。And，inthematterofcircumstantialexaggeration，itinsomerespectsexcelseventhesecond—handlegendofBerosus。
Thereisacertainpracticalityaboutthenotionoftakingrefugefromfloodsandstormsinashipprovidedwithasteersman；but，surely，noonewhohadeverseenmorewaterthanhecouldwadethroughwoulddreamoffacingevenamoderatebreeze，inahugethree—storiedcoffer，orbox，threehundredcubitslong，fiftywideandthirtyhigh，lefttodriftwithoutrudderorpilot。NotcontentwithgivingtheexactyearofNoah’sageinwhichthefloodbegan，thePentateuchalstoryaddsthemonthandthedayofthemonth。ItistheDeityhimselfwho"shutsin"Noah。ThemodestweekassignedtothefulldelugeinHasisadra’sstorybecomesfortydays，inoneofthePentateuchalaccounts，andahundredandfiftyintheother。Theflood，which，intheversionofBerosus，hasgrownsohighastocasttheshipamongthemountainsofArmenia，isimproveduponintheHebrewaccountuntilitcovers"allthehighhillsthatwereunderthewholeheaven"；and，whenitbeginstosubside，thearkisleftstrandedonthesummitofthehighestpeak，commonlyidentifiedwithAraratitself。
WhilethedetailsofHasisadra’sadventureare，atleast，compatiblewiththephysicalconditionsoftheEuphratesvalley，and，aswehaveseen，involvenocatastrophegreaterthansuchasmightbebroughtunderthoseconditions，manyoftheverypreciselystateddetailsofNoah’sfloodcontradictsomeofthebestestablishedresultsofscientificinquiry。
IfitiscertainthatthealluviumoftheMesopotamianplainhasbeenbroughtdownbytheTigrisandtheEuphrates，thenitisnolesscertainthatthephysicalstructureofthewholevalleyhaspersisted，withoutmaterialmodification，formanythousandyearsbeforethedateassignedtotheflood。Ifthesummits，evenofthemoderatelyelevatedridgeswhichimmediatelyboundthevalley，stillmorethoseoftheKurdishandArmenianmountains，wereevercoveredbywater，forevenfortydays，thatwatermusthaveextendedoverthewholeearth。Iftheearthwasthuscovered，anywherebetween4000and5000yearsago，or，atanyothertime，sincethehigherterrestrialanimalscameintoexistence，theymusthavebeendestroyedfromthewholefaceofit，asthePentateuchalaccountdeclarestheywerethreeseveraltimes（Genesisvii。21，22，23），inlanguagewhichcannotbemademoreemphatic，ormoresolemn，thanitis；andthepresentpopulationmustconsistofthedescendantsofemigrantsfromtheark。And，ifthatisthecase，then，ashasoftenbeenpointedout，theslothsoftheBrazilianforests，thekangaroosofAustralia，thegreattortoisesoftheGalapagosislands，musthaverespectivelyhobbled，hopped，andcrawledovermanythousandmilesoflandandseafrom"Ararat"totheirpresenthabitations。Thus，theunquestionablefactsofthegeographicaldistributionofrecentlandanimals，alone，formaninsuperableobstacletotheacceptanceoftheassertionthatthekindsofanimalscomposingthepresentterrestrialfaunahavebeen，atanytime，universallydestroyedinthewaydescribedinthePentateuch。