he does not fail to add to the
description of his achievements a prayer to some deity, in which he asks
for divine grace and the blessings of long life and prosperity.

There were other occasions, too, in which, both in ancient times and in
more modern periods, prayers were sent up to the gods. Kudur-mabuk, of
the second dynasty of Ur, informs us that he built a temple, E-nun-makh,
to Sin in gratitude to the god for having hearkened to his prayer.

The Assyrian kings pray to Ashur or Ishtar before the battle, and offer
thanks after the victory has been gained. "O goddess of Arbela!" says
Ashurbanabal,[419] "I am Ashurbanabal, the king of Assyria, the product
of thy hands, created by thee in the house of my father. To renew the
sanctuaries of Assyria, and to enlarge the cities of Babylonia, ... have
I devoted myself to thy dwelling-places, and have steadfastly worshipped
thy sovereignty.... Hearken unto me! O thou mistress of mistresses,
supreme in battle, mistress of the fray, queen of the gods, ... who
speakest good things in the presence of Ashur, the father, that produced
thee. Teumman, king of Elam, has arrayed his army and fixed upon battle,
brandishes his weapons to proceed against Assyria. Do thou now, O
warrior, like ... drive him into the midst of the fray, pursue him with
a storm, with an evil wind." Ishtar, the narrative tells us, hearkened
to the fervent words of the king. "Be not afraid," says the goddess to
her royal subject. Elsewhere the same king prays more briefly to Ashur
and Ishtar. "May his corpse [viz., of a certain enemy] be cast before
his enemy [_i.e._, before Ashurbanabal], and his remains be carried
off."[420]

Upon ascending the throne, we find Nebuchadnezzar addressing a fervent
prayer to the great god Marduk:

O Eternal Ruler! Lord of the Universe!
Grant that the name[421] of the king whom thou lovest,
Whose name thou hast mentioned,[422] may flourish as seems good to
thee.
Guide him on the right path.
I am the ruler who obeys thee, the creation of thy hand.
It is thou who hast created me,
And thou hast entrusted to me sovereignty over mankind.
According to thy mercy, O lord, which thou bestowest upon all,
Cause me to love thy supreme rule.
Implant the fear of thy divinity in my heart,
Grant to me whatsoever may seem good before thee,
Since it is thou that dost control my life.

The curses also with which so many of the historical texts of Babylonia
and