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788 DELUGE DEMBINSKI in precisely those places where curiosity is most excited. For example, they describe the build- ing of a ship, but the numbers which originally stated its dimensions are wanting. The tablets were made in the time of Asshur-bani-pal, about 660 B. C., but they profess to be copies of a much older document, which Mr. Smith refers to a period not later than the 17th cen- tury B. C., and it may be of a still earlier date. The agreement between this tradition and the Scriptural history is, however, very slight. It is the tradition of a polytheistic people, and many gods are mentioned by name. The principal man in the tradition, corresponding to the Noah of Scripture, is called Sisit, the son of Ubaratutu. One of the gods warned him of the coming destruction, commanding him to build a ship and " to cause to go in the seed of Me, all of it." Sisit obeyed, and took into the ship his silver, his gold, and "all he pos- sessed of the seed of life, all his male and fe- male servants, the beasts of the field, and the sons of the army." The flood came and in- creased until the seventh day, when it began to abate, and the ship rested on the side of a mountain called Nigir. After seven days more Sisit sent out a dove, which returned ; then a swallow, which also returned; and lastly a raven, which fed upon the corpses floating on the water, wandered off, and did not return. Sisit now came out of his ship, released the animals, built an altar on the peak of a moun- tain, and sacrificed to the gods, who collected around the sacrifice. From this point the nar- rative consists of a strange mythological med- ley, bearing no resemblance to the Scripture history. Mr. Smith says : " In spite of a strik- ing similarity in style, which shows itself in several places, the two narratives belong to totally distinct peoples." But the interest in this tradition, which is that of a people whose history was intimately connected with that of the Hebrews, is increased by the fact that the material document itself can be seen and read, and its antiquity far surpasses that of any known record relating to the subject, the old- est manuscripts of the Scriptures being com- paratively recent. The interpretation of the Scriptural account of the deluge has been du- ring the last and the present century a subject of much discussion by theological writers. The principal question involved, and the one which virtually includes all the others, is, Was the , deluge universal ? Our limits will not permit even a summary of the various arguments ad- vanced by the numerous writers who have en- deavored to answer this question. The Bible says that " all the high hills which were under the whole heaven were covered." But the facts of astronomy, geology, and natural his- tory are irreconcilable with the supposition of a universal deluge, unless it be accompanied with the supposition of a series of the most stupendous miracles. Accordingly, the opinion which appears to be entertained by the ma- jority of Biblical critics is that the human race at the time of the deluge occupied but a small portion of the earth's surface, lying mostly in the basin of the Euphrates and Tigris, that the deluge was confined to that region, and that the Scriptural expression above quoted is to be taken in a limited signification. Such is the opinion of Nagelsbach in Herzog's Beal-En- cyJdopadie, of Dr. Edward Hitchcock in the " Biblical Repository," of Prof. Tayler Lewis in an excursus in the English translation of Lange's "Commentary on Genesis," of Mr. J. J. S. Perowne in Smith's " Dictionary of the Bible," of Dr. James Strong in the " Cyclopae- dia of Biblical, Theological, and Ecclesiastical Literature," and many others. According to Swedenborg, the narrative of a deluge in gene- sis refers entirely to a deluge of evils and falsi- ties which overwhelmed the church in ancient times, the account of which by the ancient writers was purely symbolical, and not in- tended to be understood literally as a deluge of water. DEMADES, an Athenian statesman and ora- tor, executed in 318 B. C. He was of low origin, and was supposed to have been a sail- or in his youth ; but by great talent and un- scrupulous demagogism he raised himself to a prominent position at Athens. He belonged to the pro-Macedonian or peace party, and was the virulent opponent of Demosthenes. He fought, however, at Cheeronea in defence of Grecian liberty, and was taken prisoner, but Philip restored his freedom, and treated him with marked distinction. This won him still more to the Macedonian cause, and his beha- vior toward Philip and afterward toward Alex- ander was so servile as utterly to disgust his countrymen. They however induced him to use his influence to obtain favorable terms for his native city. When, after the destruction of Thebes, Alexander demanded the surren- der of Demosthenes, Demades, bribed by the friends of the latter, interceded with the king. Afterward, when Demosthenes and his friends left the city on the approach of Antipater and Craterus, he induced the people to pronounce sentence of death against them. Having been sent as ambassador to Antipater, he was put to death by that general on the discovery of letters in which he urged the enemies of Antipater to attack him. Demades was a great wit, and excelled as an extemporaneous orator. Cicero and Quintilian both assert that he left no written orations. DEMAVEND, Mount, the highest summit of the Elburz mountains in Persia, between the prov- inces of Irak-Ajemi and Mazanderan, lat. 35 50' K, Ion. 52 E. It is an extinct volcano, conical in shape, and about 18,000 ft. high. It yields large quantities of pumice 'stone and pure sulphur, and around its base are several hot springs. DEMBEA, Lake. See TZANA. DEMBINSKI, Henryk, a Polish general, born in the palatinate of Cracow, Jan. 16, 1791, died in Paris, June 13, 1864. His father, a