514 PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS. [aNNO I7O9. 



The next inquiry is, what arms were used by the Gauls ? Several authors have 

 written of their nature, particularly Clnver and Boxhorn. Their names are spatha, 

 gessum, (gosum orgaesum) lancea, sparum, cateia, mataris or rather materis. The 

 gessum was a javelin; the sparum, cateia, and mataris, different sorts of darts ; the 

 thyreos an oblong, and the cetrum a short kind of shield. So that the spatha 

 only remains (for the nature of the lance is well known) to be compared with the 

 weapons we are considering. It is called by the Italians spada, and by the 

 Spaniards espada. From the description that Isidore has left us of it, we are 

 informed that it was a two-edged sword, adapted to cut, but not thrust. 

 Whence it is plain that these arras had not sharp points, agreeable to what 

 Livy has related, that their gladii were praelongi, ac sine mucronibus. And 

 Polybius has the same reason why they did not push with them. Hence it is 

 clear that our instruments which have not two edges, but are dull like wedges, 

 were not spathae ; and since they do not agree to any of the other Gallic 

 weapons, we may carry on our inquiry, and examine whether they agree with 

 any of the arms of some other antient nation, that made a figure in Britain. 



Our ancestors, the Saxons, can have no share in this inquiry. For it is plain 

 from their history, given by Verstegan, and also the figures published by him, 

 that spears, halberds, shields, oross-bows, swords, (which were broad and 

 bowing, somewhat like a scythe) and hatchets, which they called bills, were 

 the arms made use of by them ; nor did the weapons of the Danes, who suc- 

 ceeded them, vary much, if at all. Coming from the same parts, they used 

 the same customs in their military undertakings. But though these weapons 

 do not resemble either the Saxon or Danish military arms, in Wormius's 

 museum, there are two Cimbric instruments, with which they have some 

 likeness. These he tells us were of brass, and he calls them wedges: the larger 

 of them was 5 inches in length, and 3 in breadth. He is of opinion that they 

 were used in the wars, especially when the armies were very near each other. 

 If they had holes, by which they might have been fixed to helves, he would 

 have believed them to be battle-axes : but being neither hollow, as ours are, 

 nor. having any other way of being fastened to other instruments, he concluded 

 that the name of wedges might be most proper. A very ingenious gentleman 

 has informed me, that such kind of instruments had been found in the Isle of 

 Man, and that a great many urns had been also discovered there, as also divers 

 inscriptions with strange characters. I do not question but the inscriptions are 

 Runic. And it is highly probable that the instruments were like those in 

 Wormius; but if they agree exactly with ours, they will appear to be Roman. 

 For though it be commonly held, that the Romans never were in the Isle of 

 Man, yet I see no other reason why it should be thought so, than that the 



