476 
bronze is a mixed metal, and that it was first made, in 
countries where there was no iron, (as in Greece and 
Italy,) in the attempt to harden copper that it might be 
made available for weapons, or for other edged or pointed 
instruments. But I know not why, in a country like Britain, 
in some parts of which iron was found almost on the surface 
of the ground, and at times so extremely rich in ore as to 
be almost malleable, this metal should not have been in use 
quite as early as either bronze or copper. I must remind 
you that Caesar tells us that in his time, while iron was 
procured in the island, the brass (ces,) by which, no 
doubt, he meant bronze, used by the Britons, was imported 
from abroad. 
There are certain peculiarities in the articles of bronze 
usually ascribed to the bronze-period, which deserve our 
special attention. They consist chiefly of swords, of a form 
which antiquaries seem agreed in describing by the epithet 
of leaf-shaped, and of bronze axes, chisels, and other 
similar weapons, to which has been given the rather incon- 
gruous name of celts, concerning which I will only remark 
that the sooner it is laid aside the better. The leaf-shaped 
swords are found, I believe, in almost all parts of the Roman 
empire, as well as in the barbaric countries on its border, 
though more numerous in the latter, and under different 
circumstances. They are found not unfrequently within 
the Roman province of Britain, but always, I think, in 
places where they seem to have been thrown accidentally, 
and not under circumstances which would lead us to 
identify at once the people who left them there. On 
the contrary, when they are found in Ireland, (where they 
are rather plentiful), in the parts of Scotland beyond the 
limits of the Roman province, in Scandinavia, and even 
as far eastwardly as Hungary, we are naturally led to 
assume that they belonged to the natives of those countries, 
