In Halliwell’s “Dictionary of Archaic and Provincial Words,”[477] the interpretation of Stone-axe is given as “A stone-worker’s axe,” but it is not stated where the term occurs. In the “_Matériaux_”[478] M. Soreil has called attention to a very early German poem, possibly of the fifth century, in which the heroes are described as contending with stone axes. The subject has been discussed by Dr. Much,[479] who suggests that the name survived long after the actual use of the weapons, and points out that the modern word Hellebarde (halberd) has the same meaning, _hella_ in Old German signifying “stone,” and _barte_ being still used to signify an “axe” or “chopper.” He also hints at a connection between the _scrama-seax_ or large knife, with _saxum_. The whole paper is worth reading. In the Song of Hildebrand and Hadubrand, probably of the eighth century, stone hammers, _staim-borts_, are also mentioned. “Do stoptun tosamane staimbort chludun Hewun harmlicco huitte scilti.”[480] The passage in “William of Poitiers,”[481]—“Jactant cuspides ac |147| diversorum generum tela, sævissimas quasque secures ac lignis imposita saxa,”—which has been cited as proving that some of the Anglo-Saxons fought with weapons of stone at the battle of Hastings, seems only to refer to stone missiles probably discharged from some engines of war, and serving the same purpose as the stone cannon-balls of more recent times. Professor Nilsson[482] has pointed out that _jactare_ often signifies to brandish, and argues that the large stone axes were too heavy either for brandishing or throwing as weapons. It seems to me, however, that _jactare_ in this passage is used in the sense of throwing, the same as in Virgil,[483]— “Deucalion vacuum lapides jactavit in orbem, Unde homines nati, durum genus.”