Page:Origin and Growth of Religion (Rhys).djvu/229

Rh explain. He was known to the early Church as a notorious opponent of the apostles, and his name became identified with all that was pagan and anti-christian: thus the ancient druidic tonsure usual among the clergy of the British Church till the latter half of the eighth century, and among those of the Irish Church not quite so late, was probably a druidic tonsure continued: at any rate, it was described by those who had adopted the Roman tonsure as that of Simon Magus. As to Ireland in particular, all the fiercest opposition there to Christianity is described as headed by the druids, who competed with Patrick and other saints in working miracles. So it would be natural enough for Christian writers to liken the chief druids of Ireland to Simon, especially seeing that when they used the Latin tongue the native word drui, 'druid,' had to be rendered by magus, 'a magician.' Vice versa, Simon Magus became in Irish Simon Drui, or Simon the Druid: nay, he was at last claimed as an Irish ancestor, and as such he appears as Simeon Brec, or Simeon the Freckled, son of Starn or Stariath, of the family of Nemid, and as ancestor of the Fir Bolg, who, owing to Simon's eastern origin, are made