DRUID (Lat. druida, Ck. (Sptnoric, dryides, from 01r. drui, noon. pl. druad. Gael. druoi, con nected with Dlr. Jair, dour, oak, 8p0s, drys, tree, ()Church Slay. dra ra, Skt. (hiru, wood). One of the fraternity of priests, religious teachers, and judges who ruled over the Celtic inhaltitants of ancient Gaul and perhaps of Britain. Thi. tution of Druidism was probably common to all Celtic nations; but w•e have detailed amounts of tbe form only under which it existed in Gaul. (':Tsar gives the description of the char acter and functions of the Druids: "They attend to divine worship. perform public and private sacri fices, and expound of religion. A great number of youths- are gathered round them for the sake of education, and they enjoy the highest honor in that nation. Nearly all public and private quarrels come under their jurisdiction: and when any crime has been Ilaiaa tell. as when a murder has been perpetrated. or when a contro versy arises about a kgaey, or about landmarks, tIn'y are the judges too. They fix rewards and punishments; and should a lly cue, whether :I private individual or a public; officer. disobey their decrees. then they exclude him from the saerifices. This is with them the severe--( pun islunent. The persons who are id under interdict are regarded as impious and wicked people: everybody recoils from them and shuns their soeiety and conversation. lest be should he injured by asociating with them. They cannot obtain legal redress when ask for it, nor are they admitted to any honorable office. . . .
At. a certain time of the year the Druids assemble in the territory of the MII1•ll is bl.• ii0Vtl to be the centre of all Gaul, in a sacred place. To that spot are gathered iron' where all persons that have quarrels, and they abide by their judgna nts and decree. It is believed that this institution was invented in Britannia, and thence transplanted into Gaul. Even nowadays those who wish to become more intimately acquainted with the institution gener ally go to Britannia for instruction's sake.
"The Druids take no part in warfare; nor do they pay any taxes like the rest of the people: they are exempt from military service and front all publie burdens. Attracted by such rewards.
many come to he instructed of their own choice, while others are sent by their parents. They are reported to learn in the school a great number of verses, so that some remain there twenty years. They think it an unhallowed thing to commit their lore to writing. though in the other public and private affairs of life they frequently make use of the Greek alphabet. . . . Beyond all things they art• desirous to inspire a belief that men's souls do not perish. but transmigrate after death from one individual to another; and they hold that people are thereby most strongly urged to bravery, as the fear of death is thus This powerful priesthood did all they could to uphold the national cause against the Roman conquerors. and urged the people to rebellion. The Emperor Claudius found it necessary to inter dict fornmlly the practice of druidical rites. which seem. however, to have continued down to the extinction of paganism. Besides being priests and teachers of religion, the Druids ap pear to have been adepts in the magic arts, and were versed in the mysterious powers of animals and plants. The oak-tree was especially sacred among the Druids, and they frequently performed their rites in oak groves. They also had a spe cial reverence for mistletoe when growing 011 an oak. According to the elder Pliny. a Druid. clothed in white, mounted the tree. and with a knife of gold cut the mistletoe, which was re ceived by another standing on the ground. on a spotless cloth. The same author gives a curious account .4 the 'serpent's egg' worn as a distin guishing badge by the Druids. It was formed. he says, by the poisonous spittle of a great many serpents twined together. Gathered at moon light. and afterwards worn in the bosom, it was a mighty talisman. All these particulars refer properly to the Druids of Gaul, but Cfrsar's testimony leaves no doubt that the Druidism of Britain was essentially the same.