religion, it is easy
to see how much veneration must have been paid them. Connoting this with
the influence of the Roman Church in Celtic regions and the power of the
Protestant minister in the Highlands and in Wales, some have thought
that there is an innate tendency in the Celt to be priest-ridden. If
this be true, we can only say, "the people wish to have it so, and the
priests--pagan, papist, or protestant--bear rule through their means!"

Thus a close examination of the position and functions of the Druids
explains away two popular misconceptions. They were not possessed of any
recondite and esoteric wisdom. And the culling of mistletoe instead of
being the most important, was but a subordinate part of their functions.

In Gaul the Roman power broke the sway of the Druids, aided perhaps by
the spread of Christianity, but it was Christianity alone which routed
them in Ireland and in Britain outside the Roman pale. The Druidic
organisation, their power in politics and in the administration of
justice, their patriotism, and also their use of human sacrifice and
magic, were all obnoxious to the Roman Government, which opposed them
mainly on political grounds. Magic and human sacrifice were suppressed
because they were contrary to Roman manners. The first attack was in the
reign of Augustus, who prohibited Roman citizens from taking part in the
religion of the Druids.[1068] Tiberius next interdicted the Druids, but
this was probably aimed at their human sacrifices, for the Druids were
not suppressed, since they existed still in the reign of Claudius, who
is said to have abolished _Druidarum religionem dirae
immanitatis_.[1069] The earlier legislation was ineffective; that of
Claudius was more thorough, but it, too, was probably aimed mainly at
human sacrifice and magic, since Aurelius Victor limits it to the
"notorious superstitions" of the Druids.[1070] It did not abolish the
native religion, as is proved by the numerous inscriptions to Celtic
gods, and by the fact that, as Mela informs us, human victims were still
offered symbolically,[1071] while the Druids were still active some
years later. A parallel is found in the British abolition of S[=a]ti in
India, while permitting the native religion to flourish.

Probably more effective was the policy begun by Augustus. Magistrates
were inaugurated and acted as judges, thus ousting the Druids, and
native deities and native ritual were assimilated to those of Rome.
Celtic