among　the　Celts　of　the　Continent　the　class　called　the　Druids
  produced　among　the　Celts　of　Ireland　the　class　known　to　us　as　the
  Brehons；　nor　does　it　seem　to　me　difficult　to　connect　the　results
  of　these　tendencies　with　other　known　phenomena　of　ancient
  society。　There　is　much　reason　to　believe　that　the　Tribe…Chief；　or
  King；　whom　the　earliest　Aryan　records　show　us　standing　by　the
  side　of　the　Popular　Assembly；　was　priest　and　judge　as　well　as
  captain　of　the　host。　The　later　Aryan　history　shows　us　this
  blended　authority　distributing　or　'differentiating'　itself；　and
  passing　either　to　the　Assembly　or　to　a　new　class　of　depositaries。
  Among　the　Achaeans　of　Homer；　the　Chief　has　ceased　to　be　priest；
  but　he　is　still　judge；　and　his　judicial　sentences；　Themiotes；　or
  'dooms'；　however　much　they　may　be　drawn　in　reality　from
  pre…exiting　usage；　are　believed　to　be　dictated　to　him　from　on
  high。　Among　the　Celts　both　of　Gaul　and　of　Ireland　he　has　ceased
  to　be　priest；　and　also　probably　to　be　judge；　although　some
  measure　of　judicial　authority　may　still　belong　to　his　office　as　a
  'survival'。　The　order　of　change　thus　departs　from　that　followed
  in　Athenian　history；　where　the　institution　of　kingship　survived
  only　in　the　name　of　the　King　Archon；　who　was　a　judicial
  functionary；　and　from　that　followed　in　Roman　history；　where　the
  Rex　Sacrificulus　was　a　hierophant　or　priest。　The　Popular
  Assembly；　meanwhile；　which　virtually　attracted　to　itself　the
  whole　civil　and　criminal　jurisdiction　of　the　Kings　among　the
  Athenians；　and　which　at　Rome　engrossed　the　whole　administration
  of　criminal　justice　through　the　commissions　it　appointed；　seems
  to　lose　all　judicial　authority　among　the　Celts。　Perhaps　I　may　be
  permitted　thus　to　describe　the　change　I　conceive　to　have　taken
  place　among　the　Celts　of　Ireland。　Themis；　who　in　Homer　is　the
  assessor　of　Zeus　and　the　source　of　judicial　inspiration　to　kings；
  has　（so　to　speak）　set　up　for　herself。　Kings　have　delegated　their
  authority　to　a　merely　human　assessor；　and　we　see　by　the　story
  which　begins　the　Senchus　Mor　that；　even　when　a　Saint　is　supposed
  to　be　present；　the　inspiration　of　which　he　is　the　source　does　not
  find　expression　through　his　lips；　nor　does　it　descend　on　the
  King；　it　descends　on　the　professional　judge。　When　we　obtain　our
  last　glimpse　of　the　class　which　has　received　this　inheritance
  from　Chief　or　King　　the　Brehons；　Judges；　or　Authors　of
  Judgments　　they　have　sunk　to　the　lowest　depth　of　misery　and
  degradation　through　the　English　conquest。　At　an　earlier　date　they
  are　seen　divided　into　families　or　septs；　the　hereditary
  law…advisers　of　some　princely　or　powerful　house。　Hugh　McEgan；　who
  wrote　the　note　'in　his　own　father's　book'　which　I　read　in　the
  last　Lecture；　was　one　of　the　hereditary　Brehons　attached　to　the
  McCarthys。　But；　in　the　earliest　Irish　traditions；　the　functions
  of　the　Brehon　and　the　King　run　very　much　into　one　another。　The
  most　ancient　Brehons　are　described　as　of　royal　blood；　sometimes
  as　king's　sons。　The　Tanaists　of　the　great　Irish　Chiefs；　the
  successors　elected　out　of　the　kindred　of　each　Chief　to　come　after
  him　on　his　death；　are　said　to　have　occasionally　officiated　as
  judges；　and　one　of　the　law…tracts；　still　unpublished；　contains
  the　express　rule　that　it　is　lawful　for　a　king；　though　himself　a
  judge；　to　have　a　judge　in　his　place。　Cormac　MacAirt；　one　of　the
  traditional　authors　of　the　Book　of　Aicill；　was　a　King　in
  retirement。　Apocryphal　as　his　story　may　be；　it　is　one　of　much
  significance　to　the　student　of　ancient　institutions。　He　had　been
  accidently　blinded　of　one　eye；and　is　said　to　have　been　deposed
  from　his　regal　office　or　chieftiancy　on　account　of　the　blemish。
  Coirpri；　his　son　and　successor　（says　the　Book　of　Aicill）；　'in
  every　difficult　case　of　judgment　that　came　to　him　used　to　go　and
  ask　his　father　about　it；　and　his　father　used　to　say　to　him；　〃My
  son；　that　thou　mayest　know〃'　　and　then　proceeded　to　lay　down
  the　law。
  If；　without　committing　ourselves　to　any　specific　theory
  concerning　the　exact　extent　of　the　correspondence；　we　can　assume
  that　there　was　substantial　identity　between　the　literary　class
  which　produced　the　law…tracts　and　the　literary　order　attributed
  to　the　Celtic　races　by　Caesar；　we　not　only　do　something　to
  establish　an　historical　conclusion　perhaps　more　curious　than
  important；　but　we　remove　some　serious　difficulties　in　the
  interpretation　of　the　interesting　and　instructive　body　of　archaic
  law　now　before　us。　The　difference　between　the　Druids　and　their
  successors；　the　Brehons；　would　in　that　case　be　mainly　this：　the
  Brehons　would　be　no　longer　priests。　All　sacerdotal　or　religious
  authority　must　have　passed；　on　the　conversion　of　the　Irish　Celts；
  to　the　'tribes　of　the　saints'　　to　the　missionary　monastic
  societies　founded　at　all　points　of　the　island　　and　to　that
  multitude　of　bishops　dependent　on　them；　whom　it　is　so　difficult
  to　reconcile　with　any　of　our　preconceived　ideas　as　to　ancient
  ecclesiastical　organisation。　The　consequence　would　be　that　the
  religious　sanctions　of　the　ancient　laws；　the　supernatural
  penalties　threatened　on　their　violation；　would　disappear；　except
  so　far　as　the　legal　rules　exactly　coincided　with　the　rules　of　the
  new　Christian　code；　the　'law　of　the　letter。'　Now；　the　want　of　a
  sanction　is　occasionally　one　of　the　great　difficulties　in
  understanding　the　Brehon　law。　Suppose　a　man　disobeyed　the　rule　or
  resisted　its　application；　what　would　happen？　The　learned　writer
  of　one　of　the　modern　prefaces　prefixed　to　the　Third　Volume　of　the
  Ancient　Laws　contents　that　the　administration　of　the　Brehon
  system　consisted　in　references　to　arbitration；　and　I　certainly
  think　myself　that；　so　far　as　the　system　is　known；　it　points　to
  that　conclusion。　The　one　object　of　the　Brehons　was　to　force
  disputants　to　refer　their　quarrels　to　a　Brehon；　or　to　some　person
  in　authority　advised　by　a　Brehon；　and　thus　a　vast　deal　of　the　law
  tends　to　run　into　the　Law　of　Distress；　which　declares　the　various
  methods　by　which　a　man　can　be　compelled　through　seizure　of　his
  property　to　consent　to　an　arbitration。　But　then　one　cannot　help
  perpetually　feeling　that　the　compulsion　is　weak　as　compared　with
  the　stringency　of　the　process　of　modern　Courts　of　Justice；　and
  besides　that；　why　should　not　the　man　attempted　to　be　distrained
  upon　constantly　resist　with　success？　Doubtless　the　law　provides
  penalties　for　resistance；　but　where　is　the　ultimate　sanction？
  Caesar　supplies　an　answer；　which　must；　I　think；　contain　a　portion
  of　the　truth。　He　says　that　if　a　Celt　of　Gaul　refused　to　abide　by
  a　Druid　judgment　he　was　excommunicated：　which　was　esteemed　the
  heaviest　of　penalties。　Another　example　which　I　can　give　you　of
  the　want　or　weakness　of　the　sanction　in　the　Brehon　law　is　a　very
  remarkable　one；　and　I　shall　recur　to　it　hereafter。　If　you　have　a
  legal　claim　against　a　man　of　a　certain　rank　and　you　are　desirous
  of　compelling　him　to　discharge　it；　the　Senchus　Mor　tells　you　to
  'fast　upon　him。'　'Notice'；　it　says；　'precedes　distress　in　the
  case　of　the　inferior　grades；　except　it　be　by　persons　of
  distinction　or　upon　persons　of　distinction；　fasting　precedes
  distress　in　their　case'　（'Ancient　Laws　of　Ireland；'　vol。　i；　p。
  113）。　The　institution　is　unquestionably　identical　with　one　widely
  diffused　throughout　the　East；　which　is　called　by　the　Hindoos
  'sitting　dharna'。　It　consists　in　sitting　at　your　debtor's　door
  and　starving　yourself　till　he　pays。　From　the　English　point　of
  view　the　practice　has　always　been　considered　barbarous　and
  immoral；　and　the　Indian　Penal　Code　expressly　forbids　it。　It
  suggests；　however；　the　question　　what　would　follow　if　the
  creditor　simply　allowed　the　debtor　to　starve？　Undoubtedly　the
  Hindoo　supposes　that　some　supernatural　penalty　would　follow；
  indeed；　he　generally　gives　definiteness　to　it　by