SIMON MAGUS

a curious character mentioned in Acts 8. He seems to have been ‘a sorcerer, converted or partially converted by Philip, and then trying to buy the gift of conferring the Holy Spirit from the Apostles. In the post-apostolic lit. he appears as a false Me iah, and, according to Justin Martyr, was born in Samaria and lived at Rome under Claudius. SIMON OF ST. QUENTIN, Fr. dominican; went with Pope Innocent IV.’s unsucce ful emba y to Baigre, the Mongol ruler of Armenia. SIMON, RT. HON. SIR JOHN ALLS BE ROOK (1873), Eng. politician and lawyer; on formation of Coalition ministry of 1915, became secretary of state for home affairs, but resigned in the folowing year, owing to his disapproval of the Military Service Act; later in the same year served as major in the Royal Air Force in France, 1917-18.