Simeon Price

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Simeon Price (born c. 1825) was a member of the British Brotherhood of Assassins who operated in the 19th century.

A childhood friend of the mathematician Ada Lovelace, Simeon was a former soldier in the British Army's 74th Regiment of Foot dispatched to Africa aboard the HMS Birkenhead to participate in the British Empire's eighth war against the Xhosa Kingdom. After being convinced by the French Assassin Henri Escoffier to desert the army and flee the sinking ship, Simeon adopted the alias of Jack Straw to hide his identity, travelling to Vienna to seek out the local Brotherhood mentioned by Henri.

In 1851, after Lovelace had been rescued from a gang of thugs by the acrobat Pierrette Arnaud, she sent her savior to find Price and work with him to stop a weapon she had developed, known as the "Engine of History", from being used. The pair managed to uncover a startling web of political assassinations destabilizing Europe.

Biography

Early life

Simeon was born in 1825 in Ealing, West London as the son of a publican and learned his education at a school owned by Lady Byron in the district. At the age of six, he was noted for being a bright student, such that even the schoolmaster could not teach him. Noticing his intelligence and quick wits, Lady Byron brought him home to keep an eye on her sixteen year-old daughter Ada, instructing that he report her every actions to her. Simeon watched Ada as he was told, but refused to disclose any of the young girl's activities to her mother, which led the baroness to send him away and deny him education.

Growing up, Simeon would spend much of his time working at his father's public bathhouse, where he poured pints, hauled cargo, and clean things. However, he did not have a good relationship with his family, including his older brother and especially his father. After a period of enduring his father's bullies, Simeon left Ealing and ran away to London, where he did whatever jobs he could to earn a living, while self-educating himself in the evenings. Some years later, Simeon met Ada by chance during a scientific demonstration in the city, during which they became close friends and often rode out to Hyde Park together. However, they stopped hanging out when Ada's health worsened which often forced her to remain home.

Service in the British Army and desertion

After working for various years as a labourer, Simeon enlisted in the British Army in 1847 and was eventually assigned to the 74th Highland Regiment of Foot, gaining the rank of lance corporal. During his service, Simeon befriended a private by the name of Sawyer Halford.

In 1851, Simeon, as part of the regiment, was assigned to South Africa aboard the HMS Birkenhead to participate in the war against the Xhosa Kingdom. While bonding with Halford, the ship hit a large rock while passing by Cape Town. When it became imminent that the ship was slowly starting to sink, Simeon was summoned by Lieutenant Grimes to get the horses set free and thrown overboard. Shortly after, Grimes was knocked down by a hooded individual who then, with Simeon's help, helped to rescue the sailors trapped in the flooded quarters. After pulling a number of men to safety and a drowned aboard, the hooded individual encouraged Simeon to abandon the ship save his own life. However, Simeon insisted on staying with him to make sure that they get to a boat safely together.

Behind the scenes

Simeon Price is a character introduced in the first novel of the Assassin's Creed: The Engine of History series, The Magus Conspiracy, written by Kate Heartfield and released in August 2022.

Etymology

The given name Simeon comes from the Hebrew שמעון (Biblical Šimʿon, Tiberian Šimʿôn), derived from Simeon, son of Jacob and Leah, patriarch of the Tribe of Simeon. Possible derivations include; the Hebrew term shama on, meaning "he has heard," or sham 'in, meaning "there is sin."

The surname Price is of Welsh origin, it is a patronymic name that comes from 'ap Rhys' given to those who are the son or descendant of Rhys. Another less likely origin is that of the Cornish pras meaning "meadow", referring to those who lived at or near a meadow.

Appearances

• Assassin's Creed: The Engine of History – The Magus Conspiracy