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Here follow the Lives of Abdon and Sennen.
Abdon is said of abscin in Greek, which is as much to say as cutte in Latin, and dolos, which is to say, as seeing. He was cut and hewn in his body and saw God by martyrdom. Sennen is said of senos in Greek, which is as much to say as wit, and en, that is, in, and thereof is Sennen as in wit, or senex as old, as who says he was old in wit.
Of SS. Abdon and Sennen.
Abdon and Sennen suffered martyrdom under Decius the emperor. When Decius the emperor had surmounted Babylon and the other provinces, he found some christian men within the city, and brought them with him bounden to the city of Corduba. And made them there to die by divers torments. And then Abdon and Sennen, which were as governors of the country, took the bodies and buried them. Then were they accused and brought to Decius, and he did do lead them with him bounden in chains to Rome. Then were they brought tofore Decius, and tofore the senators. Then was it commanded that they should do sacrifice, and they should have all their things freely, or else they should be devoured by bitings of wild beasts. But they despised to make sacrifice, and spit against the false idols and statues; and then were they drawn to the place of martyrdom, and made to be brought to them two lions and two bears, which did to them none harm ne touched them not, but rather kept them from harm. Then began they to cast spears and swords at them, and at last they were all tohewen with swords, and then they were bound by the feet and drawn through the town unto the idol of the sun, and when they had lain there three days, Quirinus, sub-deacon, took the bodies up and buried them in his house. And they suffered death about the year of our Lord two hundred and fifty-three.
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