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Here followeth of S. Felix, and first of his name.
Felix is said of fero, fers, that is to say as to bear, and of this word lis, litis, which is as much to say as strife. For he bare strife for the faith of our Lord Jesu Christ against all the miscreants and the idols, and destroyed them all by his blowing.
Of S. Felix.
S. Felix was a priest and so was his brother, and was named also Felix. And they were presented to Maximian and to Diocletian, which were emperors, for to sacrifice unto the gods, of whom the oldest of them, as soon as he was brought into the temple of Serapis for to do sacrifice unto the idols, he blew in his visage, and as soon as he had done so the idol fell to the earth and all tobrake. And then he was led to the idol of Mercury, on which he blew also, and it fell down then to the earth. And after he was led to the third image, which was of Diana, and did like as he had to that other. And then he was tormented with the great torment of eculeus, that is a torment which is made like a cross. Then he was brought, after, to the tree of sacrifice, for to sacrifice there. And the holy man kneeled down and prayed, and blew against the tree, and in continent the tree turned the root upward and fell down, and in the falling destroyed the simulachre with the altar and temple. And when the provost heard that, he commanded that he should there be beheaded, and that the body should be left to hounds and beasts. And there sprang a man in the middle among them confessing him freely to be a christian man, and both of them kissing other were there beheaded together. The christian men not knowing his name called him Adauctum, because he went so hardily to S. Felix, and said he was a christian man, when he suffered martyrdom. And there were they beheaded both twain together. Then christian men took the bodies and buried them in the pit where the tree fell. And after, the paynims would have taken them out, and anon they were taken of the devil. And they suffered death about the year of our Lord two hundred and eighty-seven.
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