The Life of St. Felix, said Inpincis
Felix was surnamed Inpincis, and is said of the place where he resteth, or of the pointelles of greffes. A greffe is properly called a pointel to write in tables of wax, by which he suffered death. And some say that he was a schoolmaster and taught children, and was to them much rigorous. After he was known of the paynims, and because he confessed plainly that he was christian and believed in Jesu Christ he was delivered to be tormented into the hands of the children his scholars, whom he had taught and learned, which scholars slew him with their pointelles, pricks, and greffes, and yet the church holdeth him for no martyr but for a confessor. And the paynims said to him that he should do sacrifice to the idols, but he blew on them and anon they fell to the earth. It is read in a legend that when Maximus, bishop of Nola, and Valerian, fled the persecution of the paynims, the bishop was tormented with hunger and thirst so much that he fell down to the ground, wherefore Felix was sent of an angel to him, and he bare nothing with him for to give to him, and he saw by him a cluster of raisins hanging on a tree, which he laid on his shoulders hastily, and bare it with him. And when the bishop was dead. Felix was elected and chosen to be bishop. And as he preached on a time the persecutors sought him, and he hid him in the clefts of a broken wall, and incontinent by the will of God came spincops and made their work and nets before him that they might not find him. And when the tyrants could not find him they went their way, and he went thence and came to the house of a widow, and took there his refection of her three months, and yet he saw her never in the visage. And at last when the peace was made he went him in to his church and there died and rested in our Lord and was buried by the city in a place that was called Pincis.
And this Felix had a brother which was in likewise named Felix, and when this Felix was constrained to adore the idols he said: Ye be enemies unto your gods, for if ye bring me to them like as my brother did, and they shall fall to the earth and break.
On a time this Felix did do labour his garden where he had set coles and worts for his use, and some of his neighbours would have stolen away these coles and worts, and hoed in the garden all the night and digged, and on the morning S. Felix saluted them, and anon they confessed their sin, and he pardoned them and then they went their way.
And a little while after the paynims came for to take S. Felix, and anon so great dolour and pain took them that they began to howl as dogs. And he said to them: Believe ye in God and say ye that Jesu Christ is very God, and do you to be baptized, and ye shall be whole, and your pain shall cease, and so they did, and anon they were all whole. And after, the bishop of the idols came to him and said: Sire, as soon as our God saw thee he fled, and when I said Why fleest thou? he said: I may not suffer the virtue of Felix, and when my God doubteth thee, much more I ought to doubt thee, and when Felix had confirmed him in the faith he baptized him. And Felix said to them that adored Apollo: If Apollo be very God, let him say to me what I hold in my hand. And he had in his hand a schedule wherein was written the orison of our Lord, that is the Paternoster. And he might not answer, wherefore the paynims were converted to our Lord. And at last when he had sung his mass and the peace given to the people, he fell down in prayer upon the pavement of the church and passed out of this life unto our Lord.
Felix was surnamed Inpincis, and is said of the place where he resteth, or of the pointelles of greffes. A greffe is properly called a pointel to write in tables of wax, by which he suffered death. And some say that he was a schoolmaster and taught children, and was to them much rigorous. After he was known of the paynims, and because he confessed plainly that he was christian and believed in Jesu Christ he was delivered to be tormented into the hands of the children his scholars, whom he had taught and learned, which scholars slew him with their pointelles, pricks, and greffes, and yet the church holdeth him for no martyr but for a confessor. And the paynims said to him that he should do sacrifice to the idols, but he blew on them and anon they fell to the earth. It is read in a legend that when Maximus, bishop of Nola, and Valerian, fled the persecution of the paynims, the bishop was tormented with hunger and thirst so much that he fell down to the ground, wherefore Felix was sent of an angel to him, and he bare nothing with him for to give to him, and he saw by him a cluster of raisins hanging on a tree, which he laid on his shoulders hastily, and bare it with him. And when the bishop was dead. Felix was elected and chosen to be bishop. And as he preached on a time the persecutors sought him, and he hid him in the clefts of a broken wall, and incontinent by the will of God came spincops and made their work and nets before him that they might not find him. And when the tyrants could not find him they went their way, and he went thence and came to the house of a widow, and took there his refection of her three months, and yet he saw her never in the visage. And at last when the peace was made he went him in to his church and there died and rested in our Lord and was buried by the city in a place that was called Pincis.
And this Felix had a brother which was in likewise named Felix, and when this Felix was constrained to adore the idols he said: Ye be enemies unto your gods, for if ye bring me to them like as my brother did, and they shall fall to the earth and break.
On a time this Felix did do labour his garden where he had set coles and worts for his use, and some of his neighbours would have stolen away these coles and worts, and hoed in the garden all the night and digged, and on the morning S. Felix saluted them, and anon they confessed their sin, and he pardoned them and then they went their way.
And a little while after the paynims came for to take S. Felix, and anon so great dolour and pain took them that they began to howl as dogs. And he said to them: Believe ye in God and say ye that Jesu Christ is very God, and do you to be baptized, and ye shall be whole, and your pain shall cease, and so they did, and anon they were all whole. And after, the bishop of the idols came to him and said: Sire, as soon as our God saw thee he fled, and when I said Why fleest thou? he said: I may not suffer the virtue of Felix, and when my God doubteth thee, much more I ought to doubt thee, and when Felix had confirmed him in the faith he baptized him. And Felix said to them that adored Apollo: If Apollo be very God, let him say to me what I hold in my hand. And he had in his hand a schedule wherein was written the orison of our Lord, that is the Paternoster. And he might not answer, wherefore the paynims were converted to our Lord. And at last when he had sung his mass and the peace given to the people, he fell down in prayer upon the pavement of the church and passed out of this life unto our Lord.
