tained a second garment, he very speedily gave to some poor naked wretch the better of the two.

Such were the piety, reputation, and merits of Felix. He died full of days and good works; and following in the track of the old fathers, was received into everlasting glory, as is evident from many signs displayed in the church wherein he was buried.

There was a certain countryman, poor in worldly goods, but rich in faith, who supported himself in straitened circumstances by the possession of two oxen, which he used in his own work, and also let out for hire to his neighbours. These oxen, which he took great care of, were one night stolen; and their owner, in the morning, when he discovered the loss, without the slightest idea of searching for and finding them, ran to the church of St. Felix, where he threw himself prostrate on the ground before the doors of the sacred house; and, fixing his eyes on the earth, besought the holy man to restore him his oxen which he had lost, and vowed never to leave the church until he should recover them. He remained there all the day, uttering cries which savoured of a rustic dialect, but nevertheless evinced the faith which was in his heart. When evening came on he was ejected by the multitude, and thrust out of the sacred edifice. He then returned home, where he continued his lamentations all the night. But, because every one who asks receives, and who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it shall be opened, and, as the Psalmist says, "The Lord hath heard the desire of the poor," at midnight, when every thing was buried in sleep, and the poor man alone was kept awake by poverty and sorrow for his loss, on a sudden, wonderful to be related, the oxen which he was seeking came to the door, as if by Divine interposition, having returned safe from the hands of the robbers, through the wild country and the darkness of night, to their owner's house. They knocked with their horns.

jam sese advenisse signabant: sed ille multum tremens, non jam boves suos, sed fures sibi rursus adesse credens, diutius fores aperire tardavit, donec idem boves, quasi causam domini tardantis intelligentes, mugitu quoque emisso se esse, qui ad ostia domestica pulsassent, demonstrarent: receptis autem bobus rusticus, non rustice sed docte ac fideliter agens, festinavit primo mane debitas redditori suo gratias rependere: assumens enim secum boves, venit ad ecclesiam sancti Felicis, omnibus et illo iter faciens, et ibidem perveniens, beneficia quæ a sancto confessore percepisset, lætabunda voce replicans et ostendens: et quia multum plorans vel inquirendo suos boves, vel in recipiendo præ gaudio oculorum quoque aciem non minimum læserat: et hujus detrimenti solatium a beato Felice quærens, accepit: sicque domum redit, duplici gratiæ cœlestis munere repletus.

Cumque in honorem ejusdem beati confessoris, augustior ecclesia fabricaretur, erant erant in proximo ipsius ecclesiæ duo rustica ædificia importuna situ, simul et deformia visu, quæ omne decus ecclesiæ non parum sua obscuritate fœdabant. Volens autem vene

rabilis ac Deo dilectus antistes Paulinus tolli hæc ædificia, et emundari loca, in quibus sita fuerant, postulavit eos, ad quorum possessionem pertinebant, hanc beato Felici præbere reverentiam, ut ad illustrandum decorandumque locum ecclesiæ ejus privata sua tecta paterentur auferri. At illi preces ejus rustica obstinatione spernentes, magis se animas dare, quam suas possessiones relinquere posse dicebant. Cumque episcopum tæderet rusticos rixa vincere, victi sunt Divinæ potentiæ manu. Nam nocte quadam, quiescentibus cunctis, subitus ignis ex una cellarum earundem exoriens, vicina paullatim ædificia petere cœpit, ita ut magis magisque suis incrementis adauctus, et prope et longe posita habitacula cuncta consumpturus esse videretur. Tunc tantis excitatis fragoribus et globis ignium, cives accur

against the door of the house, to signify that they were come back; but the poor man, in fear and trembling, thinking that the thieves were returned, durst not open the door, until the oxen, as if understanding the cause of his delay, informed him who they were by lowing. The rustic, having thus recovered his cattle, acted by no means like a rustic on the occasion, but like a wise man and a faithful Christian; for the first thing which he did in the morning was to offer up thanks to Him who had restored them. He went to the church of St. Felix, and took his oxen along with him. He joyfully told every one who met him on his way thither, and also those who were at the church, the benefits which he had received from the holy confessor; and, inasmuch as by lamenting for his loss, or from joy at their recovery, he had done no small injury to his eyes, he offered up a petition. to St. Felix, and got them cured; so that he returned home benefited in more ways than one, and full of joy.

At this time they desired to erect a more noble building in honour of the saint; and for this purpose wished to remove two small cottages of disagreeable exterior, which stood in the way, and presented a most unsightly appearance in the vicinity of the church. With this end in view, Bishop Paulinus requested their owners to pay respect to the holy Saint Felix, and suffer their private houses to be removed, in order to beautify and improve the church. The owners, however, perversely rejected his request, and said they would part with their lives rather than their property. The bishop despaired of being able to overcome their obstinacy, but this was speedily brought about by the Divine interposition for one night, when all were asleep, a conflagration suddenly arose from one of those same cells, and began to spread to the neighbouring houses, apparently gaining fresh strength every moment, and likely to consume all the houses far and near. Roused by the noise and the flames, the citizens flocked together

rerunt, ut vel incendium, si possent, omnes aquas fundendo restinguerent: vel de suis singuli domibus, quæ possent, igni præripientes, auferrent. Cumque se nil valere posse conspicerent, cœperunt quærere Divinum, ubi humanum cessabat auxilium: advolant ergo duce episcopo ad ecclesiam sancti Felicis, flectunt genua, supernæ auxilia protectionis implorant: divertunt inde ad ecclesiam beatorum Apostolorum, quæ contigua erat ecclesiæ beati Felicis: et inde per intercessionem apostolicam cœlestis præsidii dona flagitantes. Ubi postquam oratum est, rediit domum episcopus, sumptamque de ligno Dominicæ crucis non grandem assulam, misit in medium incendii furentis, statimque immensa illa volumina flammarum, quæ tanta virorum manus, aquas spargendo nequiverat, ipse lignum addendo restinxit. Tanta etenim sanctæ crucis erat virtus, ut sese natura relinqueret: et ignis qui omnia solet ligna devorare, ipse ligno Dominicæ passionis velut exustus, absumeretur. Ubi vero tempestas tanta sopita, et mane redeunte cives dira noctis opera considerare venerunt, credunt non parva tantis incendiis damna esse perpessos: inventum est autem nihil prorsus exustum, nisi quod debebat aduri. Ex illis etenim domibus duabus, de quibus prædiximus, quas et homines consumere atque auferre disposuerant, unam flammis absumptam videbant. Quo facto multum erubuit rusticus ille, qui sua tecta contra decorem sanctorum ædificiorum stolida obstinatione defenderat, cernens se invitum nulla mercede perdidisse, quæ in gratiam sanctorum sponte nolebat amittere, et mox ipse, quod igni superfuerat de ædibus, propria cœpit manu abolere, quatenus ocissime omnis circa ecclesiam beati confessoris locus congrua sanctis claritate ac luce redderetur insignis. Ablata autem omni fœditate ruderum ac sordium earundem, perstabat beatus antistes Paulinus ecclesiam quam cœperat, ad perfectum deducere: cujus ædificium omne tribus annis perfecit, et in picturis atque omni ornatu

to put out the fire, by throwing water upon it; or, at all events, to save their property from the houses. But they found all human aid was unavailing, and they began to turn their attention to prayer. Led by the bishop, they thronged to the church of St. Felix, and on bended knees supplicated for assistance from on high. They then proceeded to the adjoining church of the Apostles, and put up the same prayer. After this, the bishop returned home, and taking a small splinter of the wood of our Lord's cross, threw it into the midst of the fire. Immediately the flames subsided, and this small fragment of wood effected what so many men, with abundance of water, had not been able to accomplish. Such, indeed, was its power, that the usual nature of things was changed; and fire, which usually consumes every thing, was itself consumed by the wood of our Lord's passion. When the conflagration was over, the citizens came in the morning to see what havoc had been committed during the night, and expected to find that they were great losers: but they found that nothing had been burnt, except what deserved to be burnt. Of the two houses before-mentioned, which even themselves wished to destroy, one was utterly consumed by the flames. The owner was put to shame by the thing; for he perceived that he had lost his house all the same, without meriting any obligation from the holy father; and immediately afterwards began to pull down with his own hands all that was still standing of both the houses, so that the whole space round the church might be cleared, and be rendered worthy the merits of the saint. When all the rubbish was removed, the Bishop Paulinus persevered in rebuilding the church, and accomplished the task in three years, adding pictures, and every other proper