[1] Even the Democratic party has generally been liberal; although
less so in theory (hardly less so in practice) than its opponents.
FEDERICI, CAMILLO (1749-1802), Italian dramatist and actor, was born at
Garessio, a small town in Piedmont, on the 9th of April 1749. His real
name was Giovanni Battista Viassolo, and that by which he is now known
and which he transmitted to his children was taken from the title of one
of his first pieces, _Camillo e Federico_. He was educated at Turin, and
showed at an early age a great fondness for literature and especially
for the theatre. The praises bestowed on his early attempts determined
his choice of a career, and he obtained engagements with several
companies both as writer and actor. He made a happy marriage in 1777,
and soon after left the stage and devoted himself entirely to
composition. He settled at Padua, and the reputation of his numerous
comedies rapidly spread in Italy, and for a time seemed to eclipse that
of his predecessors. Most of his pieces were of the melodramatic class,
and he too often resorted to the same means of exciting interest and
curiosity. He caught, however, something of the new spirit which was
manifesting itself in German dramatic literature in the works of
Schiller, Iffland and Kotzebue, and the moral tone of his plays is
generally healthy. Fortune did not smile upon him; but he found a
helpful friend in a wealthy merchant of Padua, Francis Barisan, for
whose private theatre he wrote many pieces. He was attacked in 1791 with
a dangerous malady which disabled him for several years; and he had the
misfortune to see his works, in the absence of any copyright law,
published by others without his permission. At length, in 1802, he
undertook to prepare a collected edition; but of this four volumes only
were completed when he was again attacked with illness, and died at
Padua (December 23).
The publication of his works was completed in 14 volumes in 1816.
Another edition in 26 volumes was published at Florence in 1826-1827.
A biographical memoir of Federici by Neymar appeared at Venice in
1838.
FEE, an estate in land held of a superior lord on condition of the
performance of homage or service (see FEUDALISM). In English law "fee"
signifies an estate of inheritance (i.e. an estate descendable to the
heirs of the grantee so long as there are any in existence) as opposed
to an estate for life. It is divisible into three species: (1) fee
simple; (2) conditional fee; (3) fee tail. (See ESTATE.) A fee farm rent
is the rent reserved on granting a fee farm, i.e. land in fee simple, to
be held by the tenant and his heirs at a yearly rent. It is generally at
least one-fourth of the value of the land at the time of its
reservation. (See RENT.)
The word "fee" has also the sense of remuneration for services,
especially the _honorarium_ paid to a doctor, lawyer or member of any
other profession. It is also used of a fixed sum paid for the right to
enter for an examination, or on admission to membership of a university
or other society. This sense of the word is taken by the _New English
Dictionary_ to be due to a use of "fee" in its feudal sense, and to
represent a sum paid to the holder of an office "in fee."
The etymology of the Med. Lat. _feudum_, _feodum_ or _feum_, of its
French equivalent _fief_, and English "fee," in Scots law "feu" (q.v.),
is extremely obscure. (See the _New English Dictionary_, s.v. "Fee.")
There is a common Teutonic word represented in Old English as _feoh_ or
_feo_, in Old High German as _fehu_, meaning property in the shape of
cattle (cf. modern Ger. _Vieh_, Dutch _vee_). The old Aryan _peku_ gives
Sanskrit _pacu_, Lat. _pecus_, cattle, whence _pecunia_, money. The O.
Eng. _feoh_, in the sense of money, possibly survives in "fee,"
honorarium, though this is not the view of the _New English Dictionary_.
The common explanation of the Med. Lat. _feudum_ or _feodum_, of which
Ducange (_Glossarium_, s.v.) gives an example from a constitution of the
emperor Charles the Fat of the year 884, is that it is formed from the
Teutonic _fehu_, property, and _od_, wealth (cf. ALLODIUM and UDAL).
This would apparently restrict the original meaning to movable property,
while the early applications of _feudum_ are to the enjoyment of
something granted in return for service (_beneficium_). Another theory
takes the origin to be _fehu_ alone, in a particular sense of wages,
payment for services. This leaves the _d-_ of _feudum_ unexplained. Some
have taken the origin to be a verbal form _feudare_ = _feum dare_.
Another theory finds the source in the O. High Ger. _fehon_, to eat,
feed upon, "take for one's enjoyment."
FEHLING, HERMANN VON (1812-1885), German chemist, was born at Lubeck on
the 9th of June 1812. With the intention of taking up pharmacy he
entered Heidelberg University about 1835, and after graduating went to
Giessen as _preparateur_ to Liebig, with whom he elucidated the
composition of paraldehyde and metaldehyde. In 1839 on Liebig's
recommendation he was appointed to the chair of chemistry in the
polytechnic at Stuttgart, and held it till within three years of his
death, which happened at Stuttgart on the 1st of July 1885. His earlier
work included an investigation of succinic acid, and the preparation of
phenyl cyanide (benzonitrile), the simplest nitrile of the aromatic
series; but later his time was mainly occupied with questions of
technology and public health rather than with pure chemistry. Among the
analytical methods worked up by him the best known is that for the
estimation of sugars by "Fehling's solution," which consists of a
solution of cupric sulphate mixed with alkali and potassium-sodium
tartrate (Rochelle salt). He was a contributor to the _Handworterbuch_
of Liebig, Wohler and Poggendorff, and to the Graham-Otto _Textbook of
Chemistry_, and for many years was a member of the committee of revision
of the _Pharmacopoeia Germanica_.
FEHMARN, an island of Germany, belonging to the Prussian province of
Schleswig-Holstein, in the Baltic, separated from the north-east corner
of Holstein by a strait known as the Fehmarn-Sund, less than a quarter
of a mile in breadth. It is a gently undulating tract of country, about
120 sq. m. in area, bare of forest but containing excellent
pasture-land, and rears cattle in considerable numbers. Pop. 10,000.
FEHMIC COURTS (Ger. _Femgerichte_, or _Vehmgerichte_, of disputed
origin, but probably, according to J. Grimm, from O. High Ger. _feme_ or
_feime_, a court of justice), certain tribunals which, during the middle
ages, exercised a powerful and sometimes sinister jurisdiction in
Germany, and more especially in Westphalia. Their origin is uncertain,
but is traceable to the time of Charlemagne and in all probability to
the old Teutonic free courts. They were, indeed, also known as free
courts (_Freigerichte_), a name due to the fact that all free-born men
were eligible for membership and also to the fact that they claimed
certain exceptional liberties. Their jurisdiction they owed to the
emperor, from whom they received the power of life and death
(_Blutbann_) which they exercised in his name. The sessions were often
held in secret, whence the names of secret court (_heimliches Gericht_,
_Stillgericht_, &c.); and these the uninitiated were forbidden to
attend, on pain of death, which led to the designation forbidden courts
(_verbotene Gerichte_). Legend and romance have combined to exaggerate
the sinister reputation of the Fehmic courts; but modern historical
research has largely discounted this, proving that they never employed
torture, that their sittings were only sometimes secret, and that their
meeting-places were always well known. They were, in fact, a survival of
an ancient and venerable German institution; and if, during a certain
period, they exercised something like a reign of terror over a great
part of Germany, the cause of this lay in the sickness of the times,
which called for some powerful organization to combat the growing feudal
anarchy. Such an organization the Westphalian free courts, with their
discipline of terror and elaborate system of secret service, were well
calculated to supply. Everywhere else the power of life and death,
originally reserved to the emperor alone, had been usurped by the
territorial nobles; only in Westphalia, called "the Red Earth" because
here the imperial blood-ban was still valid, were capital sentences
passed and executed by the Fehmic courts in the emperor's name alone.
The system, though ancient, began to become of importance only after the
division of the duchy of Saxony on the fall of Henry the Lion, when the
archbishop of Cologne, duke of Westphalia from 1180 onwards, placed
himself as representative of the emperor at the head of the Fehme. The
organization now rapidly spread. Every free man, born in lawful wedlock,
and neither excommunicate nor outlaw, was eligible for membership.
Princes and nobles were initiated; and in 1429 even the emperor
Sigismund himself became "a true and proper _Freischoffe_ of the Holy
Roman Empire." By the middle of the 14th century these _Freischoffen_
(Latin _scabini_), sworn associates of the Fehme, were scattered in
thousands throughout the length and breadth of Germany, known to each
other by secret signs and pass-words, and all of them pledged to serve
the summons of the secret courts and to execute their judgment.
The organization of the Fehme was elaborate. The head of each centre of
jurisdiction (_Freistuhl_), often a secular or spiritual prince,
sometimes a civic community, was known as the _Stuhlherr_, the
archbishop of Cologne being, as stated above, supreme over all
(_Oberststuhlherr_). The actual president of the court was the
_Freigraf_ (free count) chosen for life by the _Stuhlherr_ from among
the _Freischoffen_, who formed the great body of the initiated. Of these
the lowest rank were the _Fronboten_ or _Freifronen_, charged with the
maintenance of order in the courts and the duty of carrying out the
commands of the _Freigraf_. The immense development of the Fehme is
explained by the privileges of the _Freischoffen_; for they were subject
to no jurisdiction but those of the Westphalian courts, whether as
accused or accuser they had access to the secret sessions, and they
shared in the discussions of the general chapter as to the policy of the
society. At their initiation these swore to support the Fehme with all
their powers, to guard its secrets, and to bring before its tribunal
anything within its competence that they might discover. They were then
initiated into the secret signs by which members recognized each other,
and were presented with a rope and with a knife on which were engraved
the mystic letters S.S.G.G., supposed to mean _Strick_, _Stein_, _Gras_,
_Grun_ (rope, stone, grass, green).
The procedure of the Fehmic courts was practically that of the ancient
German courts generally. The place of session, known as the _Freistuhl_
(free seat), was usually a hillock, or some other well-known and
accessible spot. The _Freigraf_ and _Schoffen_ occupied the bench,
before which a table, with a sword and rope upon it, was placed. The
court was held by day and, unless the session was declared secret, all
freemen, whether initiated or not, were admitted. The accusation was in
the old German form; but only a _Freischoffe_ could act as accuser. If
the offence came under the competence of the court, i.e. was punishable
by death, a summons to the accused was issued under the seal of the
_Freigraf_. This was not usually served on him personally, but was
nailed to his door, or to some convenient place where he was certain to
pass. Six weeks and three days' grace were allowed, according to the old
Saxon law, and the summons was thrice repeated. If the accused appeared,
the accuser stated the case, and the investigation proceeded by the
examination of witnesses as in an ordinary court of law. The judgment
was put into execution on the spot if that was possible. The secret
court, from whose procedure the whole institution has acquired its evil
reputation, was closed to all but the initiated, although these were so
numerous as to secure quasi-publicity; any one not a member on being
discovered was instantly put to death, and the members present were
bound under the same penalty not to disclose what took place. Crimes of
a serious nature, and especially those that were deemed unfit for
ordinary judicial investigation--such as heresy and witchcraft--fell
within its jurisdiction, as also did appeals by persons condemned in the
open courts, and likewise the cases before those tribunals in which the
accused had not appeared. The accused if a member could clear himself by
his own oath, unless he had revealed the secrets of the Fehme. If he
were one of the uninitiated it was necessary for him to bring forward
witnesses to his innocence from among the initiated, whose number varied
according to the number on the side of the accuser, but twenty-one in
favour of innocence necessarily secured an acquittal. The only
punishment which the secret court could inflict was death. If the
accused appeared, the sentence was carried into execution at once; if he
did not appear, it was quickly made known to the whole body, and the
_Freischoffe_ who was the first to meet the condemned was bound to put
him to death. This was usually done by hanging, the nearest tree serving
for gallows. A knife with the cabalistic letters was left beside the
corpse to show that the deed was not a murder.
That an organization of this character should have outlived its
usefulness and issued in intolerable abuses was inevitable. With the
growing power of the territorial sovereigns and the gradual improvement
of the ordinary process of justice, the functions of the Fehmic courts
were superseded. By the action of the emperor Maximilian and of other
German princes they were, in the 16th century, once more restricted to
Westphalia, and here, too, they were brought under the jurisdiction of
the ordinary courts, and finally confined to mere police duties. With
these functions, however, but with the old forms long since robbed of
their impressiveness, they survived into the 19th century. They were
finally abolished by order of Jerome Bonaparte, king of Westphalia, in
1811. The last _Freigraf_ died in 1835.
AUTHORITIES.--P. Wigand, _Das Femgericht Westfalens_ (Hamm, 1825, 2nd
ed., Halle, 1893); L. Tross, _Sammlung merkwurdiger Urkunden fur die
Geschichte der Femgerichte_ (Hanover, 1826); F.P. Usener, _Die frei-
und heimlichen Gerichte Westfalens_ (Frankfort, 1832); K.G. von
Wachter, _Beitrage zur deutschen Gesch., insbesondere ... des
deutschen Strafrechts_ (Tubingen, 1845); O. Wachter, F_emgerichte und
Hexenprozesse in Deutschland_ (Stuttgart, 1882); T. Lindner, _Die
Feme_ (Munster and Paderborn, 1888); F. Thudichum, _Femgericht und
Inquisition_ (Giessen, 1889) whose theory concerning the origin of the
_Fehme_ is combated in T. Lindner's _Der angebliche Ursprung der
Femgerichte aus der Inquisition_ (Paderborn, 1890). For works on
individual aspects see further Dahlmann-Waitz, _Quellenkunde_ (ed.
Leipzig, 1906), p. 401; also _ib._ supplementary vol. (1907), p. 78.
FEHRBELLIN, a town of Germany, in the kingdom of Prussia, on the Rhine,
40 m. N.W. from Berlin on the railway to Neu-Ruppin. Pop. (1905) 1602.
It has a Protestant and a Roman Catholic church and some small
industries, among them that of wooden shoes. Fehrbellin is memorable in
history as the scene of the famous victory gained, on the 18th of June
1675, by the great elector, Frederick William of Prussia, over the
Swedes under Field-Marshal Wrangel. A monument was erected in 1879 on
the field of battle, near the village of Hakenberg, to commemorate this
great feat of arms.
See A. von Witzleben and P. Hassel, _Zum 200-jahrigen Gedenktag von
Fehrbellin_ (Berlin, 1875); G. Sello, "Fehrbellin," in _Deutsche
Zeitschrift fur Geschichtswissenschaften_, vii.; M. Jahns, "Der Grosse
Kurfurst bei Fehrbellin, &c.," in _Hohenzollern Jahrbuch_, i.
FEIJOO Y MONTENEGRO, BENITO JERONIMO (1676-1764), Spanish monk and
scholar was born at Santa Maria de Melias, near Orense, on the 8th of
October 1676. At the age of twelve he entered the Benedictine order,
devoted himself to study, and waged war against the superstition and
ignorance of his countrymen in the _Teatro cri-tico_ (1726-1739) and the
_Cartas eruditas_ (1742-1760). These exposures of a retrograde system
called forth embittered protests from narrow-minded patriots like
Salvador Jose Maner, and others; but the opposition was futile, and
Feijoo's services to the cause of knowledge were universally recognized
long before his death, which took place at Oviedo on the 26th of
September 1764. He was not a great genius, nor a writer of transcendent
merit; his name is connected with no important discovery, and his style
is undistinguished. But he uprooted many popular errors, awakened an
interest in scientific methods, and is justly regarded as the initiator
of educational reform in Spain.
FEITH, RHIJNVIS (1753-1824), Dutch poet, was born of an aristocratic
family at Zwolle, the capital of the province Overijssel, on the 7th of
February 1753. He was educated at Harderwijk and at the university of
Leiden, where he took his degree in 1770. In 1772 he settled at his
birthplace, and married. In 1780, in his twenty-seventh year, he became
burgomaster of Zwolle. He built a luxurious villa, which he named
Boschwijk, in the outskirts of the town, and there he lived in the
greatest comfort. His first important production was _Julia_, in 1783, a
novel written in emulation of _Werther_, and steeped in _Weltschmerz_
and despair. This was followed by the tragedy of _Thirsa_ (1784);
_Ferdinand and Constantia_ (1785), another _Werther_ novel; and _The
Patriots_ (1784), a tragedy. Bilderdijk and other writers attacked his
morbid melancholy, and Johannes Kinker (1764-1845) parodied his novels,
but his vogue continued. In 1791 he published a tragedy of _Lady Jane
Grey_; in 1792 a didactic poem, _The Grave_, in four cantos; in 1793
_Inez de Castro_; in 1796 to 1814 five volumes of _Odes and
Miscellaneous Poems_; and in 1802 _Old Age_, in six cantos. He died at
Zwolle on the 8th of February 1824.
His works were collected (Rotterdam, 11 vols.) in 1824, with a
biographical notice by N.G. van Kampen.
FEJER, GYORGY (1766-1851), Hungarian author, was born on the 23rd of
April 1766, at Keszthely, in the county of Zala. He studied philosophy
at Pest, and theology at Pressburg; eventually, in 1808, he obtained a
theological professorship at Pest University. Ten years later (1818) he
became chief director of the educational circle of Raab, and in 1824 was
appointed librarian to the university of Pest. Fejer's works, which are
nearly all written either in Latin or Hungarian, exceed one hundred and
eighty in number. His most important work, _Codex diplomaticus Hungariae
ecclesiasticus ac civilis_, published from 1829 to 1844, in eleven
so-called tomes, really exceeds forty volumes. It consists of old
documents and charters from A.D. 104 to the end of 1439, and forms an
extraordinary monument of patient industry. This work and many others
relating to Hungarian national history have placed Fejer in the foremost
rank of Hungarian historians. He died on the 2nd of July 1851. His
latest works were _A Kunok eredete_ (_The Origin of the Huns_), and _A
politikai forradalmak okai_ (_The Causes of Political Revolutions_),
both published in 1850. The latter production, on account of its liberal
tendencies, was suppressed by the Austrian government.
See _Magyar Irok: Eletrajz-gyujtemeny_ (Pest, 1856), and _A Magyar
nemzeti irodalomtortenet vazlata_ (Pest, 1861).
FELANITX, or FELANICHE, a town of Spain, in the south-east of the island
of Majorca, Balearic Islands; about 5 m. inland from its harbour, Puerto
Colon. Pop. (1900) 11,294. A range of low hills intervenes between
Felanitx and the Mediterranean; upon one summit, the Puig de San
Sebastian, stands a Moorish castle with a remarkable series of
subterranean vaults. From the 3rd century B.C., and possibly for a
longer period, earthenware water-coolers and other pottery have been
manufactured in the town, and many of the vessels produced are
noteworthy for their beauty of form and antiquity of design. There is a
thriving trade in wine, fruit, wheat, cattle, brandy, chalk and soap.
FELDKIRCH, a small town in the Austrian province of the Vorarlberg, some
20 m. S. of the S. end of the Lake of Constance. It is situated in a
green hollow, on the Ill river, between the two narrow rocky gorges
through which it flows out into the broad valley of the Rhine. Hence,
though containing only about 4000 inhabitants (German-speaking and
Romanist), the town is of great military importance, since it commands
the entrance into Tirol from the west, over the Arlberg Pass (5912 ft.),
and has been the scene of many conflicts, the last in 1799, when the
French, under Oudinot and Massena, were driven back by the Austrians
under Hotze and Jellachich. It is a picturesque little town,
overshadowed by the old castle of Schattenburg (now a poor-house), built
about 1200 by the count of Montfort, whose descendant in 1375 sold it to
the Habsburgs. The town contains many administrative offices, and is the
residence of a suffragan bishop, who acts as vicar-general of the
diocesan, the bishop of Brixen. Among the principal buildings are the
parish church, dating from 1487, and possessing a "Descent from the
Cross" (1521), which has been attributed to Holbein, the great Jesuit
educational establishment called "Stella Matutina," and a Capuchin
convent and church. There is a considerable amount of transit trade at
Feldkirch, which by rail is 11 m. from Buchs (Switzerland), through the
principality of Liechtenstein, 24 m. from Bregenz, and 99-1/2 m. from
Innsbruck by tunnel beneath the Arlberg Pass. The town also possesses
numerous industrial establishments, such as factories for
cotton-spinning, weaving, bell-founding, dyeing, &c. (W. A. B. C.)
FELIBIEN, ANDRE (1610-1695), sieur des Avaux et de Javercy, French
architect and historiographer, was born at Chartres in May 1619. At the
age of fourteen he went to Paris to continue his studies; and in 1647 he
was sent to Rome in the capacity of secretary of embassy to the Marquis
de Marueil. His residence at Rome he turned to good account by diligent
study of its ancient monuments, by examination of the literary treasures
of its libraries, and by cultivating the acquaintance of men eminent in
literature and in art, with whom he was brought into contact through his
translation of Cardinal Barberini's _Life of Pius V_. Among his friends
was Nicholas Poussin, whose counsels were of great value to him. On his
return to France he married, and was ultimately induced, in the hope of
employment and honours, to settle in Paris. Both Fouquet and Colbert in
their turn recognized his abilities; and he was one of the first members
(1663) of the Academy of Inscriptions. Three years later Colbert procured
him the appointment of historiographer to the king. In 1671 he was named
secretary to the newly-founded Academy of Architecture, and in 1673
keeper of the cabinet of antiques in the palace of Brion. To these
offices was afterwards added by Louvois that of deputy controller-general
of roads and bridges. Felibien found time in the midst of his official
duties for study and research, and produced many literary works. Among
these the best and the most generally known is the _Entretiens sur les
vies et sur les ouvrages des plus excellents peintres anciens et
modernes_, which appeared in successive livraisons, the first in 1666,
and the fifth in 1688. It was republished with several additions at
Amsterdam in 1706, and again at Trevoux in 1725. Felibien wrote also
_Origine de la peinture_ (1660), _Principes de l'architecture, de la
sculpture, de la peinture_, &c. (1676-1690), and descriptions of
Versailles, of La Trappe, and of the pictures and statues of the royal
residences. Among other literary works, he edited the _Conferences_ of
the Academy of Painting, and translated the _Castle of the Soul_ from the
Spanish of St Theresa. His personal character commanded the highest
esteem, agreeing with the motto which he adopted--_Bene facere et vera
dicere_. He died in Paris on the 11th of June 1695.
His son, Jean Francois Felibien (c. 1658-1733), was also an architect
who left a number of works on his subject; and a younger son, Michel
Felibien (c. 1666-1719), was a Benedictine of Saint Germain-des-Pres
whose fame rests on his _Histoire de l'abbaye royale de S. Denys en
France_, and also his _L'Histoire de la ville de Paris_ in 5 vols., a
work indispensable to the student of Paris.
FELIX, the name of five popes.
FELIX I., pope from January 269 until his death in January 274. He has
been claimed as a martyr, and as such his name is given in the Roman
calendar and elsewhere, but his title to this honour is by no means
proved, and he has been probably confused with another bishop of the
same name. He appears in connexion with the dispute in the church of
Antioch between Paul of Samosata, who had been deprived of his bishopric
by a council of bishops for heresy, and his successor Domnus. Paul
refused to give way, and in 272 the emperor Aurelian was asked to decide
between the rivals. He ordered the church building to be given to the
bishop who was "recognized by the bishops of Italy and of the city of
Rome" (Felix). See Eusebius, _Hist. Ecc._ vii. 30.
FELIX II., antipope, was in 356 raised from the archdeaconate of Rome to
the papal chair, when Liberius was banished by the emperor Constantius
for refusing to subscribe the sentence of condemnation against
Athanasius. His election was contrary to the wishes both of the clergy
and of the people, and the consecration ceremony was performed by
certain prelates belonging to the court. In 357 Constantius, at the
urgent request of an influential deputation of Roman ladies, agreed to
the release of Liberius on condition that he signed the semi-Arian
creed. Constantius also issued an edict to the effect that the two
bishops should rule conjointly, but Liberius, on his entrance into Rome
in the following year, was received by all classes with so much
enthusiasm that Felix found it necessary to retire at once from Rome.
Regarding the remainder of his life little is known, and the accounts
handed down are contradictory, but he appears to have spent the most of
it in retirement at his estate near Porto. He died in 365.
FELIX III., pope, was descended from one of the most influential
families of Rome, and was a direct ancestor of Gregory the Great. He
succeeded Simplicius in the papal chair on the 2nd of March 483. His
first act was to repudiate the Henoticon, a deed of union, originating,
it is supposed, with Acacius, patriarch of Constantinople, and published
by the emperor Zeno with the view of allaying the strife between the
Monophysites and their opponents in the Eastern church. He also
addressed a letter of remonstrance to Acacius; but the latter proved
refractory, and sentence of deposition was passed against him. As
Acacius, however, had the support of the emperor, a schism arose between
the Eastern and Western churches, which lasted for 34 years. Felix died
in 492.
FELIX IV., pope, a native of Beneventum, was, on the death of John in
526, raised to the papal chair by the emperor Theodoric in opposition to
the wishes of the clergy and people. His election was followed by
serious riots. To prevent a recrudescence of these, Felix, on his
death-bed, thought it advisable to nominate his own successor. His
choice fell upon the archdeacon Boniface (pope as Boniface II.). But
this proceeding was contrary to all tradition and roused very serious
opposition. Out of two old buildings adapted by him to Christian
worship, Felix made the church of SS. Cosimo and Damiano, near the Via
Sacra. He died in September 530.
FELIX V., the name taken by Amadeus (1383-1451), duke of Savoy, when he
was elected pope in opposition to Eugenius IV. in 1439. Amadeus was born
at Chambery on the 4th of December 1383, and succeeded his father,
Amadeus VII., as count of Savoy in 1391. Having added largely to his
patrimonial possessions he became very powerful, and in 1416 the German
king Sigismund erected Savoy into a duchy; after this elevation Amadeus
added Piedmont to his dominions. Then suddenly, in 1434, the duke
retired to a hermitage at Ripaille, near Thonon, resigning his duchy to
his son Louis (d. 1465), although he seems to have taken some part in
its subsequent administration. It is said, but some historians doubt the
story, that, instead of leading a life of asceticism, he spent his
revenues in furthering his own luxury and enjoyment. In 1439, when Pope
Eugenius IV. was deposed by the council of Basel, Amadeus, although not
in orders, was chosen as his successor, and was crowned in the following
year as Felix V. In the stormy conflict between the rival popes which
followed, the German king, Frederick IV., after some hesitation sided
with Eugenius, and having steadily lost ground Felix renounced his claim
to the pontificate in 1449 in favour of Nicholas V., who had been
elected on the death of Eugenius. He induced Nicholas, however, to
appoint him as apostolic vicar-general in Savoy, Piedmont and other
parts of his own dominions, and to make him a cardinal. Amadeus died at
Geneva on the 7th of January 1451.
FELIX, a missionary bishop from Burgundy, sent into East Anglia by
Honorius of Canterbury (630-631). Under King Sigebert his mission was
successful, and he became first bishop of East Anglia, with a see at
Dunwich, where he died and was buried, 647-648. It is noteworthy that
the Irish monk Furseus preached in East Anglia at the same time, and
Bede notices the admiration of Felix for Aidan.
See Bede, _Hist. Eccl._ (Plummer), ii. 15, iii. 18, 20, 25; _Saxon
Chronicle_ (Earle and Plummer), s.a. 636.
FELIX, of Urgella (fl. 8th century), Spanish bishop, the friend of
Elipandus and the propagator of his views in the great Adoptian
Controversy (see ADOPTIANISM).
FELIX, of Valois (1127-1212), one of the founders of the monastic order
of Trinitarians or Redemptionists, was born in the district of Valois,
France, on the 19th of April 1127. In early manhood he became a hermit
in the forest of Galeresse, where he remained till his sixty-first year,
when his disciple Jean de Matha (1160-1213) suggested to him the idea of
establishing an order of monks who should devote their lives to the
redemption of Christian captives from the Saracens. They journeyed to
Rome about the end of 1197, obtained the sanction of the pope, and on
their return to France founded the monastery of Cerfroi in Picardy.
Felix remained to govern and propagate the order, while Jean de Matha
superintended the foreign journeys. A subordinate establishment was also
founded by Felix in Paris near a chapel dedicated to St Mathurin, on
which account his monks were also called St Mathurins. He died at
Cerfroi on the 4th of November 1212, and was canonized.
FELIX, ANTONIUS, Roman procurator of Judaea (A.D. 52-60), in succession
to Ventidius Cumanus. He was a freedman either of the emperor
Claudius--according to which theory Josephus (_Antiq._ xx. 7) calls him
Claudius Felix--or more probably of the empress Antonia. On entering his
province he induced Drusilla, wife of Azizus of Homs (Emesa), to leave
her husband and live with him as his wife. His cruelty and
licentiousness, coupled with his accessibility to bribes, led to a great
increase of crime in Judaea. To put down the Zealots he favoured an even
more violent sect, the Sicarii ("Dagger-men"), by whose aid he contrived
the murder of the high-priest Jonathan. The period of his rule was
marked by internal feuds and disturbances, which he put down with
severity. The apostle Paul, after being apprehended in Jerusalem, was
sent to be judged before Felix at Caesarea, and kept in custody for two
years (Acts xxiv.). On returning to Rome, Felix was accused of having
taken advantage of a dispute between the Jews and Syrians of Caesarea to
slay and plunder the inhabitants, but through the intercession of his
brother, the freedman Pallas, who had great influence with the emperor
Nero, he escaped unpunished.
See Tacitus, _Annals_, xx. 54, _Hist._ v. 9; Suetonius, _Claudius_,
28; E. Schurer, _History of the Jewish People_ (1890-1891); article in
Hastings' _Dict. of the Bible_ (A. Robertson); commentaries on the
Acts of the Apostles; Sir W.M. Ramsay, _St Paul the Traveller_; Carl
v. Weizsacker, _Apostolic Age_ (Eng. trans., 1894); art. JEWS.
FELIX, LIA (1830- ), French actress, was the third sister and the
pupil of the great Rachel. She had hardly been given any trial when, by
chance, she was called on to create the leading woman's part in
Lamartine's _Toussaint Louverture_ at the Porte St Martin on the 6th of
April 1850. The play did not make a hit, but the young actress was
favourably noticed, and several important parts were immediately
entrusted to her. She soon came to be recognized as one of the best
comediennes in Paris. Rachel took Lia to America with her to play second
parts, and on returning to Paris she played at several of the principal
theatres, although her health compelled her to retire for several years.
When she reappeared at the Gaiete in the title-role of Jules Barbier's
_Jeanne d'Arc_ she had an enormous success.
FELIXSTOWE, a seaside resort of Suffolk, England; fronting both to the
North Sea and to the estuary of the Orwell, where there are piers. Pop.
of urban district of Felixstowe and Walton (1901), 5815. It is 85 m.
N.E. by E. from London by a branch line from Ipswich of the Great
Eastern railway; and is in the Woodbridge parliamentary division of the
county. It has good golf links, and is much frequented by visitors for
its bracing climate and sea-bathing. There is a small dock, and
phosphate of lime is extensively dug in the neighbourhood and exported
for use as manure. The neighbouring village of Walton, a short distance
inland, receives many visitors. The vicinity has yielded numerous Roman
remains, and there was a Roman fort in the neighbourhood (now destroyed
by the sea), forming part of the coast defence of the Litus Saxonicum in
the 4th century.
FELL, JOHN (1625-1686), English divine, son of Samuel Fell, dean of
Christ Church, Oxford, was born at Longworth in Berkshire and received
his first education at the free school at Thame in Oxfordshire. In 1636
he obtained a studentship at Christ Church, and in 1640 he was specially
allowed by Archbishop Laud on account of his "known desert," when
wanting one term's residence, to proceed to his degree of B.A. He
obtained his M.A. in 1643 and took holy orders (deacon 1647, priest
1649). During the Civil War he bore arms for the king and held a
commission as ensign. In 1648 he was deprived of his studentship by the
parliamentary visitors, and during the next few years he resided chiefly
at Oxford with his brother-in-law, Dr T. Willis, at whose house opposite
Merton College he and his friends Allestree and Dolben kept up the
service of the Church of England through the Commonwealth.
At the Restoration Fell was made prebendary of Chichester, canon of
Christ Church (July 27, 1660), dean (Nov. 30), master of St Oswald's
hospital, Worcester, chaplain to the king, and D.D. He filled the office
of vice-chancellor from 1666 to 1669, and was consecrated bishop of
Oxford, in 1676, retaining his deanery _in commendam_. Some years later
he declined the primacy of Ireland. Fell showed himself a most capable
and vigorous administrator in his various high employments, and a worthy
disciple of Archbishop Laud. He restored in the university the good
order instituted by the archbishop, which in the Commonwealth had given
place to anarchy and a general disregard of authority. He ejected the
intruders from his college or else "fixed them in loyal principles." "He
was the most zealous man of his time for the Church of England," says
Wood, "and none that I yet know of did go beyond him in the performance
of the rules belonging thereunto." He attended chapel four times a day,
restored to the services, not without some opposition, the organ and
surplice, and insisted on the proper academical dress which had fallen
into disuse. He was active in recovering church property, and by his
directions a children's catechism was drawn up by Thomas Marshall for
use in his diocese. "As he was among the first of our clergy," says
Burnet, "that apprehended the design of bringing in popery, so he was
one of the most zealous against it." He was forward in making converts
from the Roman Catholics and Nonconformists. On the other hand, it is
recorded to his honour that he opposed successfully the incorporation of
Titus Oates as D.D. in the university in October 1679; and according to
the testimony of William Nichols, his secretary, he disapproved of the
Exclusion Bill. He excluded the undergraduates, whose presence had been
irregularly permitted, from convocation. He obliged the students to
attend lectures, instituted reforms in the performances of the public
exercises in the schools, kept the examiners up to their duties, and
himself attended the examinations. He encouraged the students to act
plays. He entirely suppressed "_coursing_," i.e. disputations in which
the rival parties "ran down opponents in arguments," and which commonly
ended in blows and disturbances. He was an excellent disciplinarian and
possessed a special talent for the education of young men, many of whom
he received into his own family and watched over their progress with
paternal care. Tom Browne, author of the _Dialogues of the Dead_, about
to be expelled from Oxford for some offence, was pardoned by Fell on the
condition of his translating extempore the 33rd epigram from Martial:--
"Non amo te, Sabidi, nec possum dicere quare;
Hoc tantum possum dicere, non amo te."