Rare edition of one of the most famous English prose works of the 17th century, in a beautifully contemporary gold-tooled binding with gauffered edges. The work is a compilation of two titles on virtuous living and dying, and is a great example of Anglican spirituality. The present edition is quite scarce, as we have not been able to find it in any sales records.
The work combines The rule and exercises of holy living (1650) and The rule and exercises of holy dying (1651) by Jeremy Taylor (1613-1667), an Anglican bishop. However, he was also an author who was revered for his poetic style of writing, and is considered one of the masters of 17th-century English literature. He wrote mostly religious or devotional texts, and his works on holy living and dying are his most well-known. They were incredibly popular, with a new edition being printed every few years after they were first published. The present copy is a later edition, but it must have been a treasured book. It has been beautifully bound by Wheeler, an otherwise unknown bookbinder who was likely British, and kept in the library of a member of the Everingham family.
Although the works on holy living and dying were written separately, they were often combined in subsequent editions. The first part discusses the principles and practices of living a holy life, including the virtues of humility, patience, and charity. It also teaches how to increase personal piety, and avoid temptation. The second part focuses on the preparation for death and the afterlife. It provides guidance on how to face death with faith and courage, and how to prepare oneself for judgement. The work concludes with a collection of prayers for various occasions, such as morning and evening prayers, prayers for the sick and dying, and prayers for forgiveness and guidance.
With the bookplate of the Everingham family mounted on the front pastedown, and a bookbinder's stamp ("Bound by Wheeler") on the verso of the first free flyleaf. The edges of the boards are slightly scuffed, with a few scratches on the back board, the hinges are slightly weakened, but the structural integrity of the binding is still intact. The plate is slightly foxed, the title page is somewhat browned, the reading ribbon has broken, but otherwise internally very clean. Overall in good condition. WorldCat 5339039.