The rule and exercises of holy dying. In which are described the means and instruments of preparing our selves, and others respectively, for a blessed death: and the remedies against the evils and temptations proper to the state of sicknesse. Together with prayers and acts of vertue to be used by sick and dying persons, or by others standing in their attendance. To which are added. Rules for the visitation of the sick, and offices proper for that ministery.

Jeremy Taylor

Edité par printed for R. Royston, and are to be sold at the Angel in Ivy-Lane, London, 1651

A propos de cet article

[40], 339, [5] p., 1 folded plate : ill. ; 12?. Complete with added engraved title page and advertisement leaf at end (but lacking last blank leaf). Conforms to ESTC No. R210553. The Epistle Dedicatory signed: Taylor.

This is the rare first edition of Jeremy Taylor?s contribution to the medieval ars moriendi tradition, which many have considered the poetic apex of the literature. Taylor was a theologian and cleric who has been called the ?Shakespeare of the divines? for his poetic prose writings, and Samuel Taylor Coleridge considered Taylor ?among the four masters of early seventeenth century literature, with Shakespeare, Bacon, and Milton.? Other than the engraved title page, there is one illustration: a fold-out engraving showing Taylor instructing a family on the image of death.

The work followed Taylor?s 'The Rule and Exercises of Holy Living' in 1650, which instructed the reader on how to live a virtuous life. Contrasted with that work, ?Holy Dying? instructed the reader to prepare for a blessed death. Written during the English Civil War/Interregnum, it emphasized the need for repentance and spiritual readiness before the final illness. It covers the "means and instruments" for a blessed death, remedies against the temptations of sickness, and duties for the dying and those visiting them. The works focuses on the brevity of life, the vanity of worldly pursuits, and the necessity of managing one's affairs to achieve a peaceful, faithful end. The work is also valuable to highlight developing concepts of morality in the 17th century.

Both works were extremely popular, and ?Holy Dying? was printed in many editions well into the 19th century.

Finely bound in smooth tan calf with double blind fillets on boards, four raised end bands, fillets on spine, and morroco label with gilt stamped title to spine, all edges gilt. Upper cover separated. Pastedowns are also in calf with decorative panels, gilt fleurons, and blind tooling of repeating fleur-des-lis. Bookplate and early ownership note on initial blank of Charles Edmund Merrill, Jr. Interior very good with only noticeable flaw being a faded tidemark on lower textblock becoming sporadically more and less noticeable throughout a half the book (photos are representative of the most/least noticeable). Despite sprung board, binding remains very tight.

N° de réf. du vendeur ABE-1772221752581

Détails bibliographiques

• Titre: The rule and exercises of holy dying. In which are described the means and instruments of preparing our selves, and others respectively, for a blessed death: and the remedies against the evils and temptations proper to the state of sicknesse. Together with prayers and acts of vertue to be used by sick and dying persons, or by others standing in their attendance. To which are added. Rules for the visitation of the sick, and offices proper for that ministery.
• Éditeur: printed for R. Royston, and are to be sold at the Angel in Ivy-Lane, London
• Date de parution: 1651
• Langue: anglais
• Reliure: Couverture rigide
• État de l'article: Bon
• Poids: 1 livre