649J  Daniel Featley 1582-1645

Ancilla pietatis: or, The hand-maid to private devotion: presenting a manuell to her mistresse furnished with instructions hymnes and prayers. … By Daniel Featly, D. in Divin. The fourth edition, corrected, and enlarged.

“The practice of extraordinarie deuotion” has separate dated title page with imprint 

“London, printed by Thomas Purfoot ..”; pagination and register are continuous.

At London : Printed [by Thomas Purfoot] for Nicholas Bourne, and are to be sold at the south entrance of ye R. Exchange, Anno Domini 1630. $ 1,100

Octavo 14 x 9 cm. Signatures: A² [-A2] A⁸ a¹² B-Z¹² Aa-Oo¹² Pp1 of ²./ (lacking Pp2 final leaf of text. ) This copy is bound in original fill sheep with some of the original ribbon ties remaining, with the Initials “IN” stamped in gold on both boards. 

Very Rare, Fourth edition, STC (2nd ed.), 10727 ; ESTC,; S101866

One US copy Henry E. Huntington Library and Art Gallery The first 1626 edition is known in 4 UK copies, none in North America. Another 1626 edition , located 2 copies in the UK no US, 1628 Edn  4 UK no North American copies. 

Then there is this Edition. Making it the first represented in North America.

It is Worth noting that George Herbert’s The Temple. Sacred Poems is not printed until 1633, as are John Donne’s Poems . Private Devotions, were just that Private and not printed, in 1578 Derring published a ‘Household Devotion and in 1633 Henery Valentine  Published a Private Devotions. 

One of Featley’s  most popular publications The Handmaid to Private Devotion, a meditative piece Dedicated to the Duchess of Buckingham   (1603- 1649) arising out of his experience during the plague of 1625-6, The Duchess of Buckingham was one of the few women of rank of the time whose “gentleness and womanly tenderness, devotion and purity of life”, were conspicuous in the midst of the “almost universal corruption and immorality of the Court”. “MacDonnell [née Manners; other married name Villiers], Katherine, duchess of Buckingham and marchioness of Antrim (1603?–1649), noblewoman”. Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. 2004. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/69581 

https://www.oxforddnb.com/display/10.1093/ref:odnb/9780198614128.001.0001/odnb-9780198614128-e-69581

There is a very important essay on this book in relation to Female behaviors, theology sand social positions by  Susan  Comiland : 

Through the Closet: Private Devotion and the Shaping of Female Subjectivity in the Religious Recess. By SUSAN COMILANG. Renaissance and Reformation / Renaissance et Réforme. New Series / Nouvelle Série, Vol. 27, No. 3 (SUMMER / ÉTÉ 2003), pp. 79-96 (18 pages)

https://www.jstor.org/stable/43445859#metadata_info_tab_contents

Featley writes in the Preface to the reader: 

IN the late dread∣full Visitation, when the waies of Sion mour∣ned, because none passed by them; and the gates of the San∣ctuary lamented, because almost none entred at them; Religion her selfe for the most, forbearing the Church, and keeping her closet, and there finding sufficient employment to complaine of, & bewaile the dan∣ger and desolation of her solemnest assemblies: I fell into a serious consi∣deration of the vse and most vrgent necessity of PRIVATE DEVO∣TION. And to the end I might 

 accord with my brethren in their groanes and cries, being smitten my selfe with a dangerous (though not infectious) disease; I gaue ouer those waters of strife wherein I had met with the Romish Fisher, intangled in his owne Net; and sought after the waters of Shiloah that runne softly, which at that season farre better relished with me then the other. Not that I altered my iudgement touching the studie of controuersies, which (without all controuersie) is not onely most neede∣full, but delightfull also to them that are therein exercised.

Some subjects  examined are :

The Childe-bearing Woman’s Deuotion

pre-labor devotion

THE ADMONITION.

THE ANALYSIS.

THE TEXTS.

A Psalme for women in their trauaile.

A Prayer for a woman in time of her trauaile.

The Child-bearing womans Deuotion after her Deliuerie.

The Admonition to confidence in God.

THE ANALYSIS.

THE TEXTS.

A THANKSGIVING for safe Deliuery.

The Christian FAST’S Deuotion.

basis

Of FAST’S in generall.

Of the Lent Fast.

discussion

Question.

Answere.

Obiection.

THE LENT’S DEVOTION beginning on Ashwednesday. (⁂)

comparison

The Type.

Example.

conclusion

The Psalme for Ash-wed∣nesday.

AN ADMONITION FOR ASH-WEDNESDAY OR, Exhortation to Fasting.

THE ANALSYS.

THE TEXTS.

A Prayer for Ash-wednesday.

GOOD FRIDAY’S DEVOTION. OR, The Christian Fast on the Passion of our Lord.

basis

PARALELL.

Prophecie.

Historie.

Type.

Accomplishment.

type

accomplishment

conclusion

THE ADMONITION for good-friday.

THE ANALYSIS.