CAUSES OF THE DECAY OF CHRISTIAN PIETY, OR, AN IMPARTIAL SURVEY OF THE RUINES OF CHRISTIAN RELIGION, UNDERMIN'D BY UNCHRISTIAN PRACTICE

London: Roger Norton for Robert Pawlett, 1671. 188 x 111 mm. (7 3/8 x 4 5/8"). 10 p.l., 452 pp.
VERY PRETTY RED MOROCCO, RICHLY GILT IN RESTORATION STYLE, the central lozenge composed of four elaborate three-lobed fleurons bordered by two triangles made up of a multitude of densely massed tools, the cornerpieces similarly composed of a mass of scrolling tools, these interspersed with long curving foliate swags, all framed by an ornate floral roll, raised bands, spine densely gilt with floral tools and foliage, all edges gilt. Title page with engraved vignette depicting St. Paul's Cathedral in flames (appropriate for this copy!), signed by W[enceslas]. Hollar and dated 1666, two engraved frontispiece plates, one of King David and the other of Ezekiel. Front pastedown with engraved armorial bookplate of Rev. Horace Waller; front flyleaf with early ink signature of E. Hanford. Wing A-1100A; ESTC R172156. For the binding: Nixon, English Restoration Bookbindings, 62. The three endleaves at front and back darkened, apparently from damp, persistent, though very subtle, signs of rumpling in the text (no doubt also from slight dampness), extremities with some wear (top of spine with shallow chip all the way across), a couple minor black spots on covers, backstrip evenly faded, the volume slightly splayed; a fortunate survivor of a fire, but with minimal damage, the text fresh and clean, and, most important, the binding completely sound (with virtually no wear to the joints), and with its luxuriant gilt still bright.

This is an excellent copy of a popular, if pessimistic, piece of 17th century religious thought, offered in a particularly pleasing example of period bookbinding. Our author, well-known clergyman and author Allestree (1619-81), composed "Causes of the Decay of Christian Piety" in response to a Britain he viewed as plunging into sin: he tells us in the preface that "vice [is] daily gaining not only strength, but impudence." First published in 1667, the work became hugely popular, influencing contemporary theological thought with its arguments for a return to a simpler, more devoted piety. This volume seems to have belonged to a notable 19th century English religious figure, as the Horace Waller who owned our copy was probably the Revered Horace Waller (1833-96), missionary and antislavery activist. Perhaps the evangelical Anglican Waller, who was deeply patriotic and concerned about spirituality and morality, found something that resonated in the similar concerns of Allestree two centuries earlier. The once gorgeous and still very attractive binding is an excellent example of Restoration binding. The tulip-studded roll border appears identical or nearly so to one used by Queen's Binder A, illustrated in Nixon's "English Restoration Bookbindings," and the quality and style of the abundant tooling is similar to that workshop and other leading binders of the period. While this volume seems to have undergone a significant trauma, the binding's appeal remains, and, not counting the endleaves, it is internally surprisingly clean and fresh..