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. . . of Faith,' 4to, London, 1624. Such was his fame as a disputant that the king himself was graciously pleased to engage with him in a 'scholastick duel,' of which Featley afterwards published a full relation, to which he gave the title of 'Cygnes Cantio: or learned Decisions and. . . pious Directions for Students in Divinitie, delivered by … King James at White Hall, a few weekes before his death,' 4to, London, 1629. Some time before 1625 Abbot, urged, it is said, by 'the discontents of the court and city because his chaplain was kept still behind the hangings' (Featlei Παλιγγενεσία, pt. ii.), gave him the rectory of Allhallows, Bread Street, which Featley was afterwards allowed to exchange for the rectory of Acton, Middlesex, to which he was instituted 30 Jan. 1626–7 (ib. i. 571). In 1630 he appears as provost of Chelsea College (, Chelsea, ii. 227, 228–9).

In 1622 Featley had married Mrs. Joyce Halloway, or Holloway, 'an ancient, grave gentlewoman,' considerably his senior. She was the daughter of William Kerwyn, and had already been twice married. There being at the time no parsonage at Lambeth, Featley henceforth resided in his wife's house at the end of Kennington Lane. He concealed his marriage for some time, lest it should interfere with his residence at Lambeth Palace; but in 1625 he ceased to be chaplain to Abbot, owing, it has been unjustly represented, to the archbishop's unfeeling treatment. Featley had been refused admission to the palace, because an illness from which he was suffering was supposed to be the plague. On recovering from what proved to be a sharp attack of ague, he abruptly resigned his chaplaincy. Wood attributes his resignation, of which this seems to be the true account, simply to his marriage. During the pestilence in 1625 and 1626 Featley thought controversy out of season, and composed a book of instructions, hymns, and prayers, which he called 'Ancilla Pietatis; or the hand-maid to private devotion; presenting a manuall to her mistress,' 3 parts, 12mo, London, 1626. Of this, the most popular manual of private devotion in its day, a sixth edition appeared in 1639, besides translations into French and other continental language. It was a special favourite with Charles I in his troubles. Wood relates, on the authority of William Cartwright of Christ Church, that for making the story of St. George, the tutelar saint of England, a 'mere figment' in the 'Practice of Extraordinary Devotion,' afterwards printed, Laud, when primate, 'forced Featley to cry peccavi, and to fall upon his knees.' Featley, however, was speaking of St. George of Alexandria. It does not appear that he and Laud were ever friends. Fentley had, to use his own expression, 'lookt the lion in the very face; nay, when he ror'd he trembled not' (The Gentle Lash, p. 4). This refers to his having persistently refused to turn the communion-table in his church at Lambeth 'altar-wise.' He was besides a witness against Laud in 1634, when the primate was charged with having made superstitious innovations in Lambeth Chapel (, Historical Collections, pt. ii. i. 280). Laud, two years later, ordered many passages reflecting on the Roman catholics in Featley's 'Clavis Mystica' to be obliterated, before allowing the book to be printed. These offending passages were severally reproduced, in extenso, by William Prynne (Canterburies Doome, p. 108, and passim). In 1641 Featley was nominated by the lords one of the subcommittee 'to settle religion,' which met at the Jerusalem Chamber, Westminster, under the presidency of Bishop Williams, the then dean (, Church History, ed. Brewer, vi. 188).

In his 'Spongia' (The Gentle Lash, p. 13) Featley refers to a 'double task' recommended to him by some members of the House of Commons. His animadversions upon a popish tract called 'A Safegard from Shipwracke to a prudent Catholike, to which he gave the title of 'Vertumnus Romanus,' 4to, London, 1642, was one part, and appeared with the parliament's imprimatur. The other undertaking was an exposition of and marginal annotations on St. Paul's Epistles, which were printed in the Bible issued by the assembly of divines in 1645, folio (cf. ib. p. 2).

Though, as Peter Heylyn said, 'a Calvinist always in his heart,' Featley defended the church of England as well against the protestant sectaries as the Roman catholics. During the civil war, besides being constantly subjected to violence and robbery, he twice narrowly escaped assassination. After the battle of Brentford, 13 Nov. 1642. some of Essex's troops, who were quartered at Acton, hearing that the rector was very exact in his observance of church ceremonies, fired his well-stocked barns and stables, and did other damage to the amount of 211l.; they then went to the church, broke open the door, pulled down the font, smashed the windows, and burnt the communion rails in the street (Mercurius Rusticus, pp. 192–3). On the following 10 Feb. 1642–3, in the midst of service, five soldiers rushed into Lambeth Church intending to murder Featley, who had been warned, and kept out of the way. Two parishioners were wounded and slain. He was next brought before the committee for