The Whole Duty of Man is an English high-church 'Protestant' devotional work, first published anonymously in 1658, with an introduction by Henry Hammond (1605–1660). It was both popular and influential for two centuries within the Anglican tradition that it helped to define. The title quotes Ecclesiastes 12:13, in the King James Version of the Bible: Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.[1]
The consensus view of modern scholars attributes the book to Richard Allestree. At the time of publication (towards the end of the Interregnum) the high-church tradition which it represents was a politically dangerous position. The authorship remained well concealed, and it has been noted[according to whom?] that the work has been attributed to at least 27 people, beginning with Hammond himself.