This study describes for the first time the most neglected site of political, religious, and literary culture in early modern England: the court pulpits of Elizabeth I and James I. It provides a timely contribution which unites the most fertile strains in early modern British history -- the court and religion -- and combines archival and bibliographic research from 1558 to 1625, showing how the pulpit stood at the center of the court's cultural life and gave voice to a surprisingly diverse body of conformist thought. - p. [i].