No one can think intelligently about the British Empire unless he understands its ideational beginnings in the unquestioning belief of Elizabethans and Jacobeans that, if they sought first to extend the kingdom of God, all material blessings would be added to them. Wright proves that the main propagandists of the idea of empire as a divine mission were ships' chaplains, company preachers, and such geographically minded clergymen as Hakluyt and Purchas.Originally published in 1943.A UNC Press Enduring Edition — UNC Press Enduring Editions use the latest in digital technology to make available again books from our distinguished backlist that were previously out of print. These editions are published unaltered from the original, and are presented in affordable paperback formats, bringing readers both historical and cultural value.