The Pride of King Nebuchadnezzar

What it is

This is a printed book of sermons by Henry Smith, published in 1591 and printed by Thomas Scarlet, with copies sold by William Wright. The sermons are on the story of Nebuchadnezzar and his pride, quoting Daniel 4. The preface says the earlier printing had errors and that the text was corrected against better copies. The archive holds a scanned PDF of the book from the Internet Archive.

Why it matters

Elizabethan preachers used stories of rulers to teach listeners about sin and humility. Nebuchadnezzar's pride, as told in Daniel, became a common warning in English moral writing. This sermon shows how the king was remembered in England long after his reign, not how he actually governed. It helps students see the king as a moral example in a later culture.

Look closer

• What moral lesson does the sermon draw from the king's words and fall?
• Why did the printer say earlier copies had errors, and what does that say about how texts were copied?
• Whose voice do we hear in this book, and whose voice is missing?