Arizona republican., 1914-06-17
TRIAL OF THE SEVEN BISHOPS

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 One of the most remarkable of all Seven Bishops for libel before the court of kings bench in London, June 15,
 1888. These bishops were Dr. William
 Bancroft, lord archbishop of Canter-
 bury; Dr. William Lloyd lord bishop of St Asaph; Dr. Francis Turner, lord
 bishop of Ely: Dr. John Lake, lord
 bishop of Chichester; Dr. Thomas Keen
 lord bishop of Bath and Wells: Dr.
 Thomas White, lord bishop of Peter
 borough. and Sir Jonathan Trelawney,
 baronet, lord bishop of Bristol.
 Under the pretence of toleration for Dissenters, King James II, of England,
 endeavored to remove obstacles from
 Romanists. He began, by issuing on
 February 12, 16S7 in Edinburg, a proc lamation granting relief to scrupulous consciences. Again on April 27, 1888,
 he published a declartion for liberty of conscience. Then an order of council was made commanding that it be read in the time of divine services in all churches and chapels in the cities of London and Westminster on the
 twentieth and twenty seventh of May, and in all other churches throughout
 England on June and 10.
 Upon receipt of this order the bish-
 ops and clergy near London assembled at the archbishops palace at Lambeth
 to advise what was proper to be done
 on this occasion. After some debate,
 the archbishop by the advice of his
 brethren present wrote to all the
 bishops of his province to come to
 town. or send their opinions of the matter. and it being found that eighteen
 of the bishops and the main body of
 the clergy concurred in a resolution
 not to read the declaration, the arch
 bishop and five other bishops drew up
 d petition to the king begging him not
 to insist on the reading.
 The king became highly incensed
 and told the bishops that he expected
 his command to be obeyed. The bish-
 ops withdrew with their petition, and
 when the king found his declaration
 had not been carried out, he resolved to
 prosecute the seven bishops. and they
 were accordingly summoned to appear
 before the council on the eighth of
 June. At the conference the arch
 bishop admitted that he himself had
 written the petition and that the rest had signed it. whereupon the Lord Chancellor Jeffries demanded that they appear before the court of kings bench to answer the misdemeanor.
 Then Jeffries threatened to send them to the Tower unless they with
 drew the petition and obeyed the kings declaration. To this the arch
 bishop answered that they were ready to go wherever his majesty pleased,
 and that they hoped the King of Kings would be their protector and judge. A warrant was therefore drawn up and they were committed to the Tower. As a tumult was expected when it was known they were to be committed, they were ordered to be carried to the Tower by water Nev- erthelesS. the people came in crowds to the Thames side, applauding the courage of the bishops, and wishing them happy deliverance They were
 no sooner landed at the Tower than
 rison fell upon their knees and begged the blessings of the Right Reverend Fathers
 They were brought from the Tower for trial on June E, and the following four judges were upon the bench: Lord Chief Justice Sir Robert Wright Jus. tice Holloway, Justice Powell and Jus tice Allybone. The charge that was read to them was for: "conniying,
 making and publishing a seditious libel in writing against his majesty and the government
 The bishops counsel requested a de lay in their behalf, but the court would | only allow them a fortnight. The court convened again on the 29th of June
 and the trial was continued through out that day until late in the afternoon
 when the jury retired and remained
 out all night, returning verdict of Not Guilty on the following morn ing.
 The verdict wao received with uni versal rejoicing. A writer of the period states: "The very army at HOunsloW- heath made the air ring with their shouts; at which his majesty who was that day in the camp. was perfectly confounded." The king, to show his resntment against the two judges Sir
 Richard Holloway and Sir John Powell, who had delivered their opinions in favor of the bishops displaced them By his arrest of the seven bishops and other drastic measures the king had worked himself out of the affec-
 tions of the whole nation. The univer- sities. the bishops and clergy; the par lidment nobility and commons; the army and navy, all of them appearing eminently loyal and afectionate to his person at his accession, were, within less than the space of four years, so highly eXasperated by his arbitrary ad- minstration that when an invasion threatened him he saw the nation ripe for a general revolt, and in his distress he applied to those bishops whom he had so unjustly and ungratefully prose- cuted.
 Tomorrow-Trial of General William Hull.
 A