James and Mary Ford, eds. Every Day in the Year. 1902.
June 30
Acquittal of the Bishops
By William Wordsworth (1770–1850)
During the reign of James II. the clergy were required to read from their pulpits, on two successive Sundays, a Declaration of Indulgence which gave freedom of worship to Nonconformists and Roman Catholics. This being entirely unconstitutional, the Archbishop of Canterbury and six bishops declined to comply and were accordingly prosecuted. They were acquitted, to the great joy of the populace, on June 30, 1688.
