There was just a moment of surprise and uncertainty—­uncertainty as to what the Tracts meant; whether they were to be a new weapon against the enemies of the Church, or were simply extravagant and preposterous novelties—­just a certain perplexity and hesitation at their conflicting aspects; on the one hand, the known and high character of the writers, their evident determination and confidence in their cause, the attraction of their religious warmth and unselfishness and nobleness, the dim consciousness that much that they said was undeniable; and on the other hand, the apparent wildness and recklessness of their words:  and then public opinion began steadily to take its “ply,” and to be agreed in condemning them.  It soon went farther, and became vehement in reprobating them as scandalous and dangerous publications.  They incensed the Evangelicals by their alleged Romanism, and their unsound views about justification, good works, and the sacraments; they angered the “two-bottle orthodox” by their asceticism—­the steady men, by their audacity and strong words—­the liberals, by their dogmatic severity; their seriously practical bearing was early disclosed in a tract on “Fasting.”  But while they repelled strongly, they attracted strongly; they touched many consciences, they won many hearts, they opened new thoughts and hopes to many minds.  One of the mischiefs of the Tracts, and of those sermons at St. Mary’s which were the commentaries on them, was that so many people seemed to like them and to be struck by them.  The gathering storm muttered and growled for some time at a distance, and men seemed to be taking time to make up their minds; but it began to lour from early days, till after various threatenings it broke in a furious article in the Edinburgh, by Dr. Arnold, on the “Oxford Malignants”; and the Tract-writers and their friends became, what they long continued to be, the most unpopular and suspected body of men in the Church, whom everybody was at liberty to insult, both as dishonest and absurd, of whom nothing was too cruel to say, nothing too ridiculous to believe.  It is only equitable to take into account the unprepared state of the public mind, the surprise and novelty of even the commonest things when put in a new light, the prejudices which the Tract-writers were thought wantonly to offend and defy, their militant and uncompromising attitude, where principles were at stake.  But considering what these men were known to be in character and life, what was the emergency and what were the pressing motives which called for action, and what is thought of them now that their course is run, it is strange indeed to remember who they were, to whom the courtesies of controversy were denied, not only by the vulgar herd of pamphleteers, but by men of ability and position, some of whom had been their familiar friends.  Of course a nickname was soon found for them:  the word “Tractarian” was invented, and Archbishop Whately thought it worth while, but not