became as strong a feeling in him as it had been in Martin
Marprelate. He considered all who remained in communion with her
as heathens and publicans. He nicknamed Tillotson the Mufti. In
the room which was used as a chapel at Fressingfield no person
who had taken the oaths, or who attended the ministry of any
divine who had taken the oaths, was suffered to partake of the
sacred bread and wine. A distinction, however, was made between
two classes of offenders. A layman who remained in communion with
the Church was permitted to be present while prayers were read,
and was excluded only from the highest of Christian mysteries.
But with clergymen who had sworn allegiance to the Sovereigns in
possession Sancroft would not even pray. He took care that the
rule which he had laid down should be widely known, and, both by
precept and by example, taught his followers to look on the most
orthodox, the most devout, the most virtuous of those who
acknowledged William's authority with a feeling similar to that
with which the Jew regarded the Samaritan.54 Such intolerance
would have been reprehensible, even in a man contending for a
great principle. But Sancroft was contending merely for a name.
He was the author of the scheme of Regency. He was perfectly
willing to transfer the whole kingly power from James to William.
The question which, to this smallest and sourest of minds, seemed
important enough to justify the excommunicating of ten thousand
priests and of five millions of laymen was, whether the
magistrate to whom the whole kingly power was transferred should
assume the kingly title. Nor could Sancroft bear to think that
the animosity which he had excited would die with himself. Having
done all that he could to make the feud bitter, he determined to
make it eternal. A list of the divines who had been ejected from
their benefices was sent by him to Saint Germains with a request