Why did the publication of Richard Hurrell Froude's Remains cause controversy?

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The publication of Remains by John Henry Newman and John Keble in 1838–1839 caused significant controversy because the work contained violent denunciations of the Reformation.1

At the time, Newman was advocating for a "middle way" for the Church of England, positioning it between Roman Catholicism and popular Protestantism by emphasizing the teachings of the ancient, undivided church. Because this middle way was already under attack for allegedly undervaluing the Reformation, the harsh criticism of the Reformation found in Richard Hurrell Froude's Remains led moderate observers to grow suspicious of the Oxford Movement and its leaders.1