d have added greatly to the effect of the
late Commemoration, if they had put out illustrated posters, that the
new Chancellor, 'acknowledged by the Press to be the premier jockey of
the day, and without a Peer in the Westminster Circle,' would make his
'first public entrance into Oxford, driving TWENTY-ONE TITS IN HAND!'
after which would, of course, follow 'the performances in the Theatre,'
with 'the drolleries of the Caucasian Clown,' and 'the laughable farce
of _The Phenomenon in a Doctor's gown.'_ I think something might have
been made of that; but the hint may perhaps be taken against the next
opportunity.

"_Tit._ XV. treats '_De moribus conformandis_;" and it first orders that
all juniors should pay due respect to their seniors--their seniors that
is, in academical rank, for age does _not_ come before dignity in
Oxford--the undergraduates to the B.A.'s, the B.A.'s to the M.A.'s, the
M.A.'s to the D.C.L.'s, and so on, according to the standing of the 'Man
of letters;' (a phrase which evidently refers to those mysterious
decimations of the alphabet, which some people delight to put after
their names). And the 'due respect' is to be shown, firstly, by yielding
up the best seats, (_locum potiorem cedendo_) which, they tell me, was
done in the theatre at the late Commemoration, by putting the
undergraduates in the gallery, the M.A.'s in the pit, and reserving the
boxes and dress circle for the 'Dons' and the ladies; and secondly, by
giving the wall, and by capping, or, as the Statute more expressively
says, 'by uncovering the head at a proper distance,' (_ad justum
intervallum caput aperiendo_) though what this proper distance may be,
appears to be left to the taste of the capper, the rank of the cappee,
the force of the wind, the length of the arm, or any other directing
influence. Probably the distance is measured by the relative dignity of
the wearers of the cap, so that an undergraduate would have to uncover
himself as soon as the Vice-Chancellor came in sight; and, in the event
of a dispute as to the proper distance, the matter would probably be
settled as they arrange similar differences of opinion under the new Cab
Act, and would be brought before the Vice-Chancellor's Court, who would,
doubtless, order the distance to be measured. At any rate, it appears
that my son PETERLOO will have to learn to keep his distance, and this
inclines me to think favourably of this Statute; for I have always been
of opinion (si