Ruskin, asking his permission to publish. Turner replied,
expressing the scorn he felt for anonymous attacks, and jestingly
hinting that the art-critics of the old Scotch school found their
"meal-tub" in danger from his "flour-tub"; but "he never moved in such
matters," so he sent on the MS. to Mr. Munro of Novar, who had bought
the picture.

Ten days or so after this episode John Ruskin was matriculated at Oxford
(October 18, 1836). He told the story of his first appearance as a
gownsman in one of his gossiping letters in verse:

"A night, a day past o'er--the time drew near--
The morning came--I felt a little queer;
Came to the push; paid some tremendous fees;
Past; and was capped and gowned with marvellous ease.
Then went to the Vice-Chancellor to swear
Not to wear boots, nor cut or comb my hair
Fantastically--to shun all such sins
As playing marbles or frequenting inns;
Always to walk with breeches black or brown on;
When I go out, to put my cap and gown on;
With other regulations of the sort, meant
For the just ordering of my comportment.
Which done, in less time than I can rehearse it, I
Found myself member of the University!"

In pursuance of his plan for getting the best of everything, his father
had chosen the best college, as far as he knew, that in which social and
scholastic advantages were believed to be found in pre-eminent
combination, and he had chosen what was thought to be the best position
in the college; so that it was as gentleman-commoner of Christ Church
that John Ruskin made his entrance into the academic world.

After matriculation, the Ruskins made a fortnight's tour to Southampton
and the coast, and returned to Herne Hill. John went back to King's
College, and in December was examined in the subjects of his lectures.
He wrote to his father on Christmas Eve about the examination in English
literature:

"The students were numerous, and so were the questions; the room
was hot, the papers long, the pens bad, the ink pale, and the
interrogations difficult. It lasted only three hours. I wrote
answers in very magnificent style to all the questions except three
or four; gave in my paper and heard no more of the matter: _sic
transeunt bore-ia mundi_."

He went on to mention his "very longitudinal essay," which, since no
other essays are reported in his letters about King's College, must be
the paper publi