have to say, that he, PETERLOO
BROWN, does, 'from his heart, abhor, detest, and abjure, as impious and
heretical, that damnable doctrine and position that Princes,
excommunicated or deprived by the POPE, or any authority of the See of
Rome, may be deposed or murdered by their subjects, or any other
whatsoever.' Now, although I may be secretly of opinion that my lad
might as well swear to any Bosh, as all this about the excommunicate
Princes, yet I pass this over, and proceed to the Statutes themselves.

[Illustration: NOBODY SHALL WEAR ANY OTHER CLOTHES THAN THOSE OF A BLACK
OR SUBFUSK HUE.]

"I find that a great part of the book is about the keeping of terms; the
granting of various kinds of degrees, of congregations, convocations,
dispensations, and all that sort of thing; and I then come--under the
head '_Tit._ XIV. _De Vestitu et Habitu Scholastico_'--to the Statutes
that more immediately concern my son PETERLOO. And this is the result of
my search.

"I find that nobody, unless he is a Peer's son--(who may do what he
likes, for you will find, _Mr. Punch_, that it is one of the great
beauties of our University system, that it allows no distinction of
persons, but puts the sons of the ignoble and the noble on equal terms;
but I am digressing!)--I find '_Statutum est_,' that 'Nobody shall wear
any other clothes than those of a black, or "subfusk" colour' (_coloris
nigri aut subfusci_), 'or imitate (in their dress) what is extravagant
or fast:' (that seems to be the meaning of the words '_fastum aut
luxum_;' but, as I said before, my Latin is rather rusty). Now, since
this is the rule, I would ask how it is, _Mr. Punch_, that young
BELLINGHAM GREY (my neighbour's son) should, at the end of every term,
bring home from Christ Church (where by the way, he is ruining his
father, but that is no affair of _mine_!) suits of clothes of every
colour _but_ black or 'subfusk' (not that I exactly know what colour
that may be), and remarkable solely for their extravagance and
'fast-ness?' I want my lad to dress like a gentleman, but I don't always
want to see him putting in an appearance like an undertaker, or
counter-skipper, or like the man in the play (is it _Hamlet_? though,
probably, _Othello_?) continually clothed in 'an inky suit of black.'
And, if he swears to observe such a Statute as the above, why, _of
course_, the authorities will see that he obeys it, and dresses
accordingly.

[Illustration: NOBODY SHALL FOLLOW THA