The republic. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1849-1853, 1849-11-26
peep,ng Tom or coventry.


hole in the curtain" that the curious
tailor looked, but from behind window
shutter:
I" Enough of John Bull and his Jobs troubles
You will not be quite unintcrested 10 hear that the
old familiar face Of the Boston Courier sometimes
cheers my sight in Old England, on which occa-
sions am transported home again, and fancy /
snuff the western breezes on the Common, and
hear the auctioncers knocking down in Klby street.
Speaking OF guns, the Peeping Tom of Hull re-
minds of visit which in the course of my ram
bles here made to Coventry, the place where that
celebrated parsonage lived and moved and inn
mortalized himself by peeping The story is ex-
tant, and writ i'll choice old English. There may
be many OF your readers who have never heard
the facts, and as they give striking illustra
tons of English manners and the customs of the
middle ages, will state what learnt of this mat
ter upon the spot, from good authority Why
Coventry is in Warwickshre, at no great dis
lance from the spot which gave birth to Shaks
peare. There are few towns in England which
present more venerable aspect. BY some uncom-
monty good luck it has escaped the ravages of fire.
from which so many of the ancient cities Of this
island have suffered. The streets are narrow,
dark, and winding, and the upper stories OF the
houses hang forward, jutting out one above another
as they rise, almost to touch another
the street. Some of tn, architectural piles are
worth the study of an antiquary, and one of the
churches has seepe which is regarded the finest
always been renowned for its festivities, pa geants
professions, and public shows of every kind; but
one among the rest has obtained singular celeb
ritythis is the procession OF Lady Godiya, the his
tory of whom is follows: In the eleventh century
Leofric, Earl of Mercia, held feudal dominion over
the city, and oppressed the inhabitants with heavy
tolls and duties. The wife, the beautiful Lady Go
diva compassonating the people under these oppres-
sive burdens, made frequent intercession with her
lord for their relief, but without effect At length
one day, being mportuned more earnestly than
usual he pcevishly told her that he would set the
people free from all the burdens of which they
planned if she would ride through the town at
day in the costume of Eve in Paradise. Her love
for the people overcame her feminine scruples, and
she performed the journey on horseback, with her
long flowing tresses for cloak 1t is said that the
Earl, repentng of his rash vow, ordered all the in
habants to shut themselves up in their houses, and
not to look out at the windows. All obeyed, ex
cept roguish tailor, who could not resist the
temptation to take sly peep from behind win
dow-shutter, but was struck blind as his own
goose for the act. The peeping is easier to believe
than the miracle which punished it; at any rate
he got the nickname of Peeping Tom ever after
wards.
''Some Of our musty, crusty antquaries, who
hate to let good story rest in peace, have cndea-
vored TO demolish the legend of Peeping Tom,
the ground of its improbability This would be
upsetting all history. sacred and proiane, for nine
tenths of all written annals are record Of the fol-
lies and extravagances Of mankind. There
thousand notorious facts in the chronicles of the
mlUUle ages, udt 5OuHu quite as strange 10 our
ears-besides, what will not the woman do that
loves? As evidence of the truth of the story, it
is we'll known that in the reign OF Richard H., the
citizens of Coventry caused sculpture to be erect
ed in of the churches of the city, representing
the Earl holding the charter of immunity in his
hand, and addressing his lady with the following
words:
q, Luoricke, for love of thee,
Do make Coventry toll Free
''Peepng TOMS efgy is to be seen at this day, in
the window OF house fronting on one of the prin-
cipal streets-ccrtainly much better evidence for
the story, than the bricks alive in the chimney,
which proved Jack Cade to be akin to the Earl Of
March.
''True or not, the Coventry folks make point of
believing the story, and maintaining it in the face
of all gainsayers. They celebrate the independ-
cnce of the town from feudal thraldom, by grand
procession representing the exploit OF Lady Godva.
This custom be traced back as early as the
reign of Charles ii. Formerly the show took place
every year, but recently it has occurred only at in
teryals. 1t was my good fortune to be at Coventry
at the last celebration, which gave me opportu-
nifty of witnessing of the strangest relics Of old
customs yet preserved in this kingdom.
The procession consisted of the military bands
trading companies, and miscellaneous associations
Of the city, with all the Accomplishments which
usual the occasion of Fourth of July display in
America. There the city guards of Coventry
in armor; Saint George armed cap-d-pie; the
Honorable and Ancient Lumber Troop, the history
of which did not learn, but suppose II TO be some
thing similar TO the Ancient and Honorable Artil-
lery Company of Boston. Then followed the city
streamers and city functionaries, with a grand
military band. Then Lady Godiya, personated by
a female horseback near 10 the state of prime
val innocence as a tight fit Of flesh colored muslin
could bring her. She followed by white
knight, feudal pages, Earl Leoric, and other per-
sonages of similar character. long train Of
followers brought up the rear-mercers, diapers,
weavers, blacksmiths, carpenters, laborers, &c,
the order of Odd Fellows, the various beneficial
cieties the wool combcrs with shepherdesses and
4 rnha Ia atytih he ernld naere
whom take to be Of the kindred Of the celebrated
Madame Blaize Of the ballad, whose attractions
were 50 great that we are told
The king, himself has followed her,
When she has walk'd before
"What with streamers and ribbons, drums,
trumpets, and other helps TO uproarous tantara,
including the hurrahs OF the boys, there was glory
enough for one day, in Coventry. The procession
marched through the principal streets of the city
amid the accamat ions of the multitude. As for
the lady who enacted the chief part in the show,
her performance gave universal satisfaction as
the newspapers say. In fact she of those TO
whom Falstafi might say, You care not who sees
your back
81 have now before me printed sheet, or what the
English call a 'broadsidc, containing descrip-
ton of the show with ballad relating the story Of
Lady Godiva. This patriotic cffusion is the work
Of the great Coventry poet, Henry William Hawkes.,
Of Grey Frars Lane, the author also, as he informs
US, of n Sentimental Poem on the National Debt
a subject sentimental, with vengeance, IN this
country, less 10 the taxpayer than TO the First
Lord OF the Treasury, and the Committee Of Ways
and Means. The dftty Of Peeping Tom is too long
20 be extracted entire but that you may know
something Of the inspiration of bard ofCoyenry,
] send you a stanza or two, describing Lady Co
diva:
But then before she mounted on
The palfrey white and clear,
Her lovely tresscs she let down,
To shade her bosom fair.
The little birds in hocks about,
Checrcd her throughout the way,
Ready TO peck all eyes clean out,
Who trcspasscd that day.
The throstlc and the blackbird grave
Sang softly in the grove,
And that deep organ Of the shade
Sighd cuckoo 70 her love.
The matchless lark and philomel
And merry white throats song,
Echo'd right through the vacant street,
To comfort her along
tom, the unlucky culprit, Of coarse receives no
mercy from our rhspsodist He is called a wicked
tailor, which take TO be rather poctical amplif-
cation than sober enumeration Of judgment upon
his character; for IL pecpng after pretty women be
wickedness, many an old host that know had bet