Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1891-10-17


hooks and nest. Of Great Antiquity.
Rare Old rord's Hospital aud 81. Mays
Hail.
Copyright. isql. by Edlar T. wakoman.I
CoyEyrny, England. Oct 5-The peril.
nacity with which single fact, beliot or
legend from bygone times finds lodgment
IN the minds Of men and eventually be-
CONES n hulwnrk of local pride and power.
~ well ~ subject Of universal interest,
Il nowhere In Britain moro strikingly H.
Illustrated than Ia this ancient city Of Gov.
entry.
Every well known Old World place ms
IT, greater or lesser shining beacon OF
splendid fact or myth 20 which the tourist,
like n mar.uer. directs hit often tenpcsiu-
Gus way. Barney has lts "stonc," Bel
fast H. spinning mills aud historic places
of RIOT Old g. Ives aud linnbury are dear
In nursery rhyme memory York aud
Canterbury arc rich Ia cathcdrals aud lorn
81 pilgrims stulisbury was the Old
Sarum Of britain. Bristol had ~ Chatter.
ton. Gtasmcrs and Rydal Mount know
Wordsworth. and ke,wick wis the home
OF souihey and Colculgc. When Cabs
Hin IL mentioned We W Dickens and bis
wondrous brood u tender creations. Var.
mouth &. simply wh're the "pegsottys"
dwult Nowstrad only recalls byron. Al.
bottsford, Melrosc and Dfyburgh tell,
more than of all else. 81 Sir Walter Scott
Na.eby and CullDdon mean tho dothrour.
ment u one Hing aud the utter olrscurn.
sion 81 an heroic prinre aud hi- glorious
house. Gloucester recall. the origin oi the
Sunday school Kenilworth reveals the
revolrirs Of Elizabeth Rugby suggests
everything wholesome and good In school.
boy lifn one sees IN the mere words Dum.
fries or Aver the radiant face Of Bobby"
Burns. The name Aughrim dlscluacs tho
entire tragedy Of the Irish nations over.
throw. stratford 10 the mind ~ but an.
other word for Shakespeare. And Coven.
try has Tor SO years meant, and will for.
ever solely suggest, Lady Godiya aud
Popping Tom.
Matthew. Of Westminster. who iiourished
about 1900 10. first set down the episode rs
sober history, but failed 10 make place
for "Pcepiug Tom"
Every Que ha. fingered with infinite
charm upon tho continued tala Of how
Then she rode forth clothed on with chastity
And ons low ohuri. compact Of thsnkl,s,sa
The fatal bywori Of all years TO come.
boring a little auger hole Ia fear.
Pcepsd-but Lia eyes before they had tholr
will.
Were .hriyel'd into darkness In hi, head.
And dropt before him. So the poweu. who
walt
On noble deeds, cancel a sense rnisusod.
How or when this zone low churl compact
Of thankls,s earth" was first made the
hateful antithe.ls Of Lady Godlva's noble
sacrifice. or why the honest vocation Of
tailor was called upon TO supply culprlt,
no man eau tell. Hut suro it 1. that
"Pecping Tom" whose pscud0nym will
continue nor all timo n. typo OF execrable
and insniioruble inqulsitycness, was none
other than tailor, and TINT all these tee.
rible things happened TO him IN Coventry.
Worse tate than all other TO Popping Tom
were his appalling remaining ciilglos. They
are countless here ia Coyentry-in stone,
In wood. In delft. In porcelain. In wax;
while tho very sohoolboys arc otarnRlly
testing new igekkniye- upon grotcsque
limitations Of the repulslyo object. Tue
thing lcera ~ you from inches above an
clrut buildings, seems 10 crane H. lcchcr-
Gus head from the oornices Of now aud old
hotels. shows IT, horselike teeth from
among shop window tribes, aud haunta
aud punues you until you are startled to
ace it, llnranents reproduced In the faces
al trhmps and beldamcs In shadowy quar-
tors Of the musty old town.
II this luoklcss wight has been merely n
popular embodiment Of evil ~ opposed TO
good. Lady Godiya certainly existed In the
flesh. She Is historic character Of an.
thentlo certiileatiun. She was sister 10
ThoFold. Sheriff Of Lincolnshire, aud vile
OF l.coiflc, Earlof Morola, prime favorlto
Of Edward the Coniossor, In his time at
the head Of various stats transactions.
Both history and tradition unite In honor.
Ing Lady Godiya with the possession OF
unusual pieiy, goodness aud beauty The
devout pair certainly founded here great
monastery Tor Benedictine monks, which
attained enormous wealth aud splcndor,
suffered strange viclssitudes. passed into
silence and decay, aud massive ycstlges Of
It's remains are still seen on tho banks OF
the river here. Lcofric died at Bromley,
stailordshire, hut was buried In one porch
Of the monastery at Coyeutry, while his
wife, who at her death gave "a rich chain
OF precious stones 10 bc put around the
neck Of the blessed Vrgiu's image, 80 that
those who came OF devotion hither would
sny ~ many prayers ~ there were gems
Within" was given burial In the other. IL
Is also lncontcltlbly true that the citizens
~ Coventry, when lrofric's yassals, did
receive through Lady Godiya's efforts with
her grim warrior husband, some sort Of
Inanumission from sgryie tenure. as not
only aneIeut records prove but as was also
clearly evidenced by the memorial window
which stood In the south trauscpt Of Trin.
ny Church upto the Fifteenth century, and
contained picture Of Lady Godiyn and
Earl Leuiric, the latter holding In his right
hand charter bearing the following ia
seriptloui
l. Lorloh. for love Of Thea
Doc make C0yunter tll.free.
This much for history and historical ira.
dillon. Literature and art, Hometimcs
more powerful and ipelsive than history,
have done the rest Coventry IL not avery
large city, containing barely 5000 inhablt.
ants, but some OF it. quarters are very
ancient and picturesque. The wonderful
spires Of its churches, especially u Trinity
and S. AlUhael's, tue latter being aJ3 feet
In height, have given tue place a certain
fame. Then Ia tho old days Of the mona,.
terlgs Coventry was noted for It's pigrim-
ages from Franc. Later parlIamentl were
held wishin u. Thu pageauts Of kings aud
queens 70 the plous city have equalel the
most splendid prueessions at ancient Can.
terbury, Great iousts Hnd tournaments
were held horh The old olty walls were
tnrea miles long. nine feet thick and wcra
hurmuunted By thir,ytwo lofty towers.
The old time Cross of Coventry was former.
y also vary noted Mary Queen OF Scots
was for a long time imprisoned here in the
mayoress' parlor NJ Guild or St. Mnrys
Hon, still standing though nearly COO years
Old All these, and cquntless more things