Godiva and Peeping Tom

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Maureen O Hara starred as Godiva in a 1955 Holywood film.

Do you know the English word “to peep”? If I “peep” at something, it means that I look at it quickly and secretly, and I hope that no-one notices. For example, I buy a birthday present for my daughter. She wants to know what the present is. But it is not her birthday yet, so I do not tell her. Quietly she goes upstairs and peeps into the bag, to see what the present is.

Or, I hear someone walking up the path to my house. Is it the postman? I peep out of the window to see who it is.

However, peeping can be bad for you, as we hear in today’s podcast.

Not far from Birmingham, where I live, is a town called Coventry. My grandmother was born in Coventry, and she lived there until she was married. Coventry is an industrial town, but it is also an old town, much older than Birmingham. In the 11th century, the powerful Earl Leofric imposed taxes on the people of Coventry and on the market which took place there. The people complained that the taxes were too high. The wife of Leofric, whose name was Godiva, agreed with the people. She went to her husband and begged him to reduce the taxes. Leofric refused. Godiva continued to plead with him. Eventually, Leofric said that he would reduce the taxes if Godiva would ride naked on a horse through the town and market place of Coventry. Godiva was astonished. But she was a woman of strong character, and she agreed.

So Godiva called for her servants to bring her horse, and she rode naked through Coventry. The people of Coventry all went into their houses and closed the doors and the shutters on their windows so that they should not see her. All the people? Well, no, there was a man called Tom, who peeped through a hole in the window-shutters when he heard Godiva’s horse coming. And because he peeped, he was struck blind – that means, he became blind immediately.

According to the story, Leofric did indeed reduce the taxes. To this day, the people of Coventry celebrate Godiva’s ride through the town. And, in English, we have a special name for someone who spies secretly on other people. We call him a “Peeping Tom”.

So if you think that taxes are too high in your country, you know what to do. Find a horse, and take your clothes off. But don’t peep!

ListEngPodcast-2008-06-05-63752.mp3