Godiva, << guh DY vuh >>, Lady, lived in England during the 1000’s. She was the wife of Earl Leofric of Mercia. According to legend, she asked her husband to reduce the heavy taxes he imposed as lord of Coventry. He agreed to do so if she would ride naked through the town. She asked all the townspeople to remain indoors, and, clothed only in her long hair, she mounted a horse and rode through the streets. According to a later story, a tailor named Tom peeped through a shutter and was struck blind. This traditional incident is the origin of the phrase “Peeping Tom.” Until the late 1800’s, a procession was held at intervals to celebrate Lady Godiva’s courage.
