C O V 
foldiery. Incenfed at this, and well fupplied, Charles 
attacked the city, and with his ordnance forced open 
one of the gates ; but was repulfed by the valour of 
the citizens, and obliged to retire with lofs. In the fol. 
lowing month Coventry was regularly garrifoned by 
parliament, and remained in its poITeflion during the 
whole war. Coventry was incorporated by Edward III. 
and the fir ft mayor was cliofen in 1348 ; and it was 
ereCted into a county, with a confiderable diftriCt, in 
T 45 r i by Henry VI. both thefe charters were confirmed 
by James I. Two parliaments have been held in this 
city. 1 lie fil'd in 1404, by Henry IV. which was ftyled 
fiarliamaiimn indoHorum, io named from its inveteracy 
againft the clergy. The other in 1459, by Henry VI. 
and was called parhamentum diabolicum, by reafon of the 
multitude of attainders palled againft Richard duke of 
York, and It is adherents. Here was formerly a cele¬ 
brated monaftery, founded by king Canute, for nuns, 
who being, foon after turned out, Leofric, earl of Mer¬ 
cia, in 1040, enlarged, and in a manner rebuilt it. He 
endowed it with fuch revenues, that Robert de Linley, bi- 
fhop of Lichfield and Chefter, transferred the epifcopal 
lee hither; but this fee a few years after returned to Lich¬ 
field : yet fo as that the fame bifliop is ftiled bifhop of 
Coventry and Lichfield. This diocefe contains the 
whole counties of Stafford and Derby, except two pa- 
rifhes of the former, the larged part of Wanvickfhire, 
and near only one half of Shropfhire, in which are five 
hundred and fifty-five parifhes, of which two hundred 
and fifty are impropriate. It hath four archdeaconries, 
viz. Stafford, Derby, Coventry, and Shrewfbury. It is 
valued in the king's books at five hundred and fifty-nine 
pounds, eighteen lhillings, and two-pence three-farthings, 
and is computed to be worth annually two thoufand 
eight hundred pounds. The clergy’s tenth is five hun¬ 
dred and ninety pounds, fixteen lhillings, and eleven 
pence farthing. To the cathedral belong a bilhop, a 
dean, a precentor, a chancellor, a treafurer, four arch¬ 
deacons, twenty leven prebendaries, five prieft vicars, fe- 
ven lay clerks, or linging men, eight chorifters, and other 
under officers and fervants. Of the magnificent monaftery 
above-mentioned, few traces now' exift except a hand- 
home tower, the only remains of a church that belonged 
to the grey friars, and which ferves to point out the fpot 
where that religious houfe flood. More confiderable 
are the remains of the white friars; the gateway, cloi- 
fters, and many other parts of this monaftery, being in 
their original ftate. St. Mary’s hall, ereCted early in 
the reign of Henry VI. for the meetings of the principal 
guild, and the ufe of the corporation, is ornamented 
with curious portraits of feveral of the kings of Eng¬ 
land, painted on glafs, as well as the arms and portraits 
ot illuftrious perlons admitted members of the guild; 
the roof is adorned with many well carved figures, and 
at the upper end of the hall is a very curious piece of 
tapeftry. But the chief boaft of the city is St. Michael’s 
church, the tower and fpire of which were called by 
fir Chriftopher Wren, “a mafter-piece in architec¬ 
ture ;” and the elegance and fymmetry of its parts ftill 
render it the moll beautiful fleeple in Europe. Its 
height is one hundred yards: the church is lpacious; 
and the lofty middle aifle, two hundred and fifty feet 
long, fupported by high and airy pillars, is much ad-' 
mired. In the fame cemetery Hands Trinity church, 
which, but for its towering neighbour, would b^efteem- 
ed a.fine ftrufture. St. John’s is a neat building, with 
a tower rifing out of tlie centre. The other chief pub¬ 
lic buildings are, the free-fcliool, the town-hall, dra- 
persMiall, 6 c c. The beautiful crofs, fo much extolled in 
hiftory, after being■ iuifered gradually to decay, was in 
1771 entirely taken down, 'ibis city is governed by a 
mayor and ten alderrrfen, who are juflices of the peace 
within the city and county; there are alfo a recorder, 
fleward, coroner, two Iherifts, two chamberlains, and 
two wardens. Refpecting the popular ftcry of lady 
C O V 279 
Godiva, it will be fufficient to fay, that till within thefe 
twenty years, there exifted a painting in a window of 
Trinity church, put up in the time of Richard II. re- 
prefenting Leofric and Godiva, with a feroli over them; 
I Lurich for the love of thee, 
Make Coventry toll free. 
A very ancient wooden figure, called Peeping Tom, is 
placed as looking out of a houfe in the high-ftreet; and 
there is an annual proceffion on the great fair-day, in 
which a woman, with a white drefs fitted clofe to her 
body, reprefenting the celebrated patronefs of the city, 
rjdes through the principal ftreets, attended by the 
mayor, aldermen, and the different companies. 
The trade of Coventry was originally the manufacture 
of cloth, and of caps and bonnets, which arofe to a great 
degree of confequence as early as 1436, and continued 
till the middle of the fixteenth century, when it was 
changed for the worfted bufinefs ; and for a long time 
the making and fide of fiiags, camblets, ladings, and 
tammies, proved a very extenfive and profitable trade ; 
but this gradually migrated into other counties, and the 
glove-trade fucceeded. The principal manufactures at 
prefent, are ribbons, gaufes, camblets, See. Near the 
town is the head of the great canal to Oxford ; and ano¬ 
ther canal is made to join the Staffordfhire canal near 
Lichfield. The former paffes by Bramfton; and, of 
courfe, opens a communication by water between Co¬ 
ventry and London. Here are three fairs in the year, 
viz. on the 2d ot May, the Friday in Trinity-week, and 
the ill of November: the firft and lad continue three 
days each ; that in Trinity-week continues eight days, 
and is called the great or Jhow fair ■ on the firft day is the 
proceffion of lady Godiva above-mentioned. The market 
is on Friday, and well fupplied: forty-nine miles and a 
half north of Oxford, and ninety-one north north-weft of 
London. Lat. 52. 23. N. Ion. 1. 30. W. Greenwich. 
CO'VENTRY, a townfliip of the American States, in 
Tolland county, Connecticut, twenty miles eaft of Hart¬ 
ford city. It was fettled in 1709, being purchafed by a 
number of Hartford gentlemen of one Joftiua, an Indian. 
CO'VENTRY', a town of the American States, in 
Rhode-Ifland ftate, and the north-eafternmoft townfliip 
in Kent county. It contains 2477 inhabitants. 
CO'VENTRY', a townfliip of the American States, in 
the northern part of New Hampfliire, in Grafton county. 
It was incorporated in 1764. 
CO'VENTRY, a townfliip of the American States, in 
Orleans county, Vermont. It lies on the north part of 
the ftate, at the fouth end of Lake Memphremagog, 
Black River paftes through this town in its courfe to 
Memphremagog. 
CO'VENTRY, a townfliip of the American States, in 
Chefter county, Pennfylvania. 
CO'VENTRY-BELLS. See Campanula. 
CO'VENTRY'-BLUE, J. [much blue thread being 
manufactured at Coventry.] A bright blue fluff: 
The Coventry-blue. 
Hangs upon Prue. Benjonfou. 
To CO'VER, v. a. [couvrir, Fr. ] To overfpread any 
thing with fometliing elfe.—The paftures are cloathed 
with flocks, the vallies alfo are covered over with corn. 
PJalm lxv. 13. 
'l’lie flaming mount appear’d 
In Dothan cover'd, with a camp of fire. Milton. 
To conceal under fomething laid over : 
In life’s cool vale let my low feene be laid, 
Cover me, gods, with Tempe’s thickeft fliade. Cowley . 
Or lead me to fome folitarv place, 
And cover my retreat from human race. Dry den. 
To hide by fuperficial appearances. To overwhelm; to 
bury.—-Raillery and wit ferve only to cover nonfenfe with 
fliame, when realon has firft proved it to be mere . on- 
feme, 
