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PEEP UNDER THE HOOD.

BY BO PEEP,

OF OXFORD.

LONDON :
SHERWOOD, GILBERT AND PIPER,
PATERNOSTER ROW.
1843.

LONDON:
WILLIAM STEVENS, PRINTED, DELL YAIIII,
TEMPLE BAR.

A PEEP UNDER THE HOOD.

The reader will, perhaps, smile at my infantine appella
tion ; be it so — for I confess myself child enough to be
influenced by the impulses of association — to be equally
ready to rejoice with those who rejoice, as to weep with
those who weep — to be child-hke in the simplicity of
truth, making it all-radiant with smiles rather than, mis
taking it for error, or denouncing it as crime, deluge it
with tears of contrition and remorse, or deafen it with the
murmurings of mourning and of woe. We peep to see —
we seek to find — which all may do if they will, but which
all will not take the trouble to accomplish for them
selves ; preferring to see through borrowed eyes, and to
find through others' search. This, however, is not my
case, for having eyes given me wherewith to see, and
ears to hear, I am, with due deference be it asserted to
those who would wish to do it for me, fully disposed to

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take advantage of, and use these great gifts according to
the liberal intention of their Donor.
The world is a mighty theatre, and life a strange che
quered scene, peopled with all sorts of objects, performing
all sorts of characters, impelled by all sorts of motives, and,
shall I say, tending to all sorts of ends : Negative ends
surely ? For where is the end of man destined to eternity ?
Where is the eternity of man 1 Is it in all his thoughts ?
Is it ever present with him ? Is it with him prospectively ?
Experience but too frequently proves to us that he wil
fully envelopes himself in the veil of his short-sighted
ness, and bids the intruder wait, until at a more conve
nient season he send for him.
Along the pilgrimage of earth how many are the paths
man has to traverse — how varied the objects he comes
in contact with, from the pomp of the palace to the
quiet of the cot; from the noise and the bustle of the
city, to the calm of the lowly liamlet ; from the confu
sion of men and things, to the solitude of the um
brageous forest, or the desolation of unprofitable wilds;
from clambering the lofty mountain, to basking in the
smiling glade ; from breasting the mighty waters, to
measuring the warring brook. Meanwhile countless are

the ramifications into which humanity is dispersed. There
is the man of Wealth — the man of Pleasure — the man of
Science — of Poetry — of Piety — and many others. The man
at ease in his possessions — the Rich man, wafted by the
prosperous trade-winds, sails joyously on the Ocean of
Plenty. The glitter of its stream dazzles his jaundiced
sight, the solidity of its treasures hardens his heart, until,
absorbed by its magnetic influence, he becomes one with
it, and eventually receives its reward. The man of
Pleasure gives wings to his wishes to ride upon his
passions, and right merrily do they mount and fly, for
elastic as the ether and buoyant as the sea, they sweep
their impetuous course till the sun withdraws his rays —
feather by feather falls from the languid wing — the tem
pest rises and impels him into its inextricable vortex.
The man of Science, again, despises both, viewing the first
as an unnatural' secretion of the acrid matters of huma
nity, its only remedy its cause, and its end an atrophy.
Upon the other he looks as on a butterfly, gaudy in the
sunshine, ragged in the shade, lost in the twilight of eve,
and extinguished by a rushlight; its ashes the refuse,
and its dust on the winds. While the scientific man for
himself multiplies his faith by his understanding, and

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proves it by his reason ; weighing well the whys and
the wherefores, till he loses himself in the results. The
Poet, again, is not any of these, _ though partaking of all.
Wealth he has, but it is the treasure of the " gentle
craft." Pleasure he has, but it is invisible and apart from
the world. Science, too, he has, but it is the measurement
of his capacity between earth and heaven. — Soaring, he is
borne above his fellows, and casting off" the film of mate
rialism, is received into the bosom of the Pietist. And
what is a Pietist ? A sweet son of most worthy parentage
— a votary at the shrine of Truth — whose essence is God.
Such would I be — such my parentage, with such an ob
ject, for such an end. Yet is not the course of the Pietist
the easiest, the clearest, or the freest from impediment ? On
the contrary, dense and murky is the atmosphere he must
brave, and conflicting the elements that assail him ; rough
and rugged is his path, in proportion to the altitude of the
goal to be attained ; step by step must he laboriously mount
its crags, nor without personal and persevering watchful
ness may he hope to surmount the various obstacles, for
" strait is the gate and narrow is the way that leadeth to
eternal life; and," mark well, "few there be that find it ! "
Bear with me, then, I pray thee, kind Reader, while I tell

thee how, girded with the panoply of Faith, I bestirred myself
for the enterprise — how with the blessed sign upon my brow,
with the word of God at my heart, and with a spirit light in
its integrity and joyous in its freedom, I burst through the
portals of prejudice, and entered on the arena of many
ways, hard sayings and elaborate doings. It was in a
season of little promise that I set out upon my pilgrimage.
Gloom had overspread the land, and the sun was chary of
his beams. Suspicion lurked in the secret places, and
judgment was typified on every tongue. The wind sent
forth its Protean messengers through each organ of vitality,
now laughing with deriding zeal, now whispering in threat
ening murmurs, and now rising with denouncing violence.
Fro\vns dimmed the brightness of earth, and fears rode on
the voice of the multitude. The elements of earth, min
gling with the elements of humanity, heaved with its throes,
and sympathised with its changes. Amid this scene of
warfare I paused, awed and troubled ; but I looked within,
and found peace. I gained courage and proceeded.
Light cheered me on, and though somewhat puzzled with
the perplexities around, I contrived to steer my course, but
not without difficulty be it known, along the mid-way to
eastward. After a time I entered on a plain, fertile and

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smiling, which, however, I learnt awhile since, was but a
dark and flowerless spot, whose dank verdure was choked
with weeds and parasites. But in that day a Ruler ap
peared, whose weapon was might, and the fire of whose zeal
burnt rarely. Causes produce their corresponding effects; so
it befel here. The Orb was alight and the sceptre, a scythe
too busy, and far too insinuating and restless, to leave this
soil among many untaxed for the perversion of its powers.
It was therefore judged expedient for the public good, and
agreeably to the enlightenment and toleration of civiliza
tion, to propitiate the Great Spirit by the sacrifice of
human victims ; to render which the more acceptable and
available, the fairest and most faultless of the fold were
selected, who, clothed in the " fine linen of the Saints," and
purified by the "Word" and the " Spirit," were burned forth
with ! Whether their sacred ashes have given a healthful
vitality to the soil, or whether they hold in bondage the
elemental barrenness that heretofore presided here, is left
for us to question. Certain it is, that Time has now long
witnessed this plain a scene of cheering and wholesome
verdure, rich in its fruits, as fragrant with its flowers, from
the rose that blooms in the diadem of Britain, to the violet
that nestles in her woods and bowers.

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Much to my surprise and disappointment, as I proceeded
onward, the flowers became thinner, while they, the few,
drooped their heads as if a blight had passed over them, and
the whole scene became clouded. Advancing, I at length
found myself among an assemblage of persons lank and lean
in their figures, and of sharp ill-favoured features, bowing
the head, apparently, to a something in the midst. Now can
you guess what was this something — this central magnet —
this cherished shrine ? Start not when I tell you that this
idol mark was — a Hood! Though I confess, — but pray
do not expose my cowardice, — I do confess that I was a little
frightened myself — so black — so mysterious — so inexplicable!
— But stay we not to tremble ; the inevitability rings in my
ears and impels me on, " We must go forward, we cannot go
back;" and presently the vapour was dispersed by that very
ubiquitous querist, Curiosity, who you know is never satis
fied to stay long in a place, a hunting, sifting, inconvenient
busy-body. Under her guidance,  1 pay her the com
pliment of classing her among the fair, where she is said to
be the most at home, but with what truth I must leave it
to her who probes all corners to decide. But as I was
saying, under her guidance, I approached the mysterious
shrine, and was about, sans ceremouie, to lift up a corner and

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peep, when a dozen iron hands were laid upon the offending
member, and the corner dropped instanter.
" What can that towering structure be V I exclaimed ;
" and what lies there concealed of good or evil ? If good, let
me see that I may be also a partaker — if evil, surely I ought
to see, that I may avoid even its vicinity. Is it possible
that aught worthy is hidden beneath so unprepossessing an
aspect — so uninviting and questionable a looking Hood, ex
citing, too, as it seems, such awe at home, and such suspicion
abroad V — " That is New-mania, and contains the sum and
substance of all goodness," was the grim answer. " Then of
that goodness I will myself judge, for I am a searcher after
Truth, the fountain of all good." And to the horror of the
Devotees I darted within the deepening shadow, and sought
diligently for admission. As many were the joinings, I
thought to discover rents and flaws, which upon close in
spection soon became visible, and I lost no time in trying to
peep; but always when I was at the point of investigating,
a fume came through the aperture, as an emanation from
internal heat, accompanied by a growl, like the boiling and
threatening of a volcanic anathema. Just as I was getting
tired of this wild-goose chase, which indeed it is not im
probable 111)- Reader has been for some time, an explosion

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took place. A sort of spontaneous internal combustion.
In the confusion a corner was raised, and I peeped in unmo
lested. And there I stood in my search after Truth, an un
prejudiced, unacknowledged spectator of the Hooded Good
— that infallible structure of hood-winked workmen.
Now it may be very naturally and reasonably asked what
I saw there. Patience, dear Reader, patience — and as you
have so good-naturedly borne with my prolixity thus far, I
will now endeavour to be brief, and without another unneces
sary word, proceed to tell you all about it. Know, then,
that the lining of this same Hood was red, and was sup
ported by what appeared to be columns of little printed
books, but so indistinctly and interrogatively were they
worded that I was unable to discover the real meaning
and tendency of many of them. This, however, I could
perceive — that they increased in mysticism the higher and
the further they advanced. As no other light was ad
mitted under the Hood but that which proceeded from
these pamphlet columns, it may be well imagined that the
interior objects could be visible only to the initiated. So
perhaps it might have been, had not confused and uncertain
rays of light, emanating from them, flickered upon various
forms and figures necessary to their elucidation.

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It would seem more in order, perhaps, before I pro
ceed further, to introduce to you the keystone of this
elaborate, though somewhat contracted structure. Sin
gular enough, this key-stone bore the character of a
Church, chiselled to the dimensions of an Angle, each
point having lettered upon it its distinctive part, in
scribed thus : — " The Bible, or Hints and Notices of
the True Faith;" "Patriotic Tradition, a Supplement;"
" Prayerbook." But so ingenious was the arrangement,
that the two former were made to balance on a point called,
" The Rule of Faith, " by the breeze that stirred its leafy
columns, without at all endangering the third, which was
continually in the ascendant. The whole interior, it must
be allowed, had a sombre and very dismal appearance, even
when the eye became accustomed to the artificial atmo
sphere ; but as I followed one ray after another, I was too
intensely occupied to think of aught but where each dwelt.
In one part was shadowed a Font, with the word Regenera
tion engraved in Roman letters on its lip. In another an
" Altar of Stone," elaborately ornamented, and on it
" Propitiatory Sacrifice " stamped in the like characters.
One rested upon forms, another on habiliments. A third
showed viands of many sorts — some to pamper the appetite.

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others but to sustain life. Near these, defended by a
railing, on which was carved with a " horn like a lamb's "
the tahsmanic " Apostolic Succession." — " The Store
house, and direct and only Channel of Grace." With their
backs turned crawled meagre and attenuated forms,
chanting in a low chorus : —
We are holy, we are holy,
Not as others are we Brothers,
For we're holy — very holy,
No sinners now that to fasts we bow —
Oh ! we are holy — wholly holy !
So loud and continuous was this cry, that the very air
seemed imbued with the soothing strain. Here was a man
balancing a pair of scales containing Faith and Works,
which, as the latter rose, he, by a curious accomplishment
in the inversionary art, adjudged to be the weightiest ;
while another robed in " probabilities," and enveloped in a
haze of "Doubt," smelling strongly of the Turf, seemed in
tent upon the solution of some abstruse problem, calcula
ting to a fractional nicety, and then — declared the odds to be
in favour of Revelation, as 3 to 2 ! Here was held up for
admiring reverence, a gentlewoman habited in the coarsest
attire, with linen so dirty as to generate the most loath-

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some vermin, permitted incessantly to torture the irritated
skin. There, in chequered robes, was a man making long
prayers, with a missal in one hand, and a breviary in the
other, calling loudly upon the " Mother of God''' and in
voking the " intercession of Saints." Another, faintly pic
tured " Transubstantiation." Some pointed to " Catholic
Consent," "Auricular Confession," "Asceticism," "Pe
nance," " Lenten Discipline," " Monastic Seclusion," and
the like. Beyond these, a barrier was placed, a sort of
semi-diaphanous, or semi-transparent veil, wrought thus —
" Our Mother," " Our Sister," — in which was an opening,
apparently occasioned by the passing in of some from the
outer division, or entree. Through this rent I saw, amidst
fallen towers, and ruins, and desolation, a brazen image,
cast from the spoils of iniquity, on whose head rested a
tripod, from whence, when the new proselytes first bent in
adoration to the outstretched toe, issued the feu-de-joie,
whose thundering I had heard from without, which made
the leaves of the column shiver, and the priesthood pale !
By the Image, and attached by the salutation " Ave
Regina Coeli," was a female in Vestal purity, with sweet
yet fleshy radiance, over whom glowed a semblance of Di
vinity, not hers by right, but borrowed, as it seemed, from

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the smouldering fire that burned in the tripod, — a fire that
sought to dim the brightness of that Star which above
bursts through the murky night, and faintly though it
flickers through the haze of mysticism, blazes forth to
the unclouded vision, with self-created and enduring bril
liance ! Much as I had already witnessed, there yet ap
peared a glimmering of something beyond, and I changed
my posture, and peeped again more closely and earnestly ;
and —
" I saw a Woman arrayed in purple and scarlet, and
adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls, and
having in her hand a golden cup full of abomination. And
on her forehead a name written. Mystery ! "
Reader, bethink thee ! Can this be the strait and nar
row way that leadeth to Eternal life ? This the gate of
Truth guarded by the Cherubim of Heaven 1 Close, oh !
close not thine ear then to the wai-ning, or ere long it may
tingle in vain, when the " Roar of the Beast is heard ! "

ILLIAM STEVENS, PIUNTEK, BELL YARD, TEMPLE liA U.

YALE UNIVERSITY LIBRARY

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