Page:Collier's New Encyclopedia v. 04.djvu/504

From Wikisource
Jump to navigation Jump to search
This page needs to be proofread.
LEFT
432
RIGHT

GUY 432 GUY OF WARWICK GUY, THOMAS, an English philan- thropist; founder of Guy's Hospital, Southwark, London; bom in London, in 1644. He began business in 1668 as a bookseller, dealing extensively in the im- portation of English Bibles from Hol- land, and, on this being stopped, he con- tracted with the University of Oxford for the privilege of printing Bibles. By this means, and by selling out his origi- nal shares in South Sea stock at a great advantage, he amassed a fortune of nearly £500,000. In 1707 he built and furnished three wards of St. Thomas' Hospital. For the building and endow- ment of the hospital in Southwark which bears his name he set apart over $1,- 000,000. He built and endowed alms- houses and a library at Tamworth, for which he became one of the members about 1694. Besides bestowing $2,000 a year on Christ's Hospital, and giving to various other charities, he left $400,000 to be divided among those who could prove any degree of relationship to him. He died Dec. 27, 1724. GUYNEMER, GEORGES, a French aviator. During the World War he was recognized as France's most famous avi- CAPTAIN GEORGES GUYNEMER ator, and rose to the rank of captain before he died. It was declared that in the course of his flying career he had downed 52 enemy machines. He wan accustomed to operate his aeroplane alone, piloting it and using the gun at the same time. He was killed Sept. 11. 1917, while flying over Flanders, having met in combat five machines of the Alba- tross type, other machines descending suddenly upon him. He is declared to have been surrounded by something above 40 machines at the time of his death. GUY OF WARWICK, the hero of one of the most ancient and popular of early English metrical romances. It is a pure- ly English story of the 13th century, re- lated to the Dano-Saxon romance of "Havelok" by its allusions to Danish wars in England, and to the French "King Horn" by its adoption of some of the more striking incidents in that story. Its authorship may be due to Walter of Exeter, a 13th-century Franciscan monk, but it has undoubtedly been improved by some French or Norman minstrel. The story has close affinity with that of Guido Tyrius in the "Gesta Romano- rum." The hero, Sir Guy of Warwick, is son of Segard, steward of Rohand, Earl of Warwick; his instructor in the exercises of chivalry, the famous H^rand of Ardenne. Having fallen deeply in love with Felice, the daughter of the earl, he was promised her hand when he earned it by knightly deeds. In the tournament at Rouen he vanquished every competitor and was equally suc- cessful in Spain and Lombardy. In Eng- land he overcame the famous Dun Cow, but his haughty mistress was still un- satisfied. He went to Constantinople to save the Emperor Emis from the Sara- cens, slew the mighty Coldran, and scat- tered his huge army. The grateful em- peror pressed on him the hand of his lovely daughter and heiress Loret, but, faithful to Felice, Sir Guy tore himself away, and returned to his native country, ■when he heard of a dragon ravaging Northumberland. He hastened to meet the monster, slew him, and carried his head to King Athelstan, at Lincoln. The fair Felice had now no scruple to marry the hero. But remorse for all the slaughter he had done merely for a woman's love began to seize him, and after 40 brief days of wedded happiness he left his home in the dress of a palmer to visit the Holy Land. Here he rescued Earl Jonas from his dungeon, and slew the ferocious giant Amiraunt, after which he returaed to England to find Athelstan besieged in Winchester by the Danish Anlaf, of whose army the main- stay was the terrible Colbrand. Sir Guy, still in his disguise, after a pro- longed and awful struggle, succeeded in