GUY'S HOSPITAL AND ITS ROMANCE

Bruce Herald, Volume XXXI, Issue 3174, 19 June 1900, Page 7

GUY'S HOSPITAL AND ITS ROMANCE

Few people think, or would imagine, that the splendid building known to this generation as Guy's Hospital owes to origin —its charitable origin —to the disobedience, of a servant! Yet such is the fact/ The story is interesting, and can be briefly told. Mr Thomas Guy was a bookseller. He carried on business with considerable acumen at 'Number One, Cornhill' —a house frequently alluded to, forming the angle with Lombard Street, and known as Lucky Corner.' Now it came to pass that the Exchequer, being in straitened circumstances in the reign of the great and good William the Third, could not pay ready money to the defenders of the country j and the sailor, particularly, was obliged to put up with ' paper' —a debenture or ticket which the men were constrained to sell, and so selling to lose on the transaction. Frequently these buyers were in time compelled by necessity to sell the tickets at an enormous discount, and the fortunate purchaser then often saved fifty per cent. These debentures were known as the ' Floating Debt.' Mr Thomas Guy, bookseller, saw the debt floating, and determined to capture some of it. He made extensive purchases at very low rateß, and, having considerable confidence in. the Crown, tnxsted. for r&demption at par. We read that he became a large proprietor of stock after the formation of the South Sea Company and the funding of the Floating Debt. He thus became very rich, for at hia death it was learnt from his will that his 'share of the capital stock created in lieu of debentures for the army debt' was upwards of .£60,000. Riches increased, but he was of a frugal disposition, and in his servant Sally he gladly perceived a like temper. So struck was he that he intimated to this young person his intention to make her his wife, and he even gave directions as to the preparations for the ceremony, the general arrangement of which he took upon himself, with his characteristic decision. Everything progressed favourably. Miss Sally was recognised as the future mistress of his home. The wedding-day was rapidly approaching, when the pavement in front of the house was found to need repairs. Thomas Guy gave his instructions, and particularly with regard to a broken flag-stone beyond his own immeniate jurisdiction. 'In those d ys, it must be remembered, each householder was obliged to attend to the pavement in fronfof his house, and Thomas Guy, the economical, was not the man to extend his repairs into his neighbour's pavements. So he gave strict orders that that particular stone should not be repaired at his cost. The pavior set to work, and was completing his job when, unfortunately for herself, the fair Sally went forth, and stopped to look at the'man. ' Yonder is & broken stone,' she said. 'It seems an eyesore. Have it replaced, an' it please you/ The workman assented, takiHg it for granted that Mistress Sally kmew her own position, and that she was competent to give orders. The stone was replaced by a new one, and the pavement was made thereby smooth and fair. The workman was still employed when, in the evening, Thomas Guy returned. His quick eye at once discovered the alteration in his neighbour's pavement. ' Why has yonder stone been renewed ?' he cried. ' The mistress gave directions to have it relain,' was the reply. Thomas Guy was a man of action. He immediately called for the housemaid, and remonstrated with her roundly : she had no business to interfere with his orders. ' You have overstepped your duty/ he said. 'If you order matters contrary to my instructions before we are married, what will you not do after ? I therefore renounce my matrimonial intentions towards you.' Thus Thomas Guy remained unmarried, and from snch a simple act the foundation of Guy's Hospital may be said to have arisen. His decision changed his ideas; for, disappointed in love, he sought distraction in building Mb hospital and endowing it. He lived to see it practically completed. It cost .£18,793; the endowment was £219,409. He died on the 27th December, 1724, in the eightieth year of his age, leaving many municipal legacies, the noblest of which—the vast hospital—is due to Sally's disobedience.