Page:A history of booksellers, the old and the new.djvu/70

50 50 THE BOOKSELLERS OF OLDEN TIMES. jects ; which, to his great honour, he strenuously as- serted in divers parliaments." An honourable testi- mony to his character, supported also by Dunton : " Thomas Guy, of Lombard-street, makes an eminent figure in the Company of Stationers, having been chosen sheriff of London, and paid the fine He is a man of strong reason, and can talk very much to the purpose on any subject you can propose. He is truly charitable." Throughout his life, he was very kind to his rela- tives, lending money when needed to help some, and pensioning others. To charities, whose purpose was pure benevolence, apart from sectarian motive, his purse was ever open, and St. Thomas's Hospital and the Stationers' Company were largely indebted to his generosity. In his latter days, Guy was able to multiply his fortune many fold. The South Sea Company was a good investment for a wary, cool-headed business man, and he became an original holder in the stock. " It no sooner received," says Maitland, " the sanction of Parliament, than the national creditors from all parts came crowding to subscribe into the said com- pany the several sums due to them from the govern- ment, by which great run, ;ioo of the Company's stock, that before was sold at 120 (at which time, Mr. Guy was possessed of 45,500 of the said stock) gradually arose to above 1,050. Mr. Guy wisely considering that the great use of the stock was owing to the iniquitous management of a few, prudently began to sell out his stock at about 300 (for that which probably at first did not cost him about 50 or 60) and continued selling till it arose to about 600 when he disposed of the last of his property