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Guy, Thomas

(Encyclopedia)Guy, Thomas gī [key], 1645?–1724, English philanthropist, founder of Guy's Hospital, London (1721). As a printer and bookseller, Guy amassed a fortune, which he devoted to private and institutional...

Vane, Sir Henry, 1589–1655, English courtier

(Encyclopedia)Vane, Sir Henry, 1589–1655, English courtier; father of the Puritan leader Sir Henry Vane, the younger. He gained the favor of James I, was knighted in 1611, and acquired wealth by the purchase of p...

Coke, Sir Edward

(Encyclopedia)Coke, Sir Edward ko͝ok [key], 1552–1634, English jurist, one of the most eminent in the history of English law. He entered Parliament in 1589 and rose rapidly, becoming solicitor general and speake...

Thomas, James Henry

(Encyclopedia)Thomas, James Henry, 1874–1949, British statesman and labor leader. A railroad worker, he held various offices in the Amalgamated Society of Railway Servants and was a leader of the railway strike o...

Middle English literature

(Encyclopedia)Middle English literature, English literature of the medieval period, c.1100 to c.1500. See also English literature and Anglo-Saxon literature. The 15th cent. is not distinguished in English let...

Sadler, Sir Ralph

(Encyclopedia)Sadler or Sadleir, Sir Ralph both: sădˈlər [key], 1507–87, English diplomat. Through the influence of Thomas Cromwell, he secured (c.1536) the favor of Henry VIII, for whom he went on numerous mi...

Newbolt, Sir Henry John

(Encyclopedia)Newbolt, Sir Henry John, 1862–1938, English poet and historian. He is best remembered for his vigorous and imperialistic poems of the sea, collections of which include Admirals All (1897), The Saili...

Sydenham, Thomas

(Encyclopedia)Sydenham, Thomas, 1624–89, English physician, called “the English Hippocrates.” He studied at Oxford and Montpellier, and practiced in London. His conceptions of the causes and treatments of epi...

Girtin, Thomas

(Encyclopedia)Girtin, Thomas gûrˈtən [key], 1775–1802, English draftsman and watercolorist. He was apprenticed to an engraver but was employed, together with J. M. W. Turner, to make topographical drawings. Gi...

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