John Mason Good
John Mason Good [1]
a physician and general scholar, was borns at Epping, England, May 25, 1764, and commenced practice as a physician in London, 1820. He was an indefatigable student and writer, and his learning was multifarious rather than profound. Besides a number of medical works, he published The Song of Solomon, in English verse, with notes, etc. (Lond. 1803, 8vo): — Memoirs of Alex. Geddes, LL.D. (Lond. 1803, 8vo) (See Geddes): — Lucretius, translated, With notes (Lond. 1805-7, 2 volumes, 4to): — The Book Of Job, Newly Translated, With Notes (Lond. 1812, 8vo): — The Book Of Proverbs, Translated (Lond. 1822, 8vo): The Book Of Psalms, translated, just finished at the time of his death, January 2, 1827. Dr. Good also contrieuted largely to several periodicals, not only in medicals science, but in almost every branch of literature. "The extent and variety of Dr. Good's works are sufficient to indicate their character; they evince great industry, with a retentive and orderly mind, and every mark of sincerity and piety; but they show that he was deficient in judgment, critical acumen, and personal observation; and his medical writings especially are hence of far less value than the labor that must have been bestowed upon them might have given them, had it been better directed. But be seemed to have no suspicion of his unfitness for any literary task, and hence never hesitated to undertake any project, though most unsuited to his habits and requirements. Thus, although wanting every requisite qualification for such a duty, his overweening self-confidence led him not only to consent to edit the letters of Junius, but to select, merely from his own opinion of resemblance of style, other letters which bad been published, under a great variety of names, in Woodfall's Advertiser, and without scruple assign them to the great unknown, to, the utter confusions as it has proved, of almost all subsequent investigations respecting the author of the Junius letters, and judgment of his character and conduct. Dr. Good's principal faculty seems to have been a facility of acquiring languages: he had learned Latin, Greek, and French in his father's school; while an apprentice he acquired Italian,.and soon after commenced Hebrew. While engaged in the translation of Leucretius he studied Germat,. Spanish, and Portuguese; ands afterwards, at different times, Arabic, Persian, Russian, Sanscrit, and Chinese. Of his knowledge of all these, evidence is presented in unpublished translations, in reviews of their literature, and in the constant references made to their works in his medical and other writings. A biography of Dr. Goad was published icy his friend, Dr. Olinthus Gregory, in 1 vol. 8vo." In early life Dr. Good was a Socinian, but about 1817 he embraced fully the doctrine of the Trinity. He led an earnest, religious life, "seen and known of all men." See Jamieson, Cyclop. of Biography, page 229; English Cyclopedia; Allibone, Dictionary of Authors, 1:698.
