675 Memoir of John Mason Good, D.D. F.R.S. &c. and French languages. The assiduous care of his parent, in the management of his studies, led him to perceive, that five things are essentially necessary to the attainment of knowledge: a proper management of time, a right method of reading to advantage, due order and regulation in the studies taken up, a power of choosing, and retaining in the memory, the choicest flowers of literature, and the improvement of solitary thought. The subject of our memoir pursued his studies with such zeal and attention, and was so entirely absorbed in the prosecution of his object, that he allowed himself no time for recreation; the consequences of which were, indications of premature debility. At the desire of his father, however, he joined in the athletic sports suited to his age, and soon re-acquired the healthy vigour of youth. When fifteen years of age, John Mason Good was apprenticed to Mr. Johnson, a surgeon-apothecary at Gosport; yet, though he devoted an exemplary attention to his profession, his new career did not entirely withdraw him from the pursuit of elegant and polite literature. About this period, he composed a "Dictionary of Poetic Endings," and several trifling poems. These were followed by "An Abstracted View of the principal Tropes and Figures of Rhetoric in their origin and powers," illustrated by original and selected examples. He then turned his attention to the Italian language, and gathered the sweets of Ariosto, Tasso, Dante, Filicaja, and other authors. These selections were entered in common-place books; from one of which, entitled "Extracta ex Autoribus diversis," we transcribe a few heads, as they serve to shew the correct taste and sober judgment of this great man in the earlier years of life. BRITAIN. Happy Britannia! where the queen of arts, Time was when it was praise and boast enough, That Chatham's language was his mother tongue, Night, sable goddess, from her ebon throne, Young. KNOWLEDGE. 676 "Next to the knowledge of ourselves, most valáable is the knowledge of nature; and this is to be acquired only by attending her through the variety of her works: the more we behold of these, the more our ideas are enlarged and extended ; and the nobler and more worthy conceptions we must entertain of that Power who is the Parent of uni versal being."-Solyman and Almena. Ill health compelling Mr. Johnson to engage the assistance of a Mr. Babington, between this gentleman and Mr. Good, who had not yet completed his eighteenth year, a close intimacy was soon effected; but while they were planning schemes of co-operation, the death of Mr. J. gave a new turn to the views of both. Mr. Good engaged himself with a surgeon at Havant, and his occasional visits at this time to his grand-father, Mr. Peyto, prepared the way for his partnership with Mr. Deeks of Sudbury. Previously to his settlement at this place, he passed the latter part of 1783. and the spring of 1784 in London, and attended the medical and surgical lectures, the substance of which he took down in short hand. Whilst in town, he formed an acquaintance with a Mr. Godfrey of Coggeshall, and became an active member of a society for the promotion of natural philosophy. One essay connected with this society, produced by Mr. Good, entitled, "An Investigation of the Theory of Earthquakes," is distinguished by a good style and a spirit of deep inquiry; but it wants that ease and freedom which are acquired only by long practice in writing. Mr. Good returned from London in July or August, 1784, and commenced the practice of his profession, when his attention to business was so unremitting and exemplary, that his partner, Mr. Deeks, felt no hesitation in leaving the management entirely in his hands. In the course of his visits to Coggeshall, Mr. Good contracted an intimacy with the sister of his friend, Mr. Godfrey, which ended in a marriage with that lady. His domestic felicity, however, was too quickly destroyed by the death of his wife, in little more than six months after their nuptials. Mr. Good remained a widower nearly four years, during which he read much, but in a desultory manner. Early in 1790, he formed an acquaintance with Dr. Nathan Drake, author of " Literary Hours," "The Gleaner," &c. His intercourse with this distinguished individual, led him to extend and regulate his reading, and, in addition to a' knowledge of classical and modern languages, he now obtained a critical acquaintance with Hebrew. He addressed an epistle, written in the Horatian style, to his friend Dr. Drake, 677 Memoir of John Mason Good, M.D. F.R.S. &c. which is replete with spirit and beauty. About three years previous to the date of this poem, he took, as second wife, the daughter of Thomas Fenn, esq. of Ballingdon Hall, an opulent banker at Sudbury. Of six children, the offspring of this union, only two daughters survive. A train of adverse circumstances led Mr. Good, in 1792, into pecuniary embarrassments; but though his father-in-law, Mr. Fenn, rendered him some assistance and would have rendered more, he determined to surmount his difficulties, if possible, by his own exertions, He made translations from the French and Italian, and wrote several pieces adapted to the stage; but having no acquaintance with the London managers, was unable to get his dramatic compositions brought forward. Notwithstanding these discouragements, he continued to persevere, though for some time with very little success. Having opened a correspondence with the editor of the "World," the Morning Post of that day, his poetical essays occasionally appeared in that paper. Among his prose essays, written about this time, that on "A Particular Providence" is, in the estimation of his biographer, Dr. Gregory, the best. We have introduced it into the pages of our Magazine; the concluding part will be found in the present number. Mr. Good shortly after prepared a critique on miracles for the (Analytical) Review, which, if not entirely novel, is distin. guished by force and energy. The following remark of the reviewer, in the course of his critique, is so very important, that we make no apology for transcribing it. "The miracles recorded in the gospel are not of the momentary kind, or miracles of even short duration; but they were such as were attended with permanent effects." The flitting appearance of a spectre, the hearing of a supernatural sound, may each be regarded as a momentary miracle: the sensible proof is gone, when the apparition disappears, or the sound ceases. But it is not so, if a person born blind be restored to sight, or a notorious cripple to the use of his limbs, or a dead man to life; for in each of these cases a permanent effect is produced by supernatural means. The change, indeed, was instantaneous, but the proof continues. The subject of the miracle remains; the man cured is there; his former condition was known, and his present condition may be examined and compared with it. Such cases can, by no possibility, be resolved into false perception or trick; and of this kind are by far 678 the greater portion of the miracles recorded in the New Testament." Receiving proposals to enter into part nership with Mr. W. a surgeon and apothecary, possessed of extensive practice in the metropolis, Mr. Good, in April, 1793, at the age of twenty-nine, pursuant to his agreement with him, came to London, where things appeared, for a time, to wear an auspicious aspect. But his rising popularity excited the jealousy of his partner, and occasioned a disunion of measures, which ended in the dissolution of. the partnership. Whenever Mr. Good prescribed one mode of treatment for a patient, Mr. W. would in his next visit order an entirely different one. The result of this may be anticipated. The business was lost, the partnership broken up, and Mr. W. ended his days in the Fleet pri son. Mr. G. was again assisted by Mr. Fenn, but he endeavoured to conceal, as much as possible, the extent of his embar rassments from his relatives, from a desire to surmount them principally by his own exertions. For three or four years he concealed a load of anxiety under a cheerful demeanour, but was enabled at length to overcome all difficulties, to take his proper station in his profession, and to live in what are usually termed easy circumstances. A premium of twenty guineas had been offered by Dr. Lettsom of the Medical Society for the best dissertation on the question, "What are the diseases most fre quent in workhouses, poorhouses, and similar institutions, and what are the best means of cure and prevention?" Mr. G. was so fortunate as to obtain the prize on this occasion, and was further complimented by a request that he would publish his performance; a request with which he could feel no difficulty in complying. Mr. Good particularly exerted himself to preserve the distinction between the apothecary and the druggist. In London, and in nearly every town of Great Britain, men, not only ignorant of medical science, but of the most illiterate character altogether, obtained extensive business as druggists. In several instances, country grocers blended the chemical profession with their own trade, and the mischief resulting was such as might be expected. Prescriptions were misunderstood, and consequently improperly prepared; and even the life of the patient, it is not improbable, might, in some instances, have been sacrificed by the ignorance of these pretenders to science. Amidst all his professional engagements, Mr. Good still found leisure to prosecute his literary inquiries. By this time Es "I met him accidentally at the house of Miss Hamilton, who has lately acquired a, just reputation for her excellent letters on education; and I freely confess, that at the first interview I was by no means pleased with him. I beheld a man of about five feet five inches high, in a black dress, put on with uncommon negligence, and apparently never fitted to his form: his figure was lank, his face meagre, his hair black, long, and loose, without having been sufficiently submitted to the operations of the toilet, and his eyes, though quick and vivid, sparkling at that time rather with irritability than benevolence. He was disputing with one of the company when I entered, and the rapidity with which at this moment he left his chair, and rushed, with an elevated tone of voice, and uncourtly dogmatism of manner, towards his opponent, instantaneously persuaded me that the subject upon which the debate turned was of the utmost moment. I listened with all the attention I could command; and in a few minutes learned, to my astonishment, that it related to nothing more than the distance of his own house in the New Road, Paddington, from the place of our meeting, which was in Guildford-street. The debate being at length concluded, or rather worn out, the Dr. took possession of the next chair to that in which I was seated, and united with my self, and a friend who sat on my other side, in discoursing upon the politics of the day. On this topic we proceeded smoothly and accordantly for some time, till at length disagreeing with us upon some point as trivial as the former, he again rose abruptly from his seat, traversed the room in every direction, with as indeterminate a parallax as that of a comet, and loudly maintaining his position at every step he took. Not wishing to prolong the dispute, we yielded to him with out further interruption; and in the course of a few minutes after he had finished his harangue, he again approached us, retook possession of his chair, and was all playfulness, good humour, and genuine wit." In the year 1797 Mr. Good commenced his translation of Lucretius, a work which would alone stamp his character as a man of high literary talent His attention was particularly directed to the acquisition of languages, and he appears to have lessened the labours attendant on this pursuit by tracing their analogies, and by a classification of their synonyms. In a letter to Dr. Drake, (dated January 29th, 1803,) after adverting with thankfulness to the estate of his business as a surgeon, (which then produced more than £1400 per annum.) he further states, and voy doidw H "I have edited the Critical Review, be! sides writing several of its most belaborate articles. I have every week supplied a column of matter for the Sunday Review and have for some days had the great weight of the BRITISH PRESS upon my hands the Committee for conducting which having applied to me lately, in the utmost consternation, in consequence of a trick put upon them by the proprietors of other newspapers, and which stopped abruptly the exertions of their editor, and several of their most valuable hands."od Towards the end of this busy year, Mr. and Mrs. Good were visited with a heavy domestic affliction in the death of their only son, a child of amiable and fascinat ing manners, and aspiring intellectual powers. Mr. G. for some time sunk under this visitation, and fell into a despondency which greatly alarmed his friends. Eight years after this event, his friend and biographer, Dr. Gregory, sustained a similar loss, and the following letter of condolence addressed by Mr. G. to the latter shows the deep feeling with which, even then, he contemplated his own loss 90 Caroline Place, May 7th, 1811. T "My very dear Friend, 29 J 16in With no common feeling do I sym pathize with you. Your letter has touched upon a string which vibrates with so much agony through my hearts and brain, and I fear ever will continue to do so, that I fly from it upon all occasions like the stricken deer from the hunter You have indeed conjectured right, and the similarity of our trials is peculiarly remarkable. I, like you, had every thing I could wish for in one one only. I enjoyed the present, I feasted on the future; at the age of twelve, the same fatal disease made its attackthe result was the same and my arms, like yours formed a pillow during the last gasp; there was the same sense of piety whilst living, and the same prominent shoot of genius. The master of the Charter-House, in a letter to me on the occasion, bewailed the loss of one of their most 681 Memoir of John Mason Good; M.D., F.R.S §¤. promising blossoms and a variety of little effusions, both in prose and verse, found in the well-known chand afterwards, but never shewn to any one, and written for personal amusement alone, seemed sufficiently to justify the opinion so generally entertained. ; l 1 But, here, my dear friend, I am afraid I must drop the parallel: for in the weak ness of my heart, I freely confess I have not yet acquired that strength of duty which you are already enabled to manifest. # ! www. I dare not examine myself as to what I should wish for, if it were in my power. All I have hitherto been able to say is, Thy will be done!' Mr. L was with us when your letter arrived: we were listening to a new and most sweetly impressive anthem, My song shall be of judgment and of mercy! to thee, O Lord, will I sing. What could be more appropriate, even if we had been aware of the melancholy fact, and could have foreseen your distressing communication. It struck us forcibly, and we 682 bThe translation of Lucretius before mentioned was composed for the most part in the streets of London, during Mr. Good's extensive walks to visit his patients. Whilst proceeding with this work, he united himself with Dr. Gregory and Mr. Newton Bosworth in the compilation of an Universal Dictionary. In 1810, ac cepting an invitation to deliver lectures at the Surrey Institution, he met with the most gratifying attention; and notwithstanding his close and numerous engage ments, he continued to cherish the love of poësy, in the production of short effusions on the passing events of life. Hé also contributed many valuable papers to the British Review, a periodical whose extinction excited considerable regret, In the year 1820, Mr. Good, by the advice of his friends, entered upon a higher department of professional duty, that of a physician. He had his diploma of M. D. from Marischal College, Aberdeen. It is dated July 10th, 1820, and is expressed in terms of peculiar honour, differing from the usual formularies. He was also elect year he published a "System of Nosology," which was followed in 1822 by "The Study of Medicine" in four octavo volumes. To his confinement, occasioned by the dat ter work, he referred the unfavourable symptoms which now began to appear in his health. In a letter to Dr. Drake, dated August 21st, 1822, he thus writes: " dwelt upon the coincidence. The judged an honorary member of the Medical ment is unquestionable, but is not the and Chirurgical Society of Aberdeen, No mercy, my excellent friend, equally visible?vember 2d, 1820. At the end of this Your own pious reflections will suggest a thousand proofs that it is: I will only repeat the remark that was most obvious to ourselves; that had this affliction happened about a year and a half ago, when you were living alone, and had no such affectionate nurse to have co-operated with you, no such bosom comforter to have supported you, severe as it is, it must have been of a character far severer still. There are a few gracious drops intermixed with every cup of bitterness-or how could man at times endure the draught? You have them from this s source: you have them from the recollection of having sown the good seed, at an early hour, in the best of seasons, and in a propitious soil: but, most of all, you have them in the harvest that has already been produced, in the safe deposit of the grain in its imperishable garner. It is accomplished; the great task intrusted to you is executed the object of life is rendered secure the gulf is forded; the haven of happiness has hold on the anchor. "On Friday I purpose to set off for Matlock, with my dear wife and daughter, for about ten days, for the purpose of recreation. You, I apprehend, are still as busy as ever, and will no doubt travel further in your easy chair, and probably over still more picturesque and romantic landscapes, than we shall do in our chariot. May you never travel over any, but may administer to you solid delight and satisfaction,tranquillizing or elevating the antimal spirits, and reading a useful lesson to the mind! In one sense, and that the most important, we are all travellers and pilgrims, journeying to an unknown country, and at a rate we cannot check, though we may precipitate it. May we, my dear friend, be enabled to finish our course with joy, and to enter into the rest that remaineth, and remaineth ALONE, for the people of God." In August, 1826, his health having been greatly shaken, and that of Mrs. Good being very indifferent, it was thought expedient that they should go to Leamington. 683 Memoir of John Mason Good, M.D. F.R.S. &c. On this occasion he again writes to his relative in these words: "The die is cast, and we are going to Leamington. May a gracious Providence render its breezes balmy, and its waters healthful! And, above all, direct me how best to devote whatever time may yet be allowed me, to the glory of God and the good of my self and others. I have trifled with time too much already, it is high time to awake and be sober, and to prepare to leave it for eternity. Every moment ought to be precious." | 684 Dr. Good in the early part of his life had adopted Unitarian views, and was led into presumption and error, whilst pur suing the mazy paths of speculation: but by slow degrees he escaped from these dangerous sentiments, and eventually became the firm adherent and advocate of evangelical religion. Some particulars relating to the last moments of this great man, extracted from a letter addressed by one of his daughters to his biographer Dr, Gregory, will conclude this memoir. 'Sunday December 31st, was a day of intense agony and frequent wanderings of mind; yet with intervals of perfect recollection and composure. About noon Dr. Good sent for his little grandson, and after solemnly blessing him, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, he added instantly, 'Now no more, During the last three months of his life his strength rapidly declined, though no immediate danger was apprehended by his friends. On the arrival of Christmas he paid a visit to his daughter, and reached her house in a state of great exhaustion. "Only three days previous to his death, a young lady who was alarmingly ill, but go, I dare not trust myself;" shewing in then capable of being moved from one this last remark a perfect self-recollection, place to another, was desirous to have the a state of mind which continued for several benefit of his advice. Dr. Good's mind hours. Shortly after this, some one menhad evinced some aberrations on account tioned Miss W.'s name, (the young lady of the fever, and the intense pain which who was governess to his grandchildren.) he suffered; but at the time this request | Dr. Good desired to see her, and on her was made known to him, he experienced | coming into the room, and taking the con less pain, and was tolerably composed. He therefore agreed to see her, with Mr. Cooper, one of his own medical attendants. The young lady was accordingly conducted to his bed-side, and, after he had made the usual inquiries with his wonted acumen, consideration, and kindness, he conferred with Mr. C. on her case. He proposed a complete, and, as the event proved, for a season, a very beneficial change in the treatment: he wrote a prescription, which bears the usual character of his hand-writing, and I am assured is marked by the peculiar elegance which always distinguished his pharmaceutic formula."-His last illness, though of short duration, was extremely severe, and terminated his life on Tuesday, January 2nd, 1827, in the 63rd year of his age. vulsed hand, which he evidently wished but wanted the power to put forth, he spoke some words expressive of his satisfaction as to her care of the children, and urging the responsibility of the charge she had undertaken, and her need of remembering it, especially, he added, 'whilst their mother was laid aside (meaning by attendance upon himself) and I know not how long that may last.' 'I don't know,' he said, 'how much I may have to suffer, but I am yet a strong man; whether we shall ever meet around the dining-table again, I cannot tell;' and concluded by some expression of hope and desire that he should meet her hereafter. "Dr. Hooper arrived late in the evening of this day. Our dear father immediately knew him, described his own sufferings in the usual medical terms, and was not satisfied unless the quantity as well as quality of the medicines administered was stated to him. Dr. H. did not remain long, too quickly perceiving how unavailing, in this case, was human skill: with tenderness and frankness he told us his opinion, and assured us of his readiness to remain longer, notwithstanding his pressing medi cal engagements, if his continuance would be of the slightest benefit to his friend. In the intervals of composure, and when not suffering from extreme exacerbations of pain, some of Dr. G.'s family endeavoured to repeat occasionally short texts of scrip |