Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900/Good, William
GOOD, WILLIAM (1527–1586), Jesuit, born at Glastonbury, Somersetshire, in 1527, was educated there, and admitted at Corpus Christi College, Oxford, 26 Feb. 1545-6, elected a fellow of that society 15 June 1548, and commenced M.A. 18 July 1552, being about that time humanity reader in the college (Boase, Registrum Univ. Oxon. i. 218). He was one of the clerks of the market in 1552. In Queen Mary's reign he obtained the benefice of Middle Chinnock, Somersetshire, the prebend of Comba Octava in the church of Wells, and the head-mastership of the grammar school at Wells. Soon after the accession of Elizabeth he withdrew to Tournay, where in 1562 he was admitted into the Society of Jesus by Father Mercurianus, the provincial (afterwards general of the society). After he had passed his novitiate he was sent into Ireland with Dr. Richard Creagh [q. v.], archbishop of Armagh, and laboured as a missionary in that country for several years. Then he went to Louvain, where he became acquainted with Robert Parsons, whom he persuaded to join the Jesuit order. In 1577 he was professed of the four vows at Rome. Subsequently he visited Sweden and Poland in company with Anthony Possevin in order to settle certain affairs relating to the order. While living in Poland he was elected by the provincial meeting as procurator to the fourth general congregation, and by his vote he assisted in the election of Father Claudius Aquaviva as general of the Jesuits (1581). After the congregation was over he remained in Rome as confessor to the English College then recently established. His appointment gave special satisfaction to Dr. Allen, as appears by his letter to Father Agazzari, 1 June 1581. In 1582 Agazzari appealed to him to clear him from the charge of enticing the students of the college into the Society of Jesus (Knox.,Letters and Memorials of Cardinal Allen, p. 153). Good died at Naples on 5 July (N. S.) 1586, and was buried in the college of the Jesuits in that city.
His works are: 1. An abstract of the lives of the British saints, digested, says Wood, according to the years of Christ and kings of Great Britain. Manuscript formerly in the English College, Rome. 2. 'Ecclesiæ Anglicanæ Trophæa, sive sanctorum Martyrum, qui pro Christo Catholicæque Fidei veritate asserenda, antiquo recentiorique Persecutionum tempore, mortem in Anglia subierunt, Passiones. Romæ in Collegio Anglico per Nicolaum Circinianum depictæ; nuper autem per Jo. Bap. de Cavalleriis æneis typis repræsentatæ,' Rome, 1584, fol., containing thirty-six plates, inclusive of the title-page, engraved on copper. These curious pictures, which formerly covered the walls of the church attached to the English College at Rome, were presented to that institution by George Gilbert [q. v.] Good superintended the work and supplied the artist with the subjects. A reproduction of the engravings, under the editorial supervision of the Rev. John Morris, appeared in 1888. [Wood's Athenae Oxon. (Bliss), i. 516; Tanner's Bibl. Brit. p. 332; Oliver's Jesuit Collections, p. 105; Dodd's Church Hist. ii. 145; Records of English Catholics, i. 328, 334, ii. 466; More's Hist. Missionis Anglic. Soc. Jesu, p. 13; Tanner's Societas Jesu Apostolorum Imitatrix, p. 210; Foley's Records, iv. 477, vii. 307; Southwell's Bibl. Scriptt. Soc. Jesu, p. 314.]