GORDON (Thomas) noted for his translations and political writings, was born at Kirkudbright in North-Britain. He came young to London; where he supported himself by teaching languages, until he procured employment under the earl of Oxford in queen Anne's time, but in what capacity is not now known. He first distinguished himself in the defence of Dr Hoadley in the Bangorian controversy; which recommended him to Mr Trenchard, in conjunction with whom he wrote the well-known Cato's Letters, upon a variety of important public subjects. These were followed by another periodical paper, under the title of The Independent Whig; which was continued some years after Mr Trenchard's death, by Gordon alone, against the hierarchy of the church; but with more acrimony than was shown in Cato's Letters. At length Sir Robert Walpole retained him to defend his administration, to which end he wrote several pamphlets; and died first commissioner of the wine-licences in 1750. There are two other collections of tracts of his writing, The cordial for low spirits, and The pillars of priestcraft and orthodoxy shaken. In his translations of Sallust and other works, he places the verbs at the ends of sentences, according to the Latin idiom, in a very stiff and affected manner.