TRENCHARD (John), an eminent English writer, was descended from an ancient family, and born in the year 1669. He had a liberal education; and was bred to the law, in which he made great progress: but politics, and the place of commissioner of the forfeited estates of Ireland, which he enjoyed in the reign of king William, took him from the bar. He began early to distinguish himself by his writings; for, in 1697, he published, An argument showing that a standing army is inconsistent with a free government.
ment, and absolutely destructive to the constitution of the English monarchy; and the year following he published a short history of the standing armies in England: which gave occasion to several answers. In 1720, Mr Trenchard, in conjunction with Mr Thomas Gordon, began to publish in the London, and afterwards in the British Journal, a series of letters, under the name of Cato's, upon various public and important subjects, which were continued for near three years with great reputation, and afterwards collected and published by Mr Gordon in 4 vols 12mo, under the title of Cato's Letters. Mr Trenchard was member of parliament for Taunton in Somersetshire; and died in 1723. Mr Gordon gives him the character of being "one of the worthiest, one of the ablest, one of the most useful men, that ever any country was blessed with."