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. At the time of his death, July 28th 1750, he was first commissioner of the wine licences, an office which he had enjoyed many years. He was twice married. His second wife was the widow of his great friend Trenchard, by whom he had children.—He published English translations of Sallust and Tacitus, with additional discourses to each author, which contain much good matter. Also, two collections of his tracts have been preserved: the first intitled, A Cordial for Low-spirits, in three volumes; and the second, The Pillars of Priestcraft and Orthodoxy shaken, in two volumes.
Gordonia lumes. But these, like many other posthumous things, had better have been suppressed. In his translations as well as his other works he places the verbs at the ends of sentences, according to the Latin idiom, in a very stiff and affected manner.