Leonard Cox

Leonard Cox, sometimes written as Leonard Coxe, was an English humanist active in the early 16th century. Sources describe him as a scholar, grammarian, poet, preacher, and rhetorician, with an international reputation and connections to major figures of Renaissance learning, including Erasmus and Philipp Melanchthon.

He is best known as the author of what is often described as the first book on rhetoric written in English. His career also took him beyond England: he found patronage in Poland, which reflects how widely scholars of the Renaissance could travel and work.

Although many details of his life remain uncertain, he is generally dated to around 1495 to around 1549. What stands out most is his role in bringing humanist education and classical rhetorical ideas to English readers at an early moment in print culture.