Leonard Cox
Encyclopedia
Leonard Cox (c. 1495 – c. 1549) was an English humanist, author of the first book in English on rhetoric
. He was a scholar of international reputation who found patronage in Poland
, and was friend of Erasmus and Melanchthon. He was known to contemporaries as a grammarian, rhetorician, poet, and preacher, and was skilled in the modern as well as the classical languages.
in 1514, where he was a student of Johann Stöffler. He spent two periods at the University of Kraków (1518 to 1520 and 1525 to 1527), where he lectured on classical authors; and as a schoolmaster (in 1520 at Levoča
, a position he obtained with the help of Johann Henckel, and in 1521 at Košice
, both now in Slovakia
). Carpenter takes a March 1519 reference to Leonard Cox in transit from Tournai
to Antwerp to be him. John Leland wrote a Latin poem praising Cox, including references suggesting he had been at Paris
and Prague
.
His patrons in Poland included Krzysztof Szydłowiecki. In 1527 Cox had the opportunity to participate in a high-profile exchange of open letters, from Martin Luther
to Henry VIII of England
. He printed the last two parts of the correspondence, adding an introduction glorifying Szydłowiecki, as well as a flattering poem by Stanislaus Hosius
. Szydłowiecki and Jan Łaski gave Cox his introduction to Erasmus; he several times lectured on the De copia. Another patron was Piotr Tomicki
. Cox had dedicated a 1518 book (an oration praising the university) to Justus Ludovicus Decius (Jost Ludwig Dietz) from Alsace
, who had been in Kraków from 1505.
He graduated B.A. at the University of Cambridge on a visit to England 1526-7. He was incorporated as B.A. at Oxford on 19 February 1530, and he also supplicated that university for the degree of M.A. Hugh Cook Faringdon
, abbot of Reading, appointed him master of the grammar school in Reading, Berkshire
and associated with Reading Abbey
, by 1530. Anthony Wood
relates that Cox supported John Frith
when he was apprehended as a vagabond
at Reading. Faringdon was executed in 1539, and Cox went to Caerleon
where he kept a school. He had a son, Francis, D.D., of New College, Oxford.
He was succeeded in the mastership of Reading school by Leonard Bilson in 1546.
edition appeared in 1977. This work is translated from part of Melanchthon's De Rhetorica, in a pirated edition of 1521. It covers on the section on inventio
. This makes it only a partial rendering of the five-fold scheme of classical rhetoric. The work is recognised as the first rhetoric book in English, and apparently was intended for a general readership; but there are aspects more clearly intended for the use of lawyers. On the other hand it has been described as intended as a schoolbook; and Brian Vickers
specifies that it was designed for use in a grammar school
.
; it appeared again in 1549, with a dedication to John Hales
, clerk of the hanaper. Commentaries upon Will. Lily's Construction of the eight parts of Speech, 1540 was a version of William Lilye
's basic Latin grammar, again dedicated to Cromwell. He also wrote verses prefixed to the publications of others, including the Hyperaspistes of Erasmus and the French grammar of John Palsgrave
.
Rhetoric
Rhetoric is the art of discourse, an art that aims to improve the facility of speakers or writers who attempt to inform, persuade, or motivate particular audiences in specific situations. As a subject of formal study and a productive civic practice, rhetoric has played a central role in the Western...
. He was a scholar of international reputation who found patronage in Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
, and was friend of Erasmus and Melanchthon. He was known to contemporaries as a grammarian, rhetorician, poet, and preacher, and was skilled in the modern as well as the classical languages.
Life
He matriculated at TübingenTübingen
Tübingen is a traditional university town in central Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is situated south of the state capital, Stuttgart, on a ridge between the Neckar and Ammer rivers.-Geography:...
in 1514, where he was a student of Johann Stöffler. He spent two periods at the University of Kraków (1518 to 1520 and 1525 to 1527), where he lectured on classical authors; and as a schoolmaster (in 1520 at Levoča
Levoca
Levoča is a town in the Spiš region of eastern Slovakia with a population of 14,600. The town has a historic center with a well preserved town wall, a Renaissance church with the highest wooden altar in Europe, carved by Master Paul of Levoča, and many other Renaissance buildings.On 28 June 2009,...
, a position he obtained with the help of Johann Henckel, and in 1521 at Košice
Košice
Košice is a city in eastern Slovakia. It is situated on the river Hornád at the eastern reaches of the Slovak Ore Mountains, near the border with Hungary...
, both now in Slovakia
Slovakia
The Slovak Republic is a landlocked state in Central Europe. It has a population of over five million and an area of about . Slovakia is bordered by the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south...
). Carpenter takes a March 1519 reference to Leonard Cox in transit from Tournai
Tournai
Tournai is a Walloon city and municipality of Belgium located 85 kilometres southwest of Brussels, on the river Scheldt, in the province of Hainaut....
to Antwerp to be him. John Leland wrote a Latin poem praising Cox, including references suggesting he had been at Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
and Prague
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
.
His patrons in Poland included Krzysztof Szydłowiecki. In 1527 Cox had the opportunity to participate in a high-profile exchange of open letters, from Martin Luther
Martin Luther
Martin Luther was a German priest, professor of theology and iconic figure of the Protestant Reformation. He strongly disputed the claim that freedom from God's punishment for sin could be purchased with money. He confronted indulgence salesman Johann Tetzel with his Ninety-Five Theses in 1517...
to Henry VIII of England
Henry VIII of England
Henry VIII was King of England from 21 April 1509 until his death. He was Lord, and later King, of Ireland, as well as continuing the nominal claim by the English monarchs to the Kingdom of France...
. He printed the last two parts of the correspondence, adding an introduction glorifying Szydłowiecki, as well as a flattering poem by Stanislaus Hosius
Stanislaus Hosius
Stanislaus Hosius was a cardinal, since 1551 Prince-Bishop in Bishopric of Warmia, Poland since 1558 papal legate to the Holy Roman Emperor's Imperial Court in Vienna, Austria and since 1566 a papal legate to Poland.Hosius was born in Kraków as the son of Ulrich Hos of Pforzheim and studied law...
. Szydłowiecki and Jan Łaski gave Cox his introduction to Erasmus; he several times lectured on the De copia. Another patron was Piotr Tomicki
Piotr Tomicki
Piotr Tomicki - Bishop of Przemyśl, of Poznań and Archbishop of Kraków, Vice-Chancellor of the Crown and Royal Secretary...
. Cox had dedicated a 1518 book (an oration praising the university) to Justus Ludovicus Decius (Jost Ludwig Dietz) from Alsace
Alsace
Alsace is the fifth-smallest of the 27 regions of France in land area , and the smallest in metropolitan France. It is also the seventh-most densely populated region in France and third most densely populated region in metropolitan France, with ca. 220 inhabitants per km²...
, who had been in Kraków from 1505.
He graduated B.A. at the University of Cambridge on a visit to England 1526-7. He was incorporated as B.A. at Oxford on 19 February 1530, and he also supplicated that university for the degree of M.A. Hugh Cook Faringdon
Hugh Cook Faringdon
Blessed Hugh Cook Faringdon, O.S.B., , also known as Hugh Faringdon or Hugh Cook, was a Benedictine monk who ruled as the last Abbot of Reading Abbey in the English town of Reading. At the dissolution of the monasteries under King Henry VIII of England, he was accused of high treason and executed...
, abbot of Reading, appointed him master of the grammar school in Reading, Berkshire
Reading, Berkshire
Reading is a large town and unitary authority area in England. It is located in the Thames Valley at the confluence of the River Thames and River Kennet, and on both the Great Western Main Line railway and the M4 motorway, some west of London....
and associated with Reading Abbey
Reading Abbey
Reading Abbey is a large, ruined abbey in the centre of the town of Reading, in the English county of Berkshire. It was founded by Henry I in 1121 "for the salvation of my soul, and the souls of King William, my father, and of King William, my brother, and Queen Maud, my wife, and all my ancestors...
, by 1530. Anthony Wood
Anthony Wood
Anthony Wood or Anthony à Wood was an English antiquary.-Early life:Anthony Wood was the fourth son of Thomas Wood , BCL of Oxford, where Anthony was born...
relates that Cox supported John Frith
John Frith
John Frith was an English Protestant priest, writer, and martyr.Frith was an important contributor to the Christian debate on persecution and toleration in favour of the principle of religious toleration...
when he was apprehended as a vagabond
Vagabond (person)
A vagabond is a drifter and an itinerant wanderer who roams wherever they please, following the whim of the moment. Vagabonds may lack residence, a job, and even citizenship....
at Reading. Faringdon was executed in 1539, and Cox went to Caerleon
Caerleon
Caerleon is a suburban village and community, situated on the River Usk in the northern outskirts of the city of Newport, South Wales. Caerleon is a site of archaeological importance, being the site of a notable Roman legionary fortress, Isca Augusta, and an Iron Age hill fort...
where he kept a school. He had a son, Francis, D.D., of New College, Oxford.
He was succeeded in the mastership of Reading school by Leonard Bilson in 1546.
The Art or Crafte of Rhetoryke
He was author of The Art or Crafte of Rhetoryke, first edition 1524; and also London (Robert Redman), 1532. It was reprinted in 1899, edited by Frederick Ives Carpenter, and a facsimileFacsimile
A facsimile is a copy or reproduction of an old book, manuscript, map, art print, or other item of historical value that is as true to the original source as possible. It differs from other forms of reproduction by attempting to replicate the source as accurately as possible in terms of scale,...
edition appeared in 1977. This work is translated from part of Melanchthon's De Rhetorica, in a pirated edition of 1521. It covers on the section on inventio
Inventio
Inventio is the system or method used for the discovery of arguments in Western rhetoric and comes from the Latin word, meaning "invention" or "discovery"...
. This makes it only a partial rendering of the five-fold scheme of classical rhetoric. The work is recognised as the first rhetoric book in English, and apparently was intended for a general readership; but there are aspects more clearly intended for the use of lawyers. On the other hand it has been described as intended as a schoolbook; and Brian Vickers
Brian Vickers (academic)
Sir Brian Vickers, FBA is a British academic, now Emeritus Professor at ETH Zurich. He is known for his work on the history of rhetoric, Shakespeare, John Ford, and Francis Bacon....
specifies that it was designed for use in a grammar school
Grammar school
A grammar school is one of several different types of school in the history of education in the United Kingdom and some other English-speaking countries, originally a school teaching classical languages but more recently an academically-oriented secondary school.The original purpose of mediaeval...
.
Other works
He edited the Venatio of Adriano di Castello (1524). He translated from Greek into Latin Marcus Eremita de Lege et Spiritu, and from Latin into English Erasmus's Paraphrase of the Epistle to Titus, which in 1534 he asked the printer Robert Toy to convey to Thomas Cromwell, at a time when Cox hoped for Cromwell's influence to secure a move the free school at BristolBristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
; it appeared again in 1549, with a dedication to John Hales
John Hales (d.1571)
John Hales was an English writer, administrator and politician.-Life:A son of Thomas Hales of Hales Place, Halden, Kent, Hales was brought up by Christopher Hales, who was an uncle or else a more distant relation. Without a university education, he learned Latin, Greek, French, and German...
, clerk of the hanaper. Commentaries upon Will. Lily's Construction of the eight parts of Speech, 1540 was a version of William Lilye
William Lilye
William Lily was an English classical grammarian and scholar. He was an author of the most widely used Latin grammar textbook in England and was the first headmaster of St Paul's School, London.-Life:...
's basic Latin grammar, again dedicated to Cromwell. He also wrote verses prefixed to the publications of others, including the Hyperaspistes of Erasmus and the French grammar of John Palsgrave
John Palsgrave
John Palsgrave was a priest of Henry VIII of England's court. He is known as a tutor in the royal household, and as a textbook author.-Life:...
.
External links
- Dictionary of Literary Biography article (1532 edition).