Samuel Cobb (baptized 1675–1713) was an English poet, critic and school master who was known for a light hearted, ironic pose in his verse and a witty, good natured personal life.
He attended Christ's Hospital under the Lord Mayor's charity and continued with indigent aid to Trinity College, Cambridge for his B.A.
He wrote several other odes and poems celebrating royal occasions, evidently with an eye toward gaining sufficient funds to relieve his poverty.
His most famous poem was Poetae Britannici in 1700, which was a survey of previous English poetry in a light style, clear diction, and imagery that later critics like John Nichols considered "sublime."
In 1707, he wrote Discourse on Criticism and the Liberty of Writing and argued for the virtue and freedom of the author against too nice a critique.