Chinon of England

Anon. (1596)

Historical Records

Henslowe's Diary

F.14 / Greg 1.27:
ye 3 of Jenewary 1595		ne . .	R[d] at chinone of Jngland . . . . . . . . . .		ls
ye 12 of Jenewary 1595	________	________	R[d] at chynon of Jngland . . . . . . . . . .		ls
					. . . . . . .
F.14v / Greg 1.28:
ye 21 of Jenewary 1595			R[d] at chinon of Jngland . . . . . . . . . .		xxxiijs
ye 27 of Jenewary 1595			R[d] at chinon . . . . . . . . . .		xxjs
ye 11 of febreary 1595			R[d] at chinon of Jngland . . . . . . . . . .		xxs
ye 24 of febreary 1595			R[d] at chinone . . . . . . . . . .		lvjs
					. . . . . . .
F.15v / Greg 1.30:
ye 23 of aprell 1596			R[d] at chinon . . . . . . . . . . .		xxs
ye 2 of maye 1596	________	________	R[d] at chinon . . . . . . . . . .		xxs
ye 16 of maye 1596	________	________	R[d] at chynone . . . . . . . . . .		xxxiijs
ye 27 of maye 1596			R[d] at chinone . . . . . . . . . .		ixs
					. . . . . . .
Fol.21v / Greg 1.42:
ye 1 of June 1596			R[d] at chinone of Jngland . . . . . . . . . .		iiijs
					. . . . . . .
F.25 / Greg 1.49:
ye 27 of octob[er] 1596			R[d] at chynon . . . . . . . . . .		lijs
ye 2 of novmb[er] 1596			|R[d]| at chinone of Jngland . . . .		xvijs
ye 10 of novmb[er] 1596			|R[d]| at chinon . . . . . . . . . .		xs

Rogers and Ley's List (1656)

In Rogers and Ley's list, "An exact and perfect Catologue of all Playes that are Printed", appended to Thomas Goffe's The Careless Shepherd is:

Committy man, Currie.

Cunning Lovers.

Chinon of England.

Theatrical Provenance

Performed as a new play by the Admiral's men on 3 Jan 1595/6, and 14 times in total.

Probable Genre(s)

Heroical romance (Harbage)

Possible Narrative and Dramatic Sources or Analogues

Entered in the Stationers Register by Thomas Gosson and John Danter, 20 Jan 1595/96 (S.R.I, 3.57):

Entred for their Copie vnder th[e h]andes of bothe the wardens a

booke intituled. The ffirste part of the famous histories of CHINAN of

England . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . vj^d

The text in question is Christopher Middleton's The famous historie of Chinon of England with his strange aduentures for the loue of Celestina daughter to Lewis King of Fraunce. VVith the worthy atchiuement of Sir Lancelot du Lake, and Sir Tristram du Lions for fair Laura, daughter to Cador Earle of Cornewall, beeing all knights of King Arthurs round table (1597).

Greg (2.178) and others have suggested that the lost play may have been based on Middleton's romance whilst still in MS form.

References to the Play

In his Pleasant notes upon Don Quixot (1654), Edmund Gayton commented on the shortcomings of the English stage, noting: "nor are the incongruities and absurdities of our owne stage any lesse or more excusable, it being a long time us'd to historicall arguments, which could not be dispatched but by Chorus, or the descending of some god, or a Magitian: As in the playes of Bungy, Bacon, and Vandarmast, the three great Negromancers, Dr Faustus, Chinon of England, and the like" (272).

John Taylor, the Water Poet, twice refers to Chinon in the context of other fantastic adventurers, though it is unclear whether he refers to the play or the romance:

For the progresse of Coriat was but a walke in regard of my Shillings perambulations: and if the Inke and Paper-murdering fictions should be true of Amadis de Gaule, Huon, Sir Egre, Beuis, Guy, the Mirrour of Knighthood, the seuen champions, Chinon, Sir Dagonet, Triamore, Launcelet, Don Spatterlash of Toledo, Monseiur Mallegrindo, Knight of the frozen Ile: If it were possible that all their lyes should be true, of the great Trauels of those imaginarie and neuer seene Worthies, yet must they all come short of the praise that is due to my trauelling Twelue-pence. (A shilling or, The trauailes of twelue-pence, sig.A3^v)

...
IN all Ages and Countries, it hath euer bin knowne, that Famous men haue florished, whose worthy Actions, and Eminency of place, haue euer beene as conspicuous Beacons Burning and blazing to the Spectators view: the sparkes & flames whereof hath sometimes kindled Courage in the most coldest and Effeminate Cowards; as Thersites amongst the Grecians, Amadis de Gaule, and Sir Huon of Burdeaux in France: Sir Beuis, Gogmagog, Chinon, Palmerin, Lancelot, & Sir Tristram amongst vs here in England, Sir Degre, Sir Grime, and Sir Gray Steele in Scotland, Don Quixot with the Spaniards, Gargantua almost no where, Sir Dagonet, and Sir Triamore any where... (The great O Toole, sig.A4)

Critical Commentary

Fleay (2.304) thinks that the S.R. entry for Middleton's romance refers to the lost play, but his assertion has been disputed by subsequent critics including Greg (2.178).

For What It's Worth

Gayton also tells us of Chinon's common alternative title, "Chinon of England, or the Foole transform'd" (3), noting that "by both those names that Knight was ever remembred" (87).

Works Cited

Gayton, Edmund. Pleasant notes upon Don Quixot by Edmund Gayton, Esq. 1654.

Middleton, Christopher. The famous historie of Chinon of England with his strange aduentures for the loue of Celestina daughter to Lewis King of Fraunce. VVith the worthy atchiuement of Sir Lancelot du Lake, and Sir Tristram du Lions for fair Laura, daughter to Cador Earle of Cornewall, beeing all knights of King Arthurs round table. By Chr. Middleton. , At London : Printed by Iohn Danter, for Cuthbert Burbie, and are to be sold at his shop by the Royall Exchange, 1597. 1597.

Taylor, John. A shilling or, The trauailes of twelue-pence. 1621.

---. The great O Toole. 1622.

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