Chance Medley

Henry Chettle and/or Thomas Dekker, Michael Drayton, Anthony Munday and Robert Wilson (1598)

Historical Records

Payments to Playwrights (Henslowe's Diary)

Lent vnto the company the 19 of aguste 1598 to }

paye vnto m^r willson monday & deckers in pte }

of payment of a boocke called chance medley the } iiij^ll v^s

some of iiij^ll v^s in this maner willson xxx^s cheattell }

xxx^s mondy xxv^s J say . . . . . . . . . . . . }

File:HADP f49 snippet.jpg
(Henslowe-Alleyn Digitisation Project, MSS 7, fol.49v)

F. 49^v (Greg I.94)

pd vnto m^r. drayton the 24 of aguste 1598 }

in fulle payment of a Boocke called chance } xxxv^s

medley [or worse a feared then ^[hurte] the] some of . . }

File:HADP f49v snippet.jpg
(Henslowe-Alleyn Digitisation Project, MSS 7, fol.49v)

Theatrical Provenance

The Admiral's were at the Rose when Henslowe paid Chettle, Dekker, Drayton, Munday and Wilson for "Chance Medley".

Probable Genre(s)

Comedy (Harbage)

Possible Narrative and Dramatic Sources or Analogues

Wiggins notes that " 'chance medley' could refer to a narrative which proceeds by a chaotic agglomeration of accidents, or more specifically to the legal term for culpable but clergyable homocide" (1142).

References to the Play

Critical Commentary

Wiggins (1142) does not include Dekker in his list of playwrights associated with this title; he does not address this omission in his commentary, but the implication is that he believes Henslowe's "willson monday & deckers" is a mistake subsequently rectified by the specification of sums to be paid to Wilson, Chettle and Munday.

For What It's Worth

Works Cited

citation goes here

Site created and maintained by David McInnis, University of Melbourne; updated 24 Feb 2015.

Lent vnto the company the 19 of aguste 1598 to	}
paye vnto m^r willson monday & deckers in pte	}
of payment of a boocke called chance medley the	}	iiij^ll v^s
some of iiij^ll v^s in this maner willson xxx^s cheattell	}
xxx^s mondy xxv^s J say . . . . . . . . . . . .	}

pd vnto m^r. drayton the 24 of aguste 1598	}
in fulle payment of a Boocke called chance	}	xxxv^s
medley [or worse a feared then ^[hurte] the] some of . .	}