Sir Aston Cokayne

Sir Aston Cokayne, a cousin of the poet Charles Cotton, was born into a Derbyshire family; he was educated at Chenies School, Buckinghamshire, Trinity College Cambridge and the Inns of Court. Afterwards he travelled on the continent with Sir Kenelm Digby, inherited his estates, and received a baronet's patent in 1642. A Catholic and a Royalist, Cokayne was granted an M.A. by Oxford in 1643; after the Restoration he published plays and lived beyond his means.

TEXT RECORDS:

1630 ca.The First Eclogue.
1630 ca.The Second Eclogue.
1632To my worthy Friend Mr. Philip Massinger, upon his Tragae-comedy, call'd the Emperour of the East.
1633 ca.On the Death of my very good Friend Mr. Michael Drayton.
1658A Remedy for Love.
1658Epigrams: No. 37. Of Edmond Spencer.
1658Love Elegies 12. Deare Lady from your Eies there Came.
1658To Mr. Humphrey C. on his Poem entitled Loves Hawking Bag.

PUBLICATIONS:

Dianea: an excellent new romance [Loredano, trans.] 1654.
The obstinate lady; a new comedy. 1657.
Small poems of divers sorts. 1658.
A chain of golden poems. 1658.
Poems ... with the Tragedy of Ovid. 1662.
Choice poems of several sorts. 1669.
The tragedy of Ovid. 1669.
A duke and no duke. A farce. 1685.
Dramatic works, ed. James Maidment. 1874.

PROFILE AND
ASSOCIATES:

English
Catholic
Dissenter

Chenies School
Trinity College Cambridge
Oxford University
Master of Arts
Inns of Court

antiquary
poet
dramatist
translator

Richard Brome
Charles Cotton
Sir Kenelm Digby
Michael Drayton
William Dugdale
William Habington
Francis Lenton
Richard Lovelace
Philip Massinger
Thomas May
Thomas Randolph
George Sandys
John Suckling

REFERENCE:

DNB; NCBEL; DLB.

[Portrait in Works (1669)]; Edward Phillips, Theatrum Poetarum (1675); William Winstanley, Lives of the Most Famous English Poets (1687); Gerard Langbaine, Account of the English Dramatick Poets (1691); Charles Gildon, Lives and Characters of the English Dramatick Poets (1699); Giles Jacob, Poetical Register (1719); Wood, Athenae Oxonienses (1690-91; 1721) 2:756-57; Cibber-Shiels, Lives of the Poets (1753); David Erskine Baker, Companion to the Play-House (1764); James Granger, Biographical History (1769; 1824) [portrait]; Biographia Dramatica (1782; 1812); George Ellis, Specimens of Early English Poetry (1790; 1801); Francis Godolphin Waldron, in Biographical Mirror (1795, 1798) [portrait]; Gentleman's Magazine 57 (1797) 554, 556, 737; Poetical Register for 1801 (1802); Samuel Egerton Brydges, "Small Poems of Divers Sorts" Censura Literaria 6 (1808) 154-56; Alexander Chalmers, General Biographical Dictionary (1812-17); Samuel Egerton Brydges, "Memoir of Sir Aston Cokayne" British Bibliographer 2 (1812) 449-63 [portrait]; John Nichols, Literary Anecdotes (1812-15); Bliss, Athenae Oxonienses (1815); Restituta or ... English Literature Revived 2 (1815) 31-50, 138-40; Robert Watt, Bibliotheca Britannica (1824); Allibone, Critical Dictionary of English Literature (1858-71; 1882); Foster, Alumni Oxon (1887-91); M. Burns, "The Devil of a Duke" TLS (18 July 1929); Arthur H. Scouten, "Aston Cokayne and his Adapter, Nahum Tate" Louisiana State University Disseration (1942); Cummings, Spenser: The Critical Heritage (1971); Chadwyck-Healey English Poetry Database (1995).

COMMENTARY RECORDS
for Sir Aston Cokayne:

1.	1639  Thomas Bancroft, "To Aston Cokaine, Esquire" Two Bookes of Epigrammes, and Epitaphs (1639) sig. D2.
2.	1658  Thomas Bancroft, "To his noble Friend Sir Aston Cokain on his Poetical Composures" Cokayne, Small Poems of Divers Sorts (1658) 1.
3.	1662  Charles Cotton, "To Sir Aston Cockayne, on his Tragedy of Ovid" 1662; Cotton, Poems (1923) 277-78.
4.	1764  David Erskine Baker, in Companion to the Play-House (1764) 2:Sig. G4v.
5.	1812  Samuel Egerton Brydges, "Memoir of Sir Aston Cokayne" British Bibliographer 2 (1812) 449-63.
6.	1859  David Masson, in Life of John Milton (1859-94; 1965) 6:297.

BIOGRAPHY RECORDS
for Sir Aston Cokayne:

1.	1675  Edward Phillips, in Theatrum Poetarum (1675) 2:13-14.
2.	1687  William Winstanley, Lives of the Most Famous English Poets (1687) 163.
3.	1690  Anthony Wood, Athenae Oxonienses (1690-91; 1721) 2:756-57.
4.	1691  Gerard Langbaine, in Account of the English Dramatick Poets (1691) 67-71.
5.	1699  Charles Gildon, in Lives and Characters of the English Dramatick Poets (1699) 21.
6.	1719  Giles Jacob, in Poetical Register: or the Lives and Characters of the English Dramatick Poets (1719) 40.
7.	1753  Anonymous, in Cibber-Shiels, Lives of the Poets of Great Britain and Ireland (1753) 2:216-19.
8.	1769  James Granger, in Biographical History of England (1769; 1824) 5:250.
9.	1797  Samuel Egerton Brydges, in Gentleman's Magazine 67 (July 1797) 554-59.
10.	1801  George Ellis, in Specimens of Early English Poets (1801; 1845) 3:199.
11.	1802  Anonymous, in Poetical Register for 1801 (1802; 1815) 191.
12.	1812  Alexander Chalmers, in General Biographical Dictionary (1812-17) 9:517-18.

AUTHOR AS CRITIC:
(commentary records)

1.	1631  Michael Drayton:   Aston Cokayne, "On the Death of my very good Friend Michael Drayton" 1631; Cokayne, Small Poems of Divers Sorts (1658) 66-67.
2.	1632  Philip Massinger:   Aston Cokayne, "To my worthy Friend Mr. Philip Massinger, upon his Tragae-comedy, call'd the Emperour of the East" Massinger, Emperour of the East (1632) sig. A3-A3v.
3.	1632  Philip Massinger:   Aston Cokayne, "To my worthy Friend the Author upon his Tragae-comedy, The Maid of Honour" Massinger, The Maid of Honour (1632) sig. A2v.
4.	1635 ca.  Thomas Randolph:   Aston Cokayne, "To my Friend Mr. Thomas Randolph on his Play called the Entertainment, printed by the Name of the Muses Looking-Glass" 1635 ca.; Cokayne, Small Poems of Divers Sorts (1658) 98-99.
5.	1647  John Fletcher:   Aston Cokayne, "On the deceased Authour, Mr. John Fletcher, his Plays; and especially, The Mad Lover" Beaumont and Fletcher, Comedies and Tragedies (1647) sigs a3v-a4.
6.	1658  Charles Cotton:   Aston Cokayne, "To My Cousin Mr. Charles Cotton Junior" Cokayne, Small Poems of Divers Sorts (1658) 134.
7.	1658  Charles Cotton:   Aston Cokayne, in "To My Cousin Mr. Charles Cotton the Younger" Cokayne, Small Poems of Divers Sorts (1658) 169.
8.	1658  Sir Arthur Gorges:   Aston Cokayne, "To the truly noble Sir Arthur Gorges" Cokayne, Small Poems of Divers Sorts (1658) 167.
9.	1658  Francis Lenton:   Aston Cokayne, "To Francis Lenton refusing Wine" Cokayne, Small Poems of Divers Sorts (1658) 163.
10.	1658  Humphrey Moseley:   Aston Cokayne, "To Humphrey Moseley" Cokayne, Small Poems of Divers Sorts (1658) 117.