Grahamm--
As far as I know, no one any longer believes in this rather misguided
theory. Lumiansky and Mills, the editors of EETS Chester, and I all agree that
the extant texts are 16th c. the whole notion that Chester comes from some
French original is curious to say the least. On the one hand, those
medievalists who searched for origins always found them in French texts even
when the latter were "lost," the implication being that French was always
better. But there is a twist in the discussion of Chester because the Chester
plays, supposedly having originated in French dramas, were always described as
the most primitive and dull (for which, read, non-literary). There is a kind
of conflict of desire in this scholarly stance.
My advice is not to worry about French sources for the Chester plays.
Larry Clopper
