Ben Jonson’s A Tale of a Tub: A Retelling

This is a retelling of Ben Jonson's A TALE OF A TALE in modern English. Reading this retelling first will make reading the original play much earlier.

An Excerpt:

“Dictator and High Constable were both the same positions,” Scriben said.

“High Constable was a higher position, though!” Medley said. “He laid Dick Tator by the heels.”

“Dick Tator” is Medley’s interpretation of “dictator.”

“Dick Tooter!” To-Pan said.

“Dick Tooter” is To-Pan’s interpretation of “Dick Tator.”

To-Pan continued, “He was one of the waits — musicians — of the city, I have read about ’hun [him]. He was a fellow who would be drunk, debauched — and he did zet ’un [him] in the stocks indeed: His name was Vadian, and a cunning Tooter.”

A tooter likely plays a wind instrument.

A Fabian is a member of the Roman gens (family) Fabia. This was a patrician family name.

In 221 and 217 B.C.E., Quintus Fabius Maximus Verrucosis — known as Cunctator — was Roman Dictator. “Cunctator” means “Delayer,” and as dictator he harassed the Carthaginian general Hannibal’s army without ever fighting it in open battle. This is probably the “Vadian” To-Pan meant.