At this the Mayor and Corporation
Quaked with a mighty consternation.
4. An hour they săte in eouncil-

At length the Mayor broke silence:
"For a gilder1 I'd my ermine gown sell;
I wish I were a mile hence!

It's easy to bid one rack one's brain-
I'm sure my poor head aches again,
I've scratched it so, and all in vain ;-
Oh for a trap, a trap, a trap!"

5. Just as he said this, what should hap
At the chamber door but a gentle tap?
"Bless us," cried the Mayor, "what's that?"
(With the Corporation as he sat,
Looking little, though wondrous fat;
Nor brighter was his eye, nor moister

Than a too long-opened oyster,

Save when at noon his paunch grew mutinous?
For a plate of turtle, green and glutinous 3)
"Only a scraping of shoes on the mat?
Any thing like the sound of a rat
Makes my heart go pit-a-pat!"

6. "Come in!"-the Mayor cried, looking bigger:
And in did come the strangèst figure!

His queer long coat from heel to head
Was hälf of yellōw and half of red ;
And he himself was tall and thin,
With sharp, blue eyes, each like a pin,
And light, loose hair, yet swarthy skin,
No tuft on cheek, nor beard on chin,
But lips where smiles went out and in—
There was no guessing his kith and kin!
And nobody could enough admire
The tall man and his quaint attire.

Gild ́er, a Dutch coin of the
value of about thirty-eight cents.

2 Mū'ti nous, disposed to resist the authority of rightful laws and regulations, especially in an army or navy,

or openly resisting such authority. 3 Glu'ti nous, having the quality of glue; resembling glue; sticky.

4 Quaint, odd and of old fashion; singular; unusual.

y

Quōth one, "It's as my great-grandsire,
Starting up at the Trump of Doom's tone,
Had walked this way from his painted tomb-stone!"

7. He advanced to the council-table,

And, "Please your honors," said he, "I'm able,
By means of a secret charm, to draw

All creatures living beneath the sun
That creep, or swim, or fly, or run,
After me so as you never saw!
And I chiefly use my charm.

On creatures that do people harm—
The mole, and toad, and newt,1 and viper;
And people call me the Pied Piper."

8. (And here they noticed round his neck
A scarf of red and yellow stripe,

To match with the coat of the selfsame check;
And at the scarf's end hung a pipe;

And his fingers, they noticed, were ever straying
As if impatient to be playing

Upon this pipe, as low it dangled
Over his vesture so old-fangled.)

9. "Yět," said he, "poor piper as I am,
In Tartary I freed the Cham,2

Låst June, from his huge swarms of gnats;
I eased in Asia the Nizăm 3

Of a monstrous brood of vampire-bats,
And, as for what your brain bewilders-
If I can rid your town of rats,

Will you give me a thousand gilders?"
One-fifty thousand!"-was the exclamation
Of the astonished Mayor and corporation.

10. Into the street the piper stepped,

Smiling first a little smile,
As if he knew what magic slept
In his quiet pipe the while;

1 Newt (nut), a small lizard.
2 Cham (kăm), the sovereign
prince of Tartary.

* Nizăm', a ruler or sovereign prince; the title of the native sovereigns of Hyderabad, in India.

Then, like a musical adept,1

To blow the pipe his lips he wrinkled, And green and blue his sharp eyes twinkled, Like a candle flame where salt is sprinkled; And êre three shrill notes the pipe uttered, You heard as if an army muttered; And the muttering grew to a grumbling ; And the grumbling grew to a mighty rumbling; And out of the houses the rats came tumbling. 11. Great rats, small rats, lean rats, brawny rats, Brown rats, black rats, gray rats, tawny rats,

A dept', one fully skilled or well versed in any art.

12.

Grave old plodders, gay young friskers,
Fathers, mothers, uncles, cousins,
Cocking tails and pricking whiskers,
Families by tens and dozens,
Brothers, sisters, husbands, wives-
Followed the Piper for their lives.
From street to street he piped advåncing,
And step for step they followed dåncing,
Until they came to the river Wēşer
Wherein all plunged and perished-
Save one who, stout as Julius Cæsar,1
Swam across, and lived to carry
(As the manuscript he cherished),
To Rat-land hōme his commentary,
Which was:

"At the first shrill notes of the pipe,
I heard a sound as of scraping tripe,
And putting apples, wondrous ripe,
Into a cider-press's gripe-

And a moving ǎway of pickle-tub boards,
And a leaving ajar of conserve-cupboards,
And a drawing the corks of train-oil flåsks,
And a breaking the hoops of butter-cåsks;
And it seemed as if a voice

(Sweeter far than by harp or by psaltery
Is breathed) called out, 'O rats, rejoice!
The world is grown to one vast drysaltery!2
Se munch on, crunch on, take your nunchion,

eakfast, supper, dinner, luncheon!'

And just as a bulky sugar-puncheon,

All ready staved, like a great sun shōne
Glorious, scarce an inch befōre me,

Just as methought it said, 'Come, bōre me!'—
I found the Weser rolling o'er me."

1 Julius Cæsar, a Roman warrior, statesman, and man of letters, who was one of the most remarkable men of any age.

2 Dry'salt'er y, the articles kept by, or the business of, a drysaltery -a dealer in salted or dried meats, pickles, sauces, &c.

OU should have heard the Hamelin people

YOU

Ringing the bells till they rocked the steeple; "Go," cried the Mayor, "and get long poles! Poke out the nests, and block up the holes! Consult with carpenters and builders, And leave in our town not even a trace i. Of the rats!"-when suddenly, up the face Of the Piper perked in the market-place,

With a "First, if you please, my thousand gilders!"