This City was annoyed with Rats and Mice. It happened that a Pied-Coated-Pyper came thither, who covenanted with the Chief Burgers for such a Reward, if he could free them from said Vermine, nor would he demand it, till a twelve Moneth and a day after. This happened about 250 years since. And in that Town they date their Bills and Bonds, and other Instruments in Law, to this day from the year of trheir going out of their Children. Besides, there is a great pillar of stone erected, at the foot of said hill, where this Story is ingraven.

The Pied Piper of Hamelin -- Hervé Riel -- Cavalier tunes -- "How they brought the good news from Ghent to Aix" -- Through the Metidja to Abd-el-Kadr - Incident of the French camp -- Clive -- Muléykeh -- Tray -- A tale -- Gold hair -- Donald -- The glove. Source (Internet Archive): Ludwig Bechstein, "Kinder-Wallfahrt," Deutsches Sagenbuch (Leipzig: Verlag von Georg Wigand, 1853), no. 879, p. 717. And staying some dayes in Town, on a Sunday morning at high Mass, when most People were at Church, he fell to play on his Pipes, and the Children, up and down, followed him out of the Town to a great hill not far off, which rent in two, and opened, and let him and the Children in, and so closed up again. Browning wrote relatively little during the marriage, in part because the family frequently moved and, because of Elizabeth’s frail health, he was usually busy making all the arrangements for housing and transportation. The Brownings had one child, Robert Wiedemann Barrett Browning, called “Pen,” born in 1849 (the same year Browning’s mother died). Both parents doted on the boy, and Robert Browning took particular responsibility for his son’s education—yet another diversion from poetic production. The poet who some years earlier had produced a major children’s poem to amuse the son of a friend made no similar creations for his own son, however, but continued to work on longer philosophical poems for an adult audience.He said, "I will take away this plague immediately, but in return each village must pay me one thousand guilders. If you won't give your money for the love of God, then at least do so for your own benefit. With this money I shall build for you a dike from the mountain road of Hendesheim (Handschuhsheim near Heidelberg) to Ramstadt so that the mountain floods will no longer damage your fields." Bells and Pomegranates. No. V.--A Blot in the 'Scutcheon: A Tragedy in Five Acts(London: Moxon, 1843); edited by W. Rolfe and H. Hersey (New York: Harper, 1887).

A great cry of grief emerged from the entire town, but they could do nothing other than commit themselves to the Allmighty and confess their own stupidity and greed which had caused this evil. At the end of the yeer, the Pied-Piper return'd for his reward, the Burgers put him off with slightings, and neglect, offring him som small matter, which he refusing, and staying som dayes in the Town, on Sunday morning at High Mass, when most peeple were at Church, he fell to play on his Pipes, and all the children up and down, follow'd him out of the Town to a great Hill not far off, which rent in two, and opened, and let him and the children in, and so clos'd up again: Balaustion's Adventure, Including a Transcript from Euripides(London: Smith, Elder, 1871; Boston: Osgood, 1871).

Quotes to be Used

Bowing, he said to them all, "The punishment that has befallen you shall be removed if you will promise that every village shall pay to me five hundred guilders for the construction of a monastery." John Forster, Lives of Eminent British Statesmen, volume 2, undetermined contribution to biography of Thomas Wentworth, Earl of Strafford, by Browning (London: Longman, Orme, Brown, Green & Longmans, 1836). Lccn 85024168 Ocr_converted abbyy-to-hocr 1.1.20 Ocr_module_version 0.0.17 Old_pallet IA14977 Openlibrary_edition Mrs. Sutherland Orr, Life and Letters of Robert Browning, revised by F. G. Kenyon (London: Smith, Elder, 1908).

Ratcatcher. The Grimms' "Children of Hameln" as retold by Charles Marelle. Source: Andrew Lang, The Red Fairy Book (London and New York: Longmans, Green, and Company, 1890), pp. 208-14. Soon afterward both parties agreed upon a certain reward. Thereupon the magician took a little demon from his bag, with whom he performed all kinds of hocus pocus. Then he took out a little book from which he read a number of incomprehensible charms. Finally he commanded all the rats and mice to gather around him. At Hammel in Saxony, An. 1284. 20. Junii, the Devil in likeness of a pied Piper, carried away 130 Children, that were never after seen. The said Town of Hamelen was annoyed with Rats and Mice; and it chanc'd, that a Pied-coated Piper came thither, who covenanted with the chief Burgers for such a reward, if he could free them quite from the said Vermin, nor would he demand it, till a twelve-month, and a day after: The agreement being made, he began to play on his Pipes, and all the Rats, and the Mice followed him to a great Lough hard by, where they all perish'd; so the Town was infected no more.

Source (books.google.com): Ludwig Bechstein, "Kinder-Wallfahrt," Deutsches Sagenbuch (Leipzig: Verlag von Georg Wigand, 1853), no. 879, p. 717-18.