The Piper

The Piper

The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Piper, by Josephine Preston
Peabody This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and
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Title: The Piper
Author: Josephine Preston Peabody
Release Date: March 22, 2004 [EBook #11661]
Language: English
Character set encoding: ASCII
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Produced by Al Haines

The Piper
A PLAY IN FOUR ACTS

By JOSEPHINE PRESTON PEABODY

BOSTON and NEW YORK HOUGHTON MIFFLIN COMPANY
The Riverside Press Cambridge 1910

COPYRIGHT, 1909, BY JOSEPHINE PEABODY MARKS ALL
RIGHTS RESERVED

Published November 1909
SEVENTH IMPRESSION

TO
LIONEL S. MARKS

Anno 1284 Am Dage Johannis et Pauli War der 26 Junii Dorch einen
piper mit allerlei farve bekledet Gewesen CXXX kinder verledet
binnen Hamelen geboren To Calvarii bi den koppen verloren
[THE HAMELIN INSCRIPTION]

CHARACTERS
THE PIPER ) MICHAEL-THE-SWORD-EATER ) Strolling Players
CHEAT-THE-DEVIL )
JACOBUS the Burgomeister ) KURT the Syndic ) PETER the Cobbler )
HANS the Butcher ) AXEL the Smith ) Men of Hamelin MARTIN the
Watch ) PETER the Sacristan ) ANSELM, a young priest ) OLD
CLAUS, a miser ) TOWN CRIER )
JAN ) HANSEL ) ILSE ) Children TRUDE ) RUDI )
VERONIKA, the wife of Kurt BARBARA, daughter of Jacobus WIFE
of HANS the Butcher WIFE of AXEL the Smith WIFE of MARTIN
the Watch OLD URSULA
Burghers, nuns, priests, and children

SCENE: HAMELIN ON THE WESER, 1284 A.D.

SCENES
ACT I. The market-place in Hamelin
ACT II. SCENE I. Inside the 'Hollow-Hill' SCENE II. The Cross-ways
ACT III. The Cross-ways
ACT IV. The market-place in Hamelin

One week is supposed to elapse between Acts I and II.
Acts II and III occupy one day.
Act IV concerns the following morning.

The Piper
ACT I
SCENE: The market-place of Hamelin. Right, the Minster, with an
open shrine (right centre) containing a large sculptured figure of the
Christ. Right, farther front, the house of KURT; and other narrow
house-fronts. Left, the Rathaus, and (down) the home of JACOBUS.
Front, to left and right, are corner-houses with projecting stories and
casement windows. At the centre rear, a narrow street leads away
between houses whose gables all but meet overhead.
It is late summer afternoon, with a holiday crowd. In the open
casements, front (right and left, opposite each other), sit OLD
URSULA and OLD CLAUS, looking on at men and things. --In the
centre of the place now stands a rude wooden Ark with a tented top:
and out of the openings (right and left) appear the artificial heads of
animals, worn by the players inside. One is a Bear (inhabited by
MICHAEL-THE-SWORD-EATER); one is a large Reynard-the-Fox,
later apparent as the PIPER. Close by is the medieval piece of
stage-property known as 'Hell-Mouth,' i.e. a red painted cave with a
jaw-like opening into which a mountebank dressed in scarlet
(CHEAT-THE-DEVIL) is poking 'Lost Souls' with a pitchfork.
BARBARA loiters by the tent. VERONIKA, the sad young wife of
KURT, watches from the house steps, left, keeping her little lame boy,
Jan, close beside her.
Shouts of delight greet the end of the show, a Noah's Ark miracle-play
of the rudest; and the Children continue to scream with joy whenever
an Animal looks out of the Ark.
Men and women pay scant attention either to JACOBUS, when he
speaks (himself none too sober)--from his doorstep, prompted by the
frowning KURT,--or yet to ANSELM, the priest, who stands forth with
lifted hands, at the close of the miracle-play.
ANSELM And you, who heed the colors of this show, Look to your
laughter!--It doth body forth A Judgment that may take you unaware,--
Sun-struck with mirth, like unto chattering leaves Some wind of wrath
shall scourge to nothingness.
HANS, AXEL, AND OTHERS Hurrah, Hurrah!
JACOBUS And now, good townsmen all, Seeing we stand delivered

and secure As once yon chosen creatures of the Ark, For a
similitude,--our famine gone, Our plague of rats and mice,--
CROWD Hurrah--hurrah!
JACOBUS 'Tis meet we render thanks more soberly--
HANS the Butcher Soberly, soberly, ay!--
JACOBUS For our deliverance. And now, ye wit, it will be full three
days Since we beheld--our late departed pest.--
OLD URSULA [putting out an ear-trumpet] What does he say?
REYNARD [from the Ark] --Oh, how felicitous!
HANS' WIFE He's only saying there be no more rats.
JACOBUS [with oratorical endeavor] Three days it is; and not one
mouse,--one mouse, One mouse, I say!--No-o-o! Quiet. . . as a mouse.
[Resuming] And now. . .
CROWD Long live Jacobus!--
JACOBUS You have seen Noah