The Emperor's New Clothes

Many years ago, there was an Emperor who was so extremely fond of new clothes that he spent all his money on them. He did not care at all about his soldiers, and he only liked to go to the theater or out hunting because it gave him a chance to show off his new clothes. He had a different suit for every hour of the day. Of any other king or emperor, people would say, "He is in a meeting with his council," but of him they always said, "The Emperor is in his wardrobe."

Life was cheerful in the large town that was his capital, and strangers arrived at the court every day. One day two dishonest men arrived, calling themselves weavers. They told everyone that they could weave cloth in the most beautiful colors and detailed patterns. Clothes made from it, they said, had the wonderful quality that they could not be seen by anyone who was not fit for his job, or who was unusually stupid.

"These must be wonderful clothes indeed!" thought the Emperor. "If I had a suit like that, I could find out at once which men in my empire are not fit for their jobs, and I could also tell the wise from the foolish! This cloth must be made for me immediately." And he ordered large amounts of money to be given to both weavers so that they could begin their work without delay.

So the two false weavers set up two looms and acted as if they were working very busily, though in reality they did nothing at all. They asked for the finest silk and the best gold thread, put both into their own bags, and then carried on with their pretend work at the empty looms until late at night.