The Emperor's New Clothes

Many years ago there was an Emperor who was so excessively fond of new clothes that he spent all his money on dress. He did not trouble himself in the least about his soldiers, and he had no wish to go to the theater or out hunting, except for the chance these gave him to show off his new clothes. He had a different suit for each hour of the day, and just as people usually say of any other king or emperor, "He is sitting in council," it was always said of him, "The Emperor is sitting in his wardrobe."

Time passed merrily in the large town that was his capital, and strangers arrived at the court every day. One day two rogues appeared, calling themselves weavers. They announced that they knew how to weave cloth of the most beautiful colors and elaborate patterns. The clothes made from it, they said, would have the wonderful property of being invisible to anyone who was unfit for his position, or who was extraordinarily simple-minded.

"These must indeed be splendid clothes!" thought the Emperor. "If I had such a suit, I could find out at once which men in my realm are unfit for their positions, and I could also tell the wise from the foolish! This cloth must be woven for me immediately." And he had large sums of money given to both weavers so that they could begin their work straight away.

So the two pretended 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 purest gold thread, put both into their own knapsacks, and then carried on their pretended work at the empty looms until late at night.