Everybody in the whole town talked about the precious cloth. At

last the emperor wished to see it himself, while it was still on the

loom. With a number of courtiers, including the two who had already

been there, he went to the two clever swindlers, who now worked as

hard as they could, but without using any thread.

"Is it not magnificent?" said the two old statesmen who had been

there before. "Your Majesty must admire the colours and the

pattern." And then they pointed to the empty looms, for they

imagined the others could see the cloth.

"What is this?" thought the emperor, "I do not see anything at

all. That is terrible! Am I stupid? Am I unfit to be emperor? That

would indeed be the most dreadful thing that could happen to me."

"Really," he said, turning to the weavers, "your cloth has our

most gracious approval;" and nodding contentedly he looked at the

empty loom, for he did not like to say that he saw nothing. All his

attendants, who were with him, looked and looked, and although they

could not see anything more than the others, they said, like the

emperor, "It is very beautiful." And all advised him to wear the new

magnificent clothes at a great procession which was soon to take

place. "It is magnificent, beautiful, excellent," one heard them

say; everybody seemed to be delighted, and the emperor appointed the

two swindlers "Imperial Court weavers."

The whole night previous to the day on which the procession was to

take place, the swindlers pretended to work, and burned more than

sixteen candles. People should see that they were busy to finish the

emperor's new suit. They pretended to take the cloth from the loom,

and worked about in the air with big scissors, and sewed with

needles without thread, and said at last: "The emperor's new suit is

ready now."

The emperor and all his barons then came to the hall; the

swindlers held their arms up as if they held something in their

hands and said: "These are the trousers!" "This is the coat!" and

"Here is the cloak!" and so on. "They are all as light as a cobweb,

and one must feel as if one had nothing at all upon the body; but that

is just the beauty of them."

Everybody in the whole town talked about the precious cloth. At

last the emperor wished to see it himself, while it was still on the

loom. With a number of courtiers, including the two who had already

been there, he went to the two clever swindlers, who now worked as

hard as they could, but without using any thread.

"Is it not magnificent?" said the two old statesmen who had been

there before. "Your Majesty must admire the colours and the

pattern." And then they pointed to the empty looms, for they

imagined the others could see the cloth.

"What is this?" thought the emperor, "I do not see anything at

all. That is terrible! Am I stupid? Am I unfit to be emperor? That

would indeed be the most dreadful thing that could happen to me."

"Really," he said, turning to the weavers, "your cloth has our

most gracious approval;" and nodding contentedly he looked at the

empty loom, for he did not like to say that he saw nothing. All his

attendants, who were with him, looked and looked, and although they

could not see anything more than the others, they said, like the

emperor, "It is very beautiful." And all advised him to wear the new

magnificent clothes at a great procession which was soon to take

place. "It is magnificent, beautiful, excellent," one heard them

say; everybody seemed to be delighted, and the emperor appointed the

two swindlers "Imperial Court weavers."

The whole night previous to the day on which the procession was to

take place, the swindlers pretended to work, and burned more than

sixteen candles. People should see that they were busy to finish the

emperor's new suit. They pretended to take the cloth from the loom,

and worked about in the air with big scissors, and sewed with

needles without thread, and said at last: "The emperor's new suit is

ready now."

The emperor and all his barons then came to the hall; the

swindlers held their arms up as if they held something in their

hands and said: "These are the trousers!" "This is the coat!" and

"Here is the cloak!" and so on. "They are all as light as a cobweb,

and one must feel as if one had nothing at all upon the body; but that

is just the beauty of them."