Now , if YOU had been the Prince , would you not rather have stayed with the pretty witch-maiden ? STORY OF THE EMPEROR 'S NEW CLOTHES -LRB- 4 -RRB- -LRB- 4 -RRB- Andersen . Many years ago there lived an Emperor who was so fond of new clothes that he spent all his money on them in order to be beautifully dressed . He did not care about his soldiers , he did not care about the theatre ; he only liked to go out walking to show off his new clothes . He had a coat for every hour of the day ; and just as they say of a king , ` He is in the council-chamber , ' they always said here , ` The Emperor is in the wardrobe . ' In the great city in which he lived there was always something going on ; every day many strangers came there . One day two impostors arrived who gave themselves out as weavers , and said that they knew how to manufacture the most beautiful cloth imaginable . Not only were the texture and pattern uncommonly beautiful , but the clothes which were made of the stuff possessed this wonderful property that they were invisible to anyone who was not fit for his office , or who was unpardonably stupid . ` Those must indeed be splendid clothes , ' thought the Emperor . ` If I had them on I could find out which men in my kingdom are unfit for the offices they hold ; I could distinguish the wise from the stupid ! Yes , this cloth must be woven for me at once . ' And he gave both the impostors much money , so that they might begin their work . They placed two weaving-looms , and began to do as if they were working , but they had not the least thing on the looms . They also demanded the finest silk and the best gold , which they put in their pockets , and worked at the empty looms till late into the night . ' I should like very much to know how far they have got on with the cloth , ' thought the Emperor . But he remembered when he thought about it that whoever was stupid or not fit for his office would not be able to see it . Now he certainly believed that he had nothing to fear for himself , but he wanted first to send somebody else in order to see how he stood with regard to his office . Everybody in the whole town knew what a wonderful power the cloth had , and they were all curious to see how bad or how stupid their neighbour was . ' I will send my old and honoured minister to the weavers , ' thought the Emperor . ` He can judge best what the cloth is like , for he has intellect , and no one understands his office better than he . '
Now the good old minister went XXXXX the hall where the two impostors sat working at the empty weaving-looms .
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