Hans Christian Andersen

“ With a whole crowd of chosen men, among whom were also the two honest statesmen who had already been there, he went to the two cunning cheats, who were now weaving with might and main without fibre or thread.
'Is that not splendid?' said the two old statesmen, who had already been there once. 'Does not your majesty remark the pattern and the colours?' And then they pointed to the empty loom, for they thought that the others could see the stuff.
'What's this?' thought the emperor. 'I can see nothing at all! That is terrible. Am I stupid? Am I not fit to be emperor? ”

“ In the great city in which he lived it was always very merry; every day a number of strangers arrived there. One day two cheats came: they gave themselves out as weavers, and declared that they could weave the finest stuff any one could imagine. Not only were their colours and patterns, they said, uncommonly beautiful, but the clothes made of the stuff possessed the wonderful quality that they became invisible to any one who was unfit for the office he held, or was incorrigibly stupid.
'Those would be capital clothes!' thought the emperor. ”

“ Yes, I shall tell the emperor that I am very much pleased with it.'
'Well, we are glad of that,' said both the weavers; and then they named the colours, and explained the strange pattern. The old minister listened attentively, that he might be able to repeat it when he went back to the emperor. And he did so. ”