Both the impostors begged him to be so kind as to step closer, and asked him if it were not a beautiful texture and lovely colours.
The impostors now wanted more money, more silk, and more gold to use in their weaving.
'Is it not a beautiful piece of cloth?' asked the two impostors, and they pointed to and described the splendid material which was not there.
With a great crowd of select followers, amongst whom were both the worthy statesmen who had already been there before, he went to the cunning impostors, who were now weaving with all their might, but without fibre or thread.
Most beautiful!' went from mouth to mouth; everyone seemed delighted over them, and the Emperor gave to the impostors the title of Court weavers to the Emperor.
Throughout the whole of the night before the morning on which the procession was to take place, the impostors were up and were working by the light of over sixteen candles.
'Will it please your Majesty graciously to take off your clothes,' said the impostors, 'then we will put on the new clothes, here before the mirror.'
The Emperor took off all his clothes, and the impostors placed themselves before him as if they were putting on each part of his new clothes which was ready, and the Emperor turned and bent himself in front of the mirror.
Accompanied by a select number of officers of the court, among whom were the two honest men who had already admired the cloth, he went to the crafty impostors, who, as soon as they were aware of the Emperor's approach, went on working more diligently than ever; although they still did not pass a single thread through the looms.
The Emperor shared in the general satisfaction; and presented the impostors with the riband of an order of knighthood, to be worn in their button-holes, and the title of "Gentlemen Weavers."
Dubbed the "Great
Impostor", Bremen became known to millions during the 1980s for sneaking on to professional sports fields, donning chicken suits as well as player and umpire uniforms - capers that required such accomplices as golfer Jack Nicklaus and baseball player George Brett.
The other was realised 10 years ago, elsewhere on the lagoon (commissioned by the independent London-based arts organisation Peer), and this is reflected in the work's title I,
Impostor. 'It was the sensation I had when I came back to Venice,' says Nelson, 'retracing the steps of my former self somehow.
