The Other Wisemen of Gotham
English Folktale
Visit our store to find more resources you can use for Narrative Play!
Retold by The Legendary Connection
TLC#00103
Once upon a time, news came to the town of Gotham that the king was planning to visit. The people of Gotham were not happy about this at all. They knew the king was cruel and greedy. If he came to their town, they would have to find food and shelter for him and his men. Worse, if the king saw anything he liked, he would take it for himself.
“What should we do?” the people wondered. They gathered together to come up with a plan. "Let's chop down the big trees in the woods and block all the roads that lead into our town," suggested one of the wise men.
"Great idea!" said everyone else. So, they grabbed their axes and headed into the woods. Soon, all the roads leading to Gotham were filled with fallen trees and brush. The king's men would have a hard time getting through. They would either need to make a new path or simply give up and move on to another place.
When the king arrived and saw that the roads were blocked, he was furious. "Who cut down these trees and blocked my way?" he demanded from two country boys passing by.
"The men of Gotham," said the boys.
The king scowled. “Go and tell the men of Gotham that I will send my sheriff to cut off all their noses as punishment.” The two boys ran to the town and delivered the king’s message. The townspeople were terrified. They hurried from house to house, asking each other what to do.
“Our clever plan kept the king out of town,” said one man. “Now, we need to come up with another clever plan to keep our noses!”
“Yes, yes!” said the others. “But what should we do?”
Then a man named Dobbin, who was known to be the wisest of them all, spoke up. “Let me tell you something. Many people have been punished for being wise, but I’ve never heard of anyone being punished for being a fool. So, when the sheriff comes, we should all act like fools.”
“That’s brilliant!” everyone agreed. “We’ll all act like fools!”
It took the king’s men a long time to clear the roads, and while they were doing it, the king grew tired of waiting and returned to London. But the sheriff and his fierce soldiers soon made their way through the forest and fields toward Gotham. Just as they were about to reach the town, they saw a strange sight.
The older men of Gotham were rolling huge stones up a hill while the younger men stood nearby, grunting loudly. The sheriff stopped his horse and asked, "What are you doing?" "We're rolling stones uphill to help the sun rise," said one of the older men.
"You silly man!" said the sheriff. "The sun will rise without your help."
"Will it really?" said the old man. "Well, I never thought of that. How wise you are!"
The sheriff turned to the younger men and asked, "And what are you doing?"
"We’re grunting while our fathers do all the hard work," they replied.
"I see," said the sheriff, confused by their answer.
The sheriff rode on and soon came to a field where several men were building a stone wall. "What are you doing here?" he asked. "Well, there’s a cuckoo bird in this field, and we’re building a wall around it so it won’t fly away," they answered.
"You fools!" the sheriff said. "The bird can just fly over the wall, no matter how high you build it."
"Really?" they said. "We never thought of that. You must be very wise!"
As the sheriff and his men continued through Gotham, they met a man carrying a large door on his back. "What are you doing with that door?" the sheriff asked. "I’m going on a long journey," said the man.
"But why are you carrying a door with you?" asked the sheriff.
"Well," said the man, "I left my money at home, and I’m afraid of thieves. If I have the door with me, they can’t break it down and steal my money."
"You foolish man!" said the sheriff. "It would be much safer to carry your money with you and leave the door at home."
"Ah, would it?" said the man. "I never thought of that. You are the wisest man I’ve ever met."
Everywhere the sheriff went, the people of Gotham were doing silly things. The sheriff and his men scratched their heads and talked among themselves. "These people are all fools!" said one of the soldiers. "That’s true. It would be cruel to harm such simple folks. Let’s go back to London and tell the king," suggested the sheriff. And so they did.
When the king heard their report, he laughed and said, “If the people of Gotham are truly fools, I’ll let them keep their noses.” And from that day on, the people of Gotham lived in peace, their noses safe, thanks to their clever plan to act like fools.
Baldwin, James. “Fifty Famous Stories Retold.” Https://Www.gutenberg.org/Files/18442/18442-h/18442-H.htm, 23 May 2006, www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/18442/pg18442-images.html#DIOGENES_THE_WISE_MAN. Accessed 3 May 2024.