The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1904-04-10
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II ~ absolutely unhl5torlcal, ana attaches
itself to Gotham as a tentative explana-
tion OF a generally received opinion.
LAS wise as a fool of Gotham" is a
proverb. and the nursery rhyme concern
ing the Gothamite runs:
Three wise men OF Gotham
Went TO sea in a bowl.
IL that bowl had been stronger,
My story had been longer
Gotham is not by the sea; il is very far
inland. Three Gothamites, wandering on
adventure bent. on reaching the margin of
the ocean, out of mere ignorance or stupid
ity, got into a bowl as an effective and
serviceable boat-and that was the end
of them.
The popular story to account for Gotham
breeding fools is this.
King John was marching towards Not
tingham and intended passing through
Gotham meadows. The villagers were led
to suppose that the ground over which
a king passed became forever afterwards
a public road. and not being minded to
part with their meadows so cheaply sent
q deputatioD 20 the King to say that there
was no way through Gotham to Noting
ham or anywhere else.
According to another version of the tale
King John sent TO requsition men and
money to assist him in his wars. and the
Gotham people replied that there were no
men among them, and certainly no money
Highly incensed at their proceedings
King John sent to inquire the reason of this
tncivility, with the intention of chastising
them.
The Gothamites, made aware of the ap-
proach Of the commissioners, were as anx-
1<<sxc-
monarch's displeasure as they had been
to evade having him pass through their
lands or obtain supplies of them.
We are not told how they deliberated,
but consult they did. and agreed on a
course of action calculated TO exculpate
them in the Kings eyes. When the royal
commissioners arrived at Gotham they
found some CT the inhabitants Iaboring to
drown an eel in a pond; some were drag
ging their carts and wains laden with
tiles to the top of barn, because the barn
had to be rooted and it would save trouble
by this means all the tiles would be
brought up at once instead of in INSTALL
ments. Some Gothamites were rolling
cneeses down hill in expectation that they
would find their own way to Nottingham
market Some, again. were engaged in
hedging In q cuckoo, which had perched
on a bush, because they desired to retain
the bird with them throughout the year.
And. indeed. about a mile south of Gotham
stands q bush to this day that goes by the
name Of Cuckoo Bush" which is supposed
to be the very bush in question, or one
planted on its site.
When the Kings officers arrived. and saw
the Gothamites thus occupied, they were
90 satisfied that they were fools that they
returned to King John and told him that
they were unworthy of his notice, incapable
Of rendering him any service. and beneath
his resentment.
They. of course. had outwitted the King.
and though pronounced to be fools they
were wise in their fooling.
The story Is very old. In the reign of
Henry VIII was published 1.-The Merry
Tales of the Mad Men of Gotham" Old
EULER. commenting on the story says:
any which causelessly laugh at their SIM
plicity.'
But they have had other defenders beside
FULLER poet wrote:
Tell me no more Of Gotham fools,
which they. we're. told. were s- drowning;
Nor OF their carts drawn up on high.
To keep a wood from browning a''s '''
Nor OF the cuckoo sitting still,
While IL they hedged around:
Such tales as those have long been told.
BY prating boobies young and old.
In drunken circles crowned.
The fools are those who hither go
To see the Cuckoo Bush. / trow,
The wood the barn, the pools:
For such are seen both here and there, !.
And passed by without sneer.
by all but arrant fools.
But according TO Mr. Mark Antony. Low
er Sussex was the county of the Gotham
ties. Gotham is little place. not a parish.
near Pevensey. and many Evolutionary an
ecdotes are still current in Sussex respect
ing the stupidity OF it's people. On one
occasion the mayor, having received a let
ter. was reading IL upside down: the mes
senger very respectfully suggested that
ne would sooner arrive at the meaning of
its contents by reversing its position.
Hold your tongue. sir" replied the chief
magistrate: for while / am mayor of
Pevensey III hold the letter which end
Surely Shakespeare must have had the
Gothamites in his minds eye when he
represented Dogberry. Verges and the
Watchmen. those shallow and incredible
cover what not seen by the eyes of
wise men. 'Dost thou not suspect my
place? Dost thou not suspect my years
o. that he were here TO write me down
an ass, But, master, remember that / am
an ass though IL be not written down. yet
forget not that am an ass"
Surely also Swift must have had a rem-
niscence OF the story OF the Wise Fools of
Gotham when. I'm "A Voyage to I.aputa .
he describes an island materially fertile
rendered desoate because made the field
for the experiments of the professors of
the Academy OF Sciences OF :aputa-
CULVER Is represented as visiting the
academy.
II was very kindly received by the
warden. Every room had I'm IL one or more
projectors; and l believe I could not be