hould do.

"I have it," he cried at last. "Not far from here lives a knight. It was
but a few days ago that I made him a knight and gave him a castle. I
will go to him, and he will be glad enough to clothe his king."

The proud king wove some reeds into a mat and bound the mat about him,
and then he walked to the castle of the knight. He beat loudly at the
gate of the castle and called for the porter. The porter came and stood
behind the gate. He did not draw the bolt at once, but asked:--

"Who is there?"

"Open the gate," said the proud king, "and you will see who I am."

The porter opened the gate, and was amazed at what he saw.

"Who are you?" he asked.

"Wretch!" said the proud king; "I am the emperor. Go to your master. Bid
him come to me with clothes. I have lost both clothes and horse."

"A pretty emperor!" the porter laughed. "The great emperor was here not
an hour ago. He came with his court from a hunt. My master was with him
and sat at meat with him. But stay you here. I will call my master. Oh,
yes! I will show him the emperor," and the porter wagged his beard and
laughed, and went within.

He came forth again with the knight and pointed at the proud king.

"There is the emperor!" he said. "Look at him! look at the great
emperor!"

"Draw near," said the proud king to the knight, "and kneel to me. I gave
thee this castle. I made thee knight. I give thee now a greater gift. I
give thee the chance to clothe thy emperor with clothes of thine own."

"You dog!" cried the knight. "You fool! I have just ridden with the
emperor, and have come back to my castle. Here!" he shouted to his
servants, "beat this fellow and drive him away from the gate."

The porter looked on and laughed.

"Lay on well," he said to the other servants. "It is not every day that
you can flog an emperor."

Then they beat the proud king, and drove him from the gate of the
castle.

"Base knight!" said the proud king. "I gave him all he has, and this is
how he repays me. I will punish him when I sit on my throne again. I
will go to the duke who lives not far away. Him I have known all my
days. He will know me. He will know his emperor."

So he came to the gate of the duke's great hall, and knocked three
times. At the third knock the porter opened the gate, and saw before him
a man clad only in a mat of reeds, and stained and bleeding.

"Go, I pray you, to the duke," said the proud king, "and bid him come to
me. Say to him t