CHAPTER II.

GOTHAMITE DROLLERIES, WITH VARIANTSAND ANALOGUES.

The

T seems to have been common tomost countries, from very ancienttimes, for the inhabitants of aparticular district, town, or villageto be popularly regarded as pre- eminentlyfoolish, arrant noodles or simpletons.Greeks had their stories of the silly sayingsand doings of the people of Baotia, Sidonia,Abdera, etc. Among the Perso- Arabs thefolk of Hums( ancient Emessa) are reputedto be exceedingly stupid. The Kabaïl, orwandering tribes of Northern Africa, considerthe Beni Jennad as little better than idiots.The Schildburgers are the noodles of Germanpopular tales. In Switzerland the townsmenof Belmont, near Lausanne, are typicalblockheads. And England has her" men ofGotham"-a village in Nottinghamshire- whoare credited with most of the noodle storieswhich have been current among the people