PEOPLE have often wondered why the hour of four is represented on a watch by IIII instead of IV. The reason is thus given by a Maiden Lane watchmaker. The first clock which approached in accuracy of movement the timekeepers of the present day was constructed by Henry Vick in 1370. He made it for Charles V. of France, who has been called "The Wise." Charles was wise in a good many ways. He was wise enough to recover from England most of the land which Edward III. had conquered, and he did a good many other things which benefited France. But his early education had been somewhat neglected, and he was queer in many ways. One of his peculiarities was to pretend to knowledge he did not possess. When the clock was brought to him by its maker, the wise king closely observed its movement for a few minutes. "Yes, the clock works well," said Charles, who was anxious to find some fault with a thing he could not understand, "but you have got the figures on the dial wrong." "Wherein, your majesty?" asked Vick. "That four should be four ones," said the king. "You are wrong, your majesty," said Vick. "I am never wrong," thundered the king. "Take it away and correct the mistake." The poor clockmaker did as he had been commanded, and from that day to this 4 o'clock on a watch or clock dial has been IIII instead of IV.—Oregonian, Aug. 11, 1889.