Gotham
go'tham, a parish in Nottinghamshire, England, noted for the simplicity of its inhabitants. "Foolish enough for Gotham," is a proverbial expression in England. According to tradition, the inhabitants assumed a stupid, loutish look during a visit from King John, thus leading him to think that it would be undesirable to build a palace in their neighborhood. It is a disputed question whether this were not the part of the shrewdest kind of worldly wisdom.
Gotham is now a nickname for New York City. In 1807 the inhabitants were called Gothamites by Washington Irving in his Salmagundi.
The rhyme appended is from Hallo-well's Collection of Old English Nursery Rhymes:
Three wise men of Gotham
Went to sea in a bowl,
If the bowl had been stronger,
My song would have been longer.
Went to sea in a bowl,
If the bowl had been stronger,
My song would have been longer.
Volume II · Aiton’s Encyclopedia