De lana caprina

Disputing about what is of no value, about goat's wool, which can be turned to no profit, and half the disputes in the world are of as little importance; at the least, the subjects of them are rarely of half the value of the trouble and expense incurred in the contest. Of the same kind are, «De fumo disceptare», vel «de asini umbra». Plutarch tells a ludicrous story, as giving origin to the latter adage. Demosthenes observing, that the judges before whom he was pleading, paid no attention to what he was saying, but were discoursing on matters that had no relation to the subject before them, said to them, «If you will lend your attention a little, I have now a story to relate that will amuse you». Finding they were turned to him, he said, «A certain young man hired an ass, to carry provision to a neighboring town, but the day proving to be very hot, and there being no place on the road affording shelter, he stopped the ass, and sat himself down on one side of him, so as to be shaded by the ass from the sun. On this, the driver insisted on his getting up, alleging that he had hired the ass to carry his load, not to afford him a shade. The man, on the other hand, contended, that having hired the ass for the journey, he had a right to use him as a screen from the sun, as well as to carry his goods; besides, he added, the goods on the back of the ass, which were his, afforded more than half the shade; and so long a dispute ensued, which came at length to blows». Demosthenes, perceiving the judges were now fully intent on listening to his story, suddenly broke off, and descending from the rostrum, proceeded to walk out of the court. The judges calling to him to finish his story, «I perceive you are ready enough», he said, «to listen to a ridiculous story about the shadow of an ass, but when I was pleading the cause of a man, accused of a crime affecting his life, you had not leisure to pay it the necessary attention, to enable you to be masters of the subject on which you were to decide». A story in many respects similar to this, his related of Dr. Elmar, who was Bishop of London in the time of Queen Elizabeth. In the course of a sermon he was preaching in his parish church, before he had attained to the dignity of a bishopric, finding his auditory careless and inattentive, he read, with great solemnity, a passage from a Hebrew book he happened to have with him. This drawing the attention of the congregation, he reproved them for their inconsistency in listening to him when reading a language they did not understand, and neglecting of refusing to hear him, when explaining to them in their own language, doctrines, which they were materially interested to know and understand.