both conveniences and friends. "Las necedades del rico, por sentencias passan en el mundo," even the foolish sayings of the rich, pass in the world as oracles. We may therefore more truly say, "Ubi opes, ibi amici," he that has wealth has friends; "Vulgus amicitias utilitate probat," for friends are commonly esteemed only in proportion to the advantages they are able to procure us. "Hood an ass with reverend purple, So you can hide his two ambitious ears, Thus aulicum. Court incense. The splendid promises of courtiers, like the odoriferous vapour of frankincense, please the senses for a time, but they are both of them light and volatile, and leave no beneficial effects behind them. Contra Stimulum calces. "You are kicking against the pricks," may be said to persons, who, impatient under any affliction or injury, by attempting to avenge themselves, increase their misfortune; or who contend with persons capable of inflicting a much severer punishment, than that which they are suffering. "Paul, Paul, why persecutest thou me? It is hard for thee to kick against the pricks." The adage takes its rise from the custom of goading oxen, to make them go forward, with sticks, having sharp points. If they are restive and push backwards, they force the points of the sticks into their flesh. Nullus sum. I am undone, lost beyond all possibility of redemption, was the exclamation of Davus, when he found that he had, by his schemes, precipitated his master into the very engagement he was employed, and actually meant to extricate him from. Nec Obolum habet, unde Restim emat. He has not a penny left to buy an halter. He has no property, "ne in pelle quidem," not not even in his skin. "Ne obolus quidem relictus est," he has totally dissipated and wasted his property, not a morsel, or the smallest particle of it remains. "He is as poor as a church mouse." "Beg," Gratiano says to Shylock, "that thou mayest have leave to hang thyself; "And yet, thy wealth being forfeit to the state, Thou hast not left the value of a cord; Therefore thou must be hanged at the state's charge." "No le alcaça la sal al agua," "he is so poor," the Spaniards say, "that he hath not salt enough to season his water." Xenophon, in his dialogues, makes one of the interlocutors say, "he had not so much land as would furnish dust for the body of a wrestler." De Land caprinâ. 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. F 4 Of the same same kind are, "De fumo disceptare," vel "de asini umbrâ." 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 neighbouring 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 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, is 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 lis |