Prepossession and partiality can lead to absurd errors.
A wealthy patrician announced a reward for anyone who could provide a new and unusual entertainment for the Roman people. Artists from all over gathered, including a well-known mimic who claimed to have a unique act never before seen on stage. The theater was packed with curious spectators. Without any props or assistance, the mimic mimicked the squealing of a young pig so convincingly that the audience believed he had a real pig hidden under his cloak. They searched him and, finding nothing, praised him extravagantly.
A countryman, observing this, declared he could do better and announced his performance for the next day. Even larger crowds gathered, biased in favor of the first artist and ready to ridicule the countryman. The mimic performed first and was met with loud applause. The countryman, with a real pig hidden under his clothes, pinched its ear, causing it to squeal naturally. The audience, convinced the mimic’s imitation was better, began to boo the countryman. But when he revealed the real pig, he pointed out their foolishness: “See, gentlemen, what poor judges you are!”
