An ass's peeping-in

Explanation

Menander mentions it in his Priestess. They say that a certain potter kept many birds in his workshop; an ass passing by, the ass-driver carelessly following, peeped in through the window, scared off the birds, and they shattered the ware in the workshop. The owner of the workshop was bringing the ass-driver to court. He, asked by passers-by what he was being tried for, said: "For an ass's peeping-in." Hence the proverb is used of those ridiculously prosecuted on false charges.