Ut pro justitia facienda nulla a judicibus requirantur praemia
The Integrity of the Judge
Judges are exhorted to reject worldly bribes and temporary gains in favor of eternal rewards.
King, command your judges to demand no worldly reward for doing justice. Command that for a just judgment they not hunger for temporary gains, but eternal ones; that they not demand a wage that will perish, but one that will last; that whether the party is poor or rich, they look to the case, not the person; that in everything they guard the truth, not the gifts of ambition. Whoever hungers for present gifts does not hope for future glory. Whoever greedily takes gifts here for doing justice will not receive eternal rewards later.
Justice Tempered by Mercy
True justice requires a balance of righteous judgment and compassionate mercy.
Regarding the corruption of judges who fail in their duty, it is said through Moses: "You shall carry out justly what is just." So, the one who practices justice for God's sake, rather than for greed, is the one who justly carries out what is just. Everyone who judges rightly holds a balance in his hand; in both pans he carries justice and mercy. Through justice, he issues the sentence for sin, and through mercy, he softens the punishment, so that with a fair balance he may correct some things by equity and yet pardon others by compassion.1
Read the original Latin
Judicibus ergo tuis praecipe, rex, ut nullum pro justitia praemium istius saeculi requirant. Praecipe ut pro justo judicio temporalia lucra non appetant, sed aeterna; mercedem non requirant perituram, sed permansuram; pauper an dives sit, causam perspiciant non personam; in omnibus veritatem custodiant, non ambitionis munera. Qui praesentia munera affectat, futuram gloriam non sperat. Qui cupidus hic recipit pro justitia dona, ulterius aeterna non accipiet praemia. Contra delinquentium judicum pravitatem per Moysen dicitur: Juste quod justum est exsequeris. Juste ergo justum exsequitur, qui justitiam propter Deum exercet, non propter avaritiam. Omnis qui recte judicat, stateram in manu gestat; in utroque penso justitiam et misericordiam portat: sed per justitiam promit peccati sententiam, et per misericordiam peccati temperat poenam; ut justo libramine quaedam per aequitatem corrigat, quaedam vero per miserationem indulgeat.
Notes
- 1 ↩promit peccati sententiam rendered as 'brings out the sentence for sin' (issues/pronounces judgment), preserving the balance-image rather than a looser 'declares guilty.'
Via Regia (The Royal Road) companion
Rule yourself daily, not just on retreat
Chosen Portion turns the mirror into a daily practice — a short reading and examining question each morning before you lead anyone.
Chosen Portion makes the mirror daily: the ruler-formation questions this collection preserves become a two-minute morning examination in the app.
- A daily formation reading drawn from centuries of counsel to those in authority
- One pointed examination question a day — two minutes, before the meetings start
- Track your practice over weeks and watch the examined life become a habit