Isidore on Corrupting Judges   

"Payments. One who judges rightly and then expects a reward for it, cheats God, for he sells justice, which ought to be dispenses free of charge, for a price.

"To give just judgment for material gain is to make bad use of a good thing. What draws you to the truth is not the defense of justice but the hope of a return. Take away the monetary expectation ad you quickly pull back from defending justice.

"Payments compromise the truth. So the just man is said to 'shake every payment from his hands ... and to dwell on the heights' (Isa. 33:15f.).

"The rich man quickly corrupts the judge with payments. The poor man, having nothing to offer, is not only slighted of a hearing but ill-treated even in defiance of a true verdict.

"Justice is quickly violated by gold, and a defendant troubles little about his guilt when he thinks that money can buy the verdict. For love of money has a stronger hold than equity of judgment on the mind of the assessor.

"There are four things that pervert the judgment of men: fear, cupidity, hatred, and love. Fear, when afraid of some power we dare not tell the truth. Cupidity, when some payment in return corrupts us. Hatred, when we devise means to oppose someone. Love, when we engage for friend or family. By these four equity is often violated and innocence harmed. ... (from chapter 54)

"A good judge is incapable of hurting citizens and should be of service to them all. To some he shows the severe aspect of justice, to others the kindly. Impartiality in court depends on there being not a flicker of personal interst to undermine justice, no ambition to take from someone else something that he would like himself." (from Chapter 52)

Isidore of Seville, Sentences, Book 3, c. 600. Isidore was Metropolitan See of Seville.

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