For besides
that this fear is tempered by avarice itself, and that veiled under the
specious name of justice, they are also numerous, and vote, not openly,
but by ballot, so that a man may be indignant at losing his case, but
can have no reason to impute it to a particular person. Moreover the
fear of the syndics will restrain them from pronouncing an inequitable,
or at least absurd sentence, or from acting any of them treacherously,
besides that in so large a number of judges there will always be one or
two, that the unfair stand in awe of. Lastly, as far as the commons are
concerned, they also will be adequately secured if they are allowed to
appeal to the syndics, who, as I have said, are by law authorized to
inquire, judge, and determine about the conduct of the judges. For it is
certain that the syndics will not be able to escape the hatred of the
patricians, and on the other hand, will always be most popular with the
commons, whose applause they will try as far as they can to bid for. To
which end, opportunity being given them, they will not fail to reverse
sentences pronounced against the laws of the court, and to examine any
judge, and to punish those that are partial, for nothing moves the
hearts of a multitude more than this. Nor is it an objection, but, on
the contrary, an advantage, that such examples can but rarely occur. For
not to mention that that commonwealth is ill ordered where examples are
daily made of criminals (as we showed Chap.
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