Dligid cach gúbrethach garsécle ⁊ athshuidi ⁊ díbad.

(deserves * every * false-judging * short-life * & * removal * & * extinction)

Every false judge deserves short life, removal from office, and death without an heir.

Or today, at least a twenty year term in prison! Early Irish legal literature mentions various punishments that judges or other authorities can suffer if they give an improper or corrupt judgment, ranging from fines to loss of rank. A rather dramatic symptom of a false judgment is the appearance of blotches or blisters (“bolga”) on the face of the judge. The above maxim, which combines a triadic structure with the common “dligid” formula, is quoted in “Audacht Morainn” (p. 64), and in Thurneysen’s edition of the same text in ZCP 11 (p. 84, §34).

Topics: Maxims & Wise Counsel