In his tragedy Wenceslas in 1647, Jean de Rotrou says:
Justice is often the mask of wrath.
This quotation expresses how much the pretended justice can in truth dissimulate another reality: the anger. Justice would then be only a pretext?
Jean de Rotrou is a great playwright of the 17th century, of whom 35 plays have been found.
This is to be compared with the primitive practice of justice, which consisted above all in vengeance, according to many contractualist authors. (contractualist authors: authors of the social contract theory)
Or the various religious representations of divine vengeance pursuing crime.