← Justinian I

The Digest of Justinian

§7.7.1.pr

Nature of Labor and Nonexistence before Performance

This chunk explains that labor does not legally exist until it is actually performed on the due date, drawing an analogy to a contract concerning an unborn child.

View ▾
View
Translation
Typeface
AI ↗
← PrevNext →

[PAULUS libro secundo ad edictum.]

[PAULUS, in the second book on the Edict.]

§7.7.1.pr

​Opera in actu consistit nec ante in rerum natura est, quam si1 dies uenit, quo praestanda est, quemadmodum cum stipulamur 'quod ex Arethusa natum erit2'.

​Labor consists in action and does not exist in the nature of things until the day arrives on which it is to be performed, just as when we stipulate for ‘what shall be born of Arethusa’.

Syntax notes2 items
  1. 7.7.1.prnec ante ... quam si

    The phrase 'nec ante ... quam si' means 'not before / only when...', indicating that the labor does not exist in a legal sense until the condition of the arrival of the day of performance is met.

  2. 7.7.1.prquod ex Arethusa natum erit

    'what shall be born of Arethusa' (Arethusa being the name of a female slave) is a classic example of a verbal contract (stipulatio) concerning a future thing (an unborn child). The future perfect 'natum erit' indicates that the object of the contract is determined upon the completion of the future birth.

Translated by Gemini 3.5 Flash (published 2026-07-12)urn:cts:latinLit:phi2806.phi002.humanitext-lat1:7.7.1.pr