Concealment of Slaves, Security, and Grounds for Acquittal — Justinian I, The Digest of Justinian Book 9 (9.4.39.pr–9.4.39.4), Latin & English

[IULIANUS libro nono digestorum.]

[JULIANUS, Digests, Book IX.]

§9.4.39.pr

Si plurium seruus furtum fecerit et omnes dolo fecerint, quo minus¹ eum in potestate haberent, subsequi debet praetor iuris civilis actionem et iudicium honorarium, quod ex hac causa pollicetur, in eum dare, quem actor elegerit: neque enim amplius praestare actori debet, quam ut detracta noxae deditione² agere possit cum eo, cum quo noxali iudicio experiri potuisset, si servus exhiberetur.

If a slave belonging to several masters commits a theft, and all of them have acted with malice to prevent themselves from having him in their power, the praetor ought to follow the action of the civil law and grant the honorary trial, which he promises on this ground, against whichever of them the plaintiff chooses; for he ought not to guarantee more to the plaintiff than that, the option of surrendering the slave as noxa being removed, he can bring an action against the person against whom he could have proceeded in a noxal action if the slave had been produced.

§9.4.39.1

Qui alienum servum suum esse fatetur, quamvis noxali actione obligetur, nihilo minus causa cognita satisdare debet: qui autem pro servo convenitur, satisdatione onerandus non est: non enim offert se defensioni alieni servi.

He who confesses that another’s slave is his, although he may be bound by the noxal action, must nevertheless, after an investigation of the case, give security; but he who is sued on account of a slave ought not to be burdened with giving security; for he does not offer himself for the defense of another’s slave.

§9.4.39.2

Si quis dicet dominum dolo fecisse, quo minus in potestate eius seruus esset, ille autem contendat eum seruum ab alio defendi cum satisdatione, doli mali exceptioni locus erit.

If anyone says that the master acted with malice to prevent the slave from being in his power, and the master contends that the slave is being defended by another with security, there will be ground for an exception of malice.

§9.4.39.3

Sed et si post iudicium acceptum³ cum domino seruus apparuerit et, quia non defendebatur, ductus sit, exceptione doli mali posita dominus absoluetur.

But also, if after the joinder of issue with the master the slave appears and, because he was not defended, has been led away, the master will be acquitted on pleading the exception of malice.

§9.4.39.4

Sed et mortuo seruo antequam iudicium accipiatur, omnino hac actione non tenebitur dominus.

But also, if the slave dies before the joinder of issue, the master will not be liable under this action at all.

Syntax notes3 items

9.4.39.prdolo fecerint, quo minus
fecerint is the verb of the conditional 'si' clause, in the perfect subjunctive (or future perfect). quo minus is a conjunction of prevention or hindrance, taking the imperfect subjunctive haberent to mean 'to prevent... from.'
9.4.39.prdetracta noxae deditione
An ablative absolute construction consisting of detracta (perfect participle of detrahere, 'to remove/exclude') and the noun noxae deditione ('surrender as noxa'), meaning 'the option of surrendering the slave as noxa being excluded.'
9.4.39.3iudicium acceptum
The phrase iudicium accipere is a legal idiom meaning 'to accept the trial,' referring to the stage of litis contestatio (joinder of issue) where the preliminary proceedings before the magistrate are concluded and the case is referred to the judge.

Translated by Gemini 3.5 Flash (published 2026-07-12) · Revisions to the English translation and the original (1, latest 2026-11-15)

2026-11-15 AI review — translation 1

urn:cts:latinLit:phi2806.phi002.humanitext-lat1:9.4.39.pr-9.4.39.4