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Justinian I · The Digest of Justinian §1.18.8.pr

Governor's Discretion to Hear Cases or Appoint a Judge

Passage 210 of 9271 · Latin

Summary

Explains the interpretation of the imperial rescript 'you can approach the governor,' clarifying that it does not compel the governor to hear the case himself but allows him to decide whether to investigate it or appoint a judge.

[IULIANUS libro primo digestorum. ] §1.18.8.prSaepe audiui Caesarem nostrum dicentem hac rescriptione: 'eum qui prouinciae praeest adire potes' non imponi necessitatem proconsuli uel legato eius uel praesidi prouinciae suscipiendae cognitionis, sed eum aestimare debere, ipse cognoscere an iudicem dare debeat.
[JULIANUS, in the first book of the Digests.] I have often heard our Emperor saying that by this rescript: 'You can approach the person who is in charge of the province,' no necessity is imposed upon a proconsul or his legate or the governor of a province to undertake the investigation, but that he ought to evaluate whether he himself should investigate or whether he should appoint a judge.

Notes

  1. 1.18.8.prCaesarem nostrum dicentem — The present participle `dicentem` functions as the object complement of the verb of hearing `audiui` ('I heard our Emperor saying'). The participle in turn governs an accusative with infinitive (ACI) construction (`non imponi... sed... debere`) containing the substance of the Emperor's statement.
  2. 1.18.8.prsuscipiendae cognitionis — A gerundive construction in the genitive case agreeing with the noun `cognitionis`. It modifies the noun `necessitatem` ('the necessity of undertaking the investigation').
  3. 1.18.8.pripse cognoscere an iudicem dare debeat — An indirect question structure where the alternative particle `utrum` is omitted before `an`. The infinitive `cognoscere` shares the governing auxiliary `debeat` implied from the following clause (`ipse cognoscere [debeat] an...`), forming an indirect alternative question depending on `aestimare` ('whether he himself ought to investigate or ought to appoint a judge').

Cite this passage

Justinian I, The Digest of Justinian §1.18.8.pr. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi2806.phi002.humanitext-lat1:1.18.8.pr

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