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Justinian I · The Digest of Justinian §1.5.4.pr-1.5.4.3

Definitions of Liberty and Slavery and Terms for Slaves

Passage 68 of 9271 · Latin

Summary

Florentinus' legal definitions of liberty and slavery, followed by the etymological explanations of the terms for slaves.

[FLORENTINUS libro nono institutionum. ] §1.5.4.prLibertas est naturalis facultas eius quod cuique facere libet, nisi si quid ui aut iure prohibetur.
[FLORENTINUS, Institutes, book 9] Liberty is the natural power of doing what one pleases to do, unless one is prevented by force or by law.
§1.5.4.1Seruitus est con||stitutio iuris gentium, qua quis dominio alieno contra naturam subicitur.
Slavery is an insti||tution of the law of nations, by which someone is subjected to the dominion of another, contrary to nature.
§1.5.4.2Serui ex eo appellati sunt, quod imperatores captiuos uendere ac per hoc seruare nec occidere solent: §1.5.4.3mancipia uero dicta, quod ab hostibus manu capiantur.
Slaves are so called from the fact that generals are accustomed to sell captives, and by this means to preserve rather than kill them: and they are called mancipia, because they are taken by the hand of enemies.

Notes

  1. §1.5.4.preius quod — eius is a neuter genitive demonstrative pronoun modifying facultas. quod is a relative pronoun whose antecedent is eius. It literally means 'the natural power of that which it pleases each one to do'.
  2. §1.5.4.2Serui ex eo appellati sunt, quod ... seruare — This passage presents a famous folk etymology in Roman jurisprudence, deriving 'slaves' (serui) from the verb 'to preserve' (seruare).
  3. §1.5.4.3mancipia ... quod ab hostibus manu capiantur — This sentence derives the term mancipia (slaves) from manu capere (to capture by hand). The verb capiantur in the causal clause is in the subjunctive mood to indicate the reported or subjective reason.

Cite this passage

Justinian I, The Digest of Justinian §1.5.4.pr-1.5.4.3. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi2806.phi002.humanitext-lat1:1.5.4.pr-1.5.4.3

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