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Justinian I · The Digest of Justinian §11.3.7.pr

Potential for Manumission of Bad Slaves

Passage 1777 of 9271 · Latin

Summary

Ulpianus explains that even bad slaves may eventually obtain freedom, and that subsequent circumstances can sometimes provide a just cause for manumission.

[ULPIANUS libro uicensimo tertio ad edictum. ] §11.3.7.prnam et mali serui forsitan consequuntur libertatem et posterior causa interdum tribuit manumissionis iustam rationem.
[ULPIANUS, from the twenty-third book on the Edict.] For even bad slaves may perhaps obtain freedom, and a subsequent cause sometimes provides a just reason for manumission.

Notes

  1. §11.3.7.prforsitan consequuntur — The adverb forsitan normally takes the subjunctive in classical Latin prose, but here it is used with the indicative present (consequuntur) to express possibility or likelihood.
  2. §11.3.7.pret... et... — The first et acts concessively ("even") modifying mali serui, while the second et serves as a conjunction ("and") linking the clauses. Alternatively, they can be understood correlatively ("both... and...").

Cite this passage

Justinian I, The Digest of Justinian §11.3.7.pr. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi2806.phi002.humanitext-lat1:11.3.7.pr

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