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Justinian I · The Digest of Justinian §13.5.15.pr

Promise to Pay Through a Free Person Acting as a Messenger

Passage 2098 of 9271 · Latin

Summary

This text explains that even if a promise to pay is made through a free person, it does not hinder the acquisition of rights, provided that the free person acts merely as a messenger.

[PAULUS libro uicensimo nono ad edictum. ] §13.5.15.prEt licet libera persona sit, per quam tibi constitui, non erit impedimentum, quod per liberam personam adquirimus, quia ministerium tantummodo hoc casu praestare uidetur.
[PAULUS, from the twenty-ninth book on the Edict.] And although it is a free person through whom I made the promise to you, the fact that we acquire through a free person will not be an obstacle, because in this case he is deemed merely to render a service.

Notes

  1. §13.5.15.prconstitui — First-person singular perfect active indicative of the verb constituere ("I promised"). It indicates that the actor made a promise of payment (constitutum) to the counterparty (tibi).
  2. §13.5.15.prquod per liberam personam adquirimus — A quod clause referring to the classic Roman law principle "acquisition cannot be made for us through a free person" (per liberam personam nobis adquiri non posse). It explains that the acquisition through a mere messenger (ministerium) is not blocked by this rule.
  3. §13.5.15.prministerium — Literally meaning "service" or "assistance", here it refers to the role of a mere messenger or tool (nuntius) who transmits the principal's will, rather than a legal representative who expresses their own intent.

Cite this passage

Justinian I, The Digest of Justinian §13.5.15.pr. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi2806.phi002.humanitext-lat1:13.5.15.pr

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