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Justinian I · The Digest of Justinian §15.1.36.pr

Scope of Master's Liability and Fraud in Good Faith Contracts

Passage 2295 of 9271 · Latin

Summary

The scope of liability for a father or master in contracts of good faith (whether limited to the peculium or for the whole amount) is discussed using the examples of dowry and pledges, along with the definition of malice (dolus) when restoration is refused despite the ability to do so.

[ULPIANUS libro secundo disputationum. ] §15.1.36.prIn bonae fidei contractibus quaestionis est, an de peculio an in solidum pater uel dominus tenerentur: ut est in actione de dote agitatum, si filio dos data sit, an pater dumtaxat de peculio conueniretur.
[ULPIANUS in the second book of Disputations.] In contracts of good faith, it is a question whether a father or a master should be held liable to the extent of the peculium or for the whole amount; as has been discussed in the action on dowry, whether, if a dowry has been given to a son, the father should be sued only to the extent of the peculium.
ego autem arbitror non solum de peculio, sed et si quid praeterea dolo malo patris capta fraudataque est mulier, competere actionem: nam si habeat res nec restituere sit paratus, aequum est eum quanti ea res est condemnari.
But I think that an action lies not only to the extent of the peculium, but also if, in addition, the wife has been deprived of or defrauded of anything by the malice of the father; for if he has the property and is not ready to restore it, it is just that he should be condemned for the value of that property.
nam quod in seruo, cui res pignori data est, expressum est, hoc et in ceteris bonae fidei iudiciis accipiendum esse Pomponius scripsit.
For Pomponius wrote that what is expressly stated in the case of a slave to whom property has been given as a pledge must also be accepted in other actions of good faith.
namque si seruo res pignori data sit, non solum de peculio et in rem uerso competit actio, uerum hanc quoque habet adiectionem 'et si quid dolo malo domini captus fraudatusque actor est. ' uidetur autem dolo facere dominus, qui, cum haberet restituendi facultatem, non uult restituere.
For if property has been given as a pledge to a slave, not only does an action lie to the extent of the peculium and what has been turned to the profit of the master, but it also has this addition: "and if the plaintiff has been deprived of or defrauded of anything by the malice of the master." Furthermore, a master is deemed to act with malice who, although he has the power of restoring it, does not wish to restore it.

Notes

  1. §15.1.36.prquaestionis est — quaestionis is a genitive of quality (or description), which combined with est is equivalent to quaeritur ('it is a question' or 'is questioned').
  2. §15.1.36.prcompetere actionem — An accusative with infinitive (AcI) construction governed by arbitror. The subject accusative is actionem and the infinitive is competere. The same phrase competere actionem is understood as omitted after non solum de peculio.
  3. §15.1.36.prquanti ea res est — quanti is a genitive of value or price, modifying the passive infinitive condemnari to denote the measure of the condemnation ('to be condemned for the value of that property').
  4. §15.1.36.prquod ... hoc — A correlative structure where the relative clause starting with quod ('what is...') is picked up by the demonstrative pronoun hoc ('this') in the main accusative with infinitive clause.

Cite this passage

Justinian I, The Digest of Justinian §15.1.36.pr. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi2806.phi002.humanitext-lat1:15.1.36.pr

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