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Justinian I · The Digest of Justinian §15.1.40.pr-15.1.40.1

The Analogy of Peculium to Human Life and Its Origin

Passage 2299 of 9271 · Latin

Summary

The lifecycle of a peculium is likened to a human being, and the distinction made by ancient jurists is presented: a peculium arises when a slave acquires something that the master is not obligated to provide.

[MARCIANUS libro quinto regularum. ] §15.1.40.prPeculium nascitur crescit decrescit moritur, et ideo eleganter Papirius Fronto dicebat peculium simile esse homini.
[MARCIANUS in the fifth book of Rules.] The peculium is born, grows, decreases, and dies; and therefore Papirius Fronto elegantly used to say that the peculium is like a human being.
§15.1.40.1Quomodo autem peculium nascitur, quaesitum est.
How, however, the peculium is born has been questioned.
et ita ueteres distinguunt, si id adquisiit seruus quod dominus necesse non habet praestare, id esse peculium, si uero tunicas aut aliquid simile quod ei dominus necesse habet praestare, non esse peculium.
And thus the ancients distinguish: if the slave has acquired that which the master is not under necessity to provide, that this is peculium; but if it is tunics or something similar which the master is under necessity to provide to him, that this is not peculium.
ita igitur nascitur peculium: crescit, cum auctum fuerit: decrescit, cum serui uicarii moriuntur, res intercidunt: moritur, cum ademptum sit.
Thus, therefore, the peculium is born: it grows when it has been increased; it decreases when vicarial slaves die or things perish; it dies when it has been taken away.

Notes

  1. 15.1.40.1ueteres — Substantive use of the masculine plural nominative adjective. In juristic contexts, it refers to 'the ancient jurists' (especially those of the Republican period).
  2. 15.1.40.1id esse peculium — An indirect statement (accusative and infinitive construction) governed by the verb `distinguunt` (they distinguish, they hold as a distinction). The subject is the neuter pronoun `id` (referring to the preceding antecedent `id`), with the infinitive `esse`. The subsequent `non esse peculium` follows the same construction.
  3. 15.1.40.1serui uicarii — Vicarial slaves or sub-slaves (vicarii). These are slaves owned and managed by another slave as part of his own peculium. The death of these sub-slaves constitutes a decrease (decrescit) in the value of the peculium.

Cite this passage

Justinian I, The Digest of Justinian §15.1.40.pr-15.1.40.1. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi2806.phi002.humanitext-lat1:15.1.40.pr-15.1.40.1

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