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Justinian I · The Digest of Justinian §16.3.24.pr

Deposit of Money and Interest on Equivalent Repayment

Passage 2429 of 9271 · Latin

Summary

Papinian discusses whether an entrustment of money qualifies as a deposit based on whether identical coins or an equivalent amount is to be returned, and examines the availability and limits of claiming interest in good faith actions.

[PAPINIANUS libro nono quaestionum. ] §16.3.24.pr'Lucius Titius Sempronio salutem.
[PAPINIANUS, Questions, Book 9] "Lucius Titius sends greetings to Sempronius.
'Centum nummos, quos hac die commendasti mihi adnumerante seruo Sticho actore, 'esse apud me ut notum haberes, hac epistula manu mea scripta tibi notum facio: quae 'quando uoles et ubi uoles confestim tibi numerabo. ' quaeritur propter usurarum incrementum.
I make known to you by this letter, written with my own hand, so that you may know that the one hundred nummi which you have entrusted to me on this day, with your agent, the slave Stichus, counting them out, are in my possession; which I will pay to you immediately, whenever you wish and wherever you wish." A question is raised on account of the accrual of interest.
respondi depositi actionem locum habere: quid est enim aliud commendare quam deponere? quod ita uerum est, si id actum est, ut corpora nummorum eadem redderentur: nam si ut tantundem solueretur conuenit, egreditur ea res depositi notissimos terminos.
I answered that the action on deposit is available; for what else is "to entrust" than "to deposit"? This is true if it was intended that the very same coins should be returned; for if it was agreed that the equivalent amount should be paid, the matter goes beyond the well-known boundaries of deposit.
in qua quaestione si depositi actio non teneat, cum conuenit tantundem, non idem reddi, rationem usurarum haberi non facile dicendum est.
In this question, if the action on deposit does not lie because it was agreed that the equivalent amount, and not the identical coins, should be returned, it must be said that it is not easy to take account of interest.
et est quidem constitutum in bonae fidei iudiciis, quod ad usuras attinet ut tantundem possit officium arbitri quantum stipulatio: sed contra bonam fidem et depositi naturam est usuras ab eo desiderare temporis ante moram, qui beneficium in suscipienda pecunia dedit.
And indeed, it has been established in actions of good faith, as far as interest is concerned, that the office of the judge has the same power as a stipulation; but it is contrary to good faith and the nature of deposit to demand interest, for the period before default, from one who has conferred a benefit by taking charge of the money.
si tamen ab initio de usuris praestandis conuenit, lex contractus seruabitur.
If, however, it was agreed from the beginning that interest should be paid, the law of the contract shall be observed.

Notes

  1. §16.3.24.pradnumerante seruo Sticho actore — Ablative absolute construction. It explains the attendant circumstance of the payment made by the slave Stichus acting as 'agent' (actor) counting out the money.
  2. §16.3.24.prquae — Relative pronoun in the feminine (or neuter) plural. Although the grammatical antecedent is the masculine plural 'nummos', 'quae' is used to refer generally to the money, associated with the feminine noun 'pecunia'.
  3. §16.3.24.prqui beneficium in suscipienda pecunia dedit — In a contract of deposit, the depositary (qui... dedit) takes charge of the property gratuitously, thereby conferring a benefit on the depositor. Therefore, it is explained as contrary to good faith to demand interest from him before default.

Cite this passage

Justinian I, The Digest of Justinian §16.3.24.pr. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi2806.phi002.humanitext-lat1:16.3.24.pr

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