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Justinian I · The Digest of Justinian §17.1.2.pr-17.1.2.6

Classification of Mandate by Benefit and Mere Advice

Passage 2441 of 9271 · Latin

Summary

Gaius's classification of the contract of mandate. He categorizes mandate into five types depending on whose benefit (the mandator, the mandatee, or a third party) it serves, and explains that a mandate for the sole benefit of the mandatee is mere advice and not legally binding.

[GAIUS libro secundo cottidianarum. ] §17.1.2.prMandatum inter nos contrahitur, siue mea tantum gratia tibi mandem siue aliena tantum siue mea et aliena siue mea et tua siue tua et aliena.
[GAIUS in the second book of Daily Matters.] A mandate is contracted between us, whether I commission you solely for my benefit, or solely for another's, or for both mine and another's, or for both mine and yours, or for both yours and another's.
quod si tua tantum gratia tibi mandem, superuacuum est mandatum et ob id nulla ex eo obligatio nascitur.
But if I commission you solely for your own benefit, the mandate is superfluous, and therefore no obligation arises from it.
§17.1.2.1Mea tantum gratia interuenit mandatum, ueluti si tibi mandem, ut negotia mea geras uel ut fundum mihi emeres uel ut pro me fideiubeas.
A mandate is for my benefit alone, for example, if I commission you to manage my affairs, or to buy a tract of land for me, or to act as surety for me.
§17.1.2.2Aliena tantum, ueluti si tibi mandem, ut Titii negotia gereres uel ut fundum ei emeres uel ut pro eo fideiubeas.
Solely for another's benefit, for example, if I commission you to manage the affairs of Titius, or to buy a tract of land for him, or to act as surety for him.
§17.1.2.3Mea et aliena, ueluti si tibi mandem, ut mea et Titii negotia gereres uel ut mihi et Titio fundum emeres uel ut pro me et Titio fideiubeas.
For both mine and another's benefit, for example, if I commission you to manage my affairs and those of Titius, or to buy a tract of land for me and for Titius, or to act as surety for me and for Titius.
§17.1.2.4Tua et mea, ueluti si mandem tibi, ut sub usuris crederes ei, qui in rem meam mutuaretur.
For both yours and mine, for example, if I commission you to lend money at interest to someone who is borrowing for my business.
§17.1.2.5Tua et aliena, ueluti si tibi mandem, ut Titio sub usuris crederes: quod si, ut sine usuris crederes, aliena tantum gratia interuenit mandatum.
For both yours and another's benefit, for example, if I commission you to lend money to Titius at interest; but if it is that you lend without interest, the mandate is for another's benefit alone.
§17.1.2.6Tua autem gratia interuenit mandatum, ueluti si mandem tibi, ut pecunias tuas potius in emptiones praediorum colloces quam faeneres, uel ex diuerso ut faeneres potius quam in emptiones praediorum colloces: cuius generis mandatum magis consilium est quam mandatum et ob id non est obligatorium, quia nemo ex consilio obligatur, etiamsi non expediat ei cui dabatur, quia liberum est cuique apud se explorare, an expediat sibi consilium.
But a mandate is for your benefit alone, for example, if I commission you to invest your money in the purchase of land rather than to lend it at interest, or conversely, to lend it at interest rather than to invest it in the purchase of land. A mandate of this kind is advice rather than a mandate, and therefore it is not binding, because no one is bound by advice, even if it is not advantageous to the person to whom it was given; for everyone is free to investigate for himself whether the advice is advantageous to him.

Notes

  1. §17.1.2.prgratia — Prepositional ablative meaning 'for the sake of' or 'for the benefit of'. It takes the genitive (here agreeing with the ablative possessive adjectives mea, tua, and aliena).
  2. §17.1.2.1emeres — While the governing verb mandem is in the present subjunctive, the imperfect subjunctive emeres is used in the ut clause alongside the present subjunctives geras and fideiubeas. This shows a departure from the strict rule of sequence of tenses (consecutio temporum).
  3. §17.1.2.4in rem meam — Literally 'into my property/affair', but here meaning 'for my business' or 'on my account'. The preposition in with the accusative is used to indicate purpose or target.

Cite this passage

Justinian I, The Digest of Justinian §17.1.2.pr-17.1.2.6. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi2806.phi002.humanitext-lat1:17.1.2.pr-17.1.2.6

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