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Justinian I · The Digest of Justinian §17.1.59.pr-17.1.59.6

Surety's Duty on Pledges and Conditions of Mandate

Passage 2499 of 9271 · Latin

Summary

Paulus's responses on various scenarios under mandate, including stipulations made in another's name, the duty of a surety buying the pledge to restore it, time limits and joint liability among mandators, eviction of the pledge and release, guarantees tied to the debtor's life, and requirements for taking security.

[IDEM libro quarto responsorum. ] §17.1.59.prSi mandatu Titii Calpurnius pecuniam quam Titius credebat stipulatus esset non donandi animo, mandati iudicio eum ab herede Titii posse conueniri, ut actiones suas praestet: idem est et si exacta est a Calpurnio pecunia.
[THE SAME, from the fourth book of Responses.] If, by the mandate of Titius, Calpurnius had stipulated for the money which Titius was lending, without the intention of making a gift, he can be sued by the heir of Titius in an action on mandate to cede his actions; the same applies if the money has been exacted by Calpurnius.
§17.1.59.1Paulus respondit fideiussorem, qui rem pignoris iure obligatam a creditore emit, mandati iudicio conuentum ab herede debitoris oblato omni debito restituere cum fructibus cogendum neque habendum similem extraneo emptori, cum in omni contractu bonam fidem praestare debeat.
Paulus answered that a surety, who has bought from a creditor a thing bound by the right of pledge, when sued in an action on mandate by the heir of the debtor, must be compelled, upon the offer of the entire debt, to restore it along with its fruits, and should not be treated similarly to an outside buyer, since he ought to show good faith in every contract.
§17.1.59.2Paulus respondit die adiecto in mandato, intra quem praestaturum se Lucius Titius scripsit, non esse impedimento, quo minus etiam post eum diem conueniri mandati iudicio possit.
Paulus answered that a day added to the mandate, within which Lucius Titius wrote that he would perform, is no impediment to his being sued in an action on mandate even after that day.
§17.1.59.3Paulus respondit unum ex mandatoribus in solidum eligi posse, etiamsi non sit concessum in mandato: post condemnationem autem in duorum personam collatam necessario ex causa iudicati singulos pro parte dimidia conueniri posse et debere.
Paulus answered that one of several mandators can be chosen for the whole sum, even if this was not granted in the mandate; but after condemnation has been brought against two persons, they can and must necessarily be sued each for a half share on the basis of the judgment.
§17.1.59.4Creditor pignus uendidit: quaero, an, si euicta sit possessio emptori, regressum creditor ad mandatorem habere possit et an intersit, creditoris iure uendiderit an communi iure promiserit.
A creditor sold a pledge. I ask: if possession is evicted from the buyer, can the creditor have recourse against the mandator, and does it make a difference whether he sold by the right of a creditor or promised under common law?
Paulus respondit, si creditor ex pretio pignorum debitum consecutus non sit, mandatorem liberum non uideri.
Paulus answered that if the creditor has not obtained his debt from the price of the pledges, the mandator is not deemed to be released.
ex hoc responso apparet, si euictionis nomine non teneatur, proficere eam rem ad liberationem. '
From this answer it appears that, if he is not held liable on account of eviction, that transaction avails for release.
§17.1.59.5Ille illi salutem.
"Greetings from so-and-so to so-and-so.
Mando tibi, ut Blaesio Seuero adfini meo octoginta credas sub pignore illo et illo: in quam pecuniam et quidquid usurarum nomine accesserit indemnem rationem tuam me esse ex causa mandati in eum diem, quoad uixerit Blaesius Seuerus, praestaturum. ' postea saepe conuentus mandator non respondit: quaero, an morte debitoris liberatus sit.
I mandate to you that you lend eighty to my relative by marriage Blaesius Severus under such-and-such a pledge; and for this money and whatever shall be added in the name of interest, I will guarantee under the cause of mandate that your account is kept harmless up to that day, as long as Blaesius Severus shall live." Afterwards, the mandator, having been sued frequently, did not respond. I ask: is he released by the death of the debtor?
Paulus respondit mandati obligationem perpetuam esse, licet in mandato adiectum uideatur indemnem rationem tuam me esse ex causa mandati in eum diem, quoad uixerit Blaesius Seuerus, praestaturum. §17.1.59.6Paulus respondit non uideri mandati condicioni paritum, cum in mandato adiectum sit, ut idonea cautio a debitore exigeretur, si neque fideiussor neque pignora accepta sint.
Paulus answered that the obligation of mandate is perpetual, even though it appears to be added in the mandate: "I will guarantee under the cause of mandate that your account is kept harmless up to that day, as long as Blaesius Severus shall live." Paulus answered that the condition of the mandate is not deemed to have been complied with, when it was added in the mandate that a suitable security should be required from the debtor, if neither a surety nor pledges have been accepted.

Notes

  1. 17.1.59.prexacta est a Calpurnio pecunia — "a Calpurnio" is an ablative of agent. Since Calpurnius is the creditor who made the stipulation, it means "if the money was exacted by Calpurnius" from the debtor.
  2. 17.1.59.4proficere eam rem ad liberationem — "eam rem" refers to the condition or circumstance in the preceding clause ("if he is not held liable on account of eviction"). If the creditor does not bear liability for eviction, the sale proceeds are effectively retained, which avails for the release (liberatio) of the mandator.
  3. 17.1.59.5quoad uixerit Blaesius Seuerus — The clause "as long as Blaesius Severus shall live" delimits the period during which the guaranteed principal debt can arise, but does not mean that the guarantor's own obligation (the obligation of mandate) is dissolved upon the debtor's death. Thus, the obligation of mandate is held to be perpetual.

Cite this passage

Justinian I, The Digest of Justinian §17.1.59.pr-17.1.59.6. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi2806.phi002.humanitext-lat1:17.1.59.pr-17.1.59.6

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