Humanitext Reader

Justinian I · The Digest of Justinian §18.1.10.pr

Validity of Sale when Material Matches but Quality Differs

Passage 2598 of 9271 · Latin

Summary

Paulus points out that if the object of sale is indeed gold but of poorer quality than the buyer expected, the purchase remains valid, unlike cases involving an error in the substance itself.

[PAULUS libro quinto ad Sabinum. ] §18.1.10.prAliter atque si aurum quidem fuerit, deterius autem quam emptor existimaret: tunc enim emptio ualet.
[PAULUS, in the fifth book on Sabinus.] It is otherwise if it was indeed gold, but of poorer quality than the buyer supposed; for in that case the purchase is valid.

Notes

  1. §18.1.10.prAliter atque si — The combination of the comparative adverb aliter and the conjunction atque (ac) means 'otherwise than' or 'different from,' which, when combined with the conditional clause si, expresses a contrast ('it is otherwise if...'). Here it marks the contrast with the preceding passage of Ulpian, where the sale is void due to an error in the material itself (e.g., bronze sold as gold).
  2. §18.1.10.prdeterius — The neuter singular nominative form of the comparative adjective deterior ('inferior' or 'of poorer quality'). It agrees in gender, number, and case with aurum (a neuter noun), which is the subject of the conditional clause.

Cite this passage

Justinian I, The Digest of Justinian §18.1.10.pr. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi2806.phi002.humanitext-lat1:18.1.10.pr

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