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Justinian I · The Digest of Justinian §18.1.68.pr-18.1.68.2

Seller Duty of Care in Rent Collection and Failure of Delivery

Passage 2656 of 9271 · Latin

Summary

Proculus discusses the scope of the seller's duty of care when rent transfer is agreed upon in a land sale, stating that both fraud and negligence must be absent, and explains the nature of the action on purchase if the seller's actions prevent the buyer from possessing the land.

[PROCULUS libro sexto epistularum. ] §18.1.68.prSi, cum fundum uenderes, in lege dixisses, quod mercedis nomine a conductore exegisses, id emptori accessurum esse, existimo te in exigendo non solum bonam fidem, sed etiam diligentiam praestare debere, id est non solum ut a te dolus malus absit, sed etiam ut culpa.
If, when selling a tract of land, you had declared in the terms of sale that whatever you collected from the tenant under the name of rent should accrue to the buyer, I think that you ought to guarantee not only good faith but also diligence in collecting it, that is, not only that fraud should be absent from you, but also negligence.
§18.1.68.1Fere aliqui solent haec uerba adicere: 'dolus malus a uenditore aberit', qui etiam si adiectum non est, abesse debet.
Generally, some people are accustomed to add these words: "fraud shall be absent on the part of the seller", which, even if it is not added, ought to be absent.
§18.1.68.2Nec uidetur abesse, si per eum factum est aut fiet, quo minus fundum emptor possideat.
Nor is fraud deemed to be absent if through him it has been or shall be brought about that the buyer does not possess the land.
erit ergo ex empto actio, non ut uenditor uacuam possessionem tradat, cum multis modis accidere poterit, ne tradere possit, sed ut, si quid dolo malo fecit aut facit, dolus malus eius aestimaretur.
Therefore, there will be an action on purchase, not for the purpose of the seller delivering vacant possession (since it could happen in many ways that he is unable to deliver it), but so that, if he has done or is doing anything with fraud, his fraud may be assessed.

Notes

  1. 18.1.68.prin lege — This does not refer to a general statute (law), but to the specific terms or conditions of sale (lex contractus / lex uenditionis) established between the contracting parties.
  2. 18.1.68.prexegisses — The verb in the relative clause (`quod ...`) inside the accusative-with-infinitive construction (`id ... accessurum esse`) introduced by the main verb `dixisses`. It is in the pluperfect subjunctive because it is a subordinate clause within indirect speech.
  3. 18.1.68.1qui etiam si adiectum non est — The relative pronoun `qui` (masculine singular) refers back to the immediate antecedent `dolus malus` (masculine). On the other hand, the passive participle `adiectum` in the conditional clause is neuter singular because it conceptually refers to the act of adding the clause rather than to the word itself (agreement according to sense).
  4. 18.1.68.2quo minus — A conjunction introducing a clause of hindrance or prevention after the impersonal expression `per eum factum est aut fiet` ('it has been or shall be brought about through him'), expressing that the buyer is prevented from possessing the land.

Cite this passage

Justinian I, The Digest of Justinian §18.1.68.pr-18.1.68.2. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi2806.phi002.humanitext-lat1:18.1.68.pr-18.1.68.2

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