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Justinian I · The Digest of Justinian §18.1.70.pr

Good Faith of Buyer in the Sale of a Free Person

Passage 2658 of 9271 · Latin

Summary

This text discusses the subjective conditions for the validity of the sale of a free person, stating that it is valid if both parties, or at least the buyer, are ignorant of the status, but void if the buyer has knowledge of it.

[LICINNIUS RUFINUS libro octauo regularum. ] §18.1.70.prLiberi hominis emptionem contrahi posse plerique existimauerunt, si modo inter ignorantes id fiat.
[LICINNIUS RUFINUS, in the eighth book of Rules.] Most authorities have held that the sale of a free man can be contracted, provided that it takes place between parties who are ignorant of the fact.
quod idem placet etiam, si uenditor sciat, emptor autem ignoret.
The same is also accepted if the seller knows but the buyer is ignorant.
quod si emptor sciens liberum esse emerit, nulla emptio contrahitur.
But if the buyer, knowing him to be free, purchases him, no sale is contracted.

Notes

  1. §18.1.70.printer ignorantes — The substantivized present participle `ignorantes` (those who are ignorant) refers to both parties of the sale (the seller and the buyer). Combined with the preposition `inter`, it requires mutual ignorance or good faith regarding the status of the person.
  2. §18.1.70.prsciens liberum esse — The present participle `sciens` agrees with the subject `emptor` and takes the accusative-with-infinitive clause `liberum esse` (that [he] is free, with the subject accusative `eum` omitted) as its grammatical object.

Cite this passage

Justinian I, The Digest of Justinian §18.1.70.pr. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi2806.phi002.humanitext-lat1:18.1.70.pr

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