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Justinian I · The Digest of Justinian §19.1.48.pr

Obligation to Show Boundaries and Disclose Documents in Land Sale by an Heir

Passage 2814 of 9271 · Latin

Summary

A case concerning whether a buyer of land from an heir can compel the seller to disclose the deceased's rights from hereditary documents and show the boundaries, answered in the affirmative based on the parties' intent and good faith.

[SCAEUOLA libro secundo responsorum. ] §19.1.48.prTitius heres Sempronii fundum Septicio uendidit ita: 'fundus Sempronianus, quidquid Sempronii iuris fuit, erit tibi emptus tot nummis' uacuamque possessionem tradidit neque fines eius demonstrauit: quaeritur, an empti iudicio cogendus sit ostendere ex instrumentis hereditariis, quid iuris defunctus habuerit et fines ostendere.
[SCAEUOLA in the second book of Responses] Titius, the heir of Sempronius, sold a tract of land to Septicius in this manner: 'The Sempronian tract of land, whatever right Sempronius had, shall be bought by you for so many coins.' And he delivered vacant possession but did not show its boundaries. The question arises whether he can be compelled by the action on purchase to show from the hereditary documents what right the deceased had, and to show the boundaries.
respondi id ex ea scriptura praestandum, quod sensisse intelleguntur: quod si non appareat, debere uenditorem et instrumenta fundi et fines ostendere: hoc etenim contractui bonae fidei consonat.
I answered that, based on that writing, what they are understood to have intended must be performed; but if this does not appear, the seller ought to show both the documents of the land and the boundaries, for this is consistent with a contract of good faith.

Notes

  1. 19.1.48.prquidquid Sempronii iuris fuit — iuris is a partitive genitive qualifying quidquid. Sempronii is a genitive qualifying iuris, or a possessive genitive with fuit, meaning 'whatever of right belonged to Sempronius'.
  2. 19.1.48.prerit tibi emptus — tibi is a dative of agent (or dative of interest) used with the future perfect passive erit emptus in the contract formula to express a declarative effect: 'shall be considered as bought by you'.
  3. 19.1.48.prquod sensisse intelleguntur — The subject of the perfect infinitive sensisse (from sentire, meaning here 'to intend' or 'to agree') is the personal subject of the passive verb intelleguntur (the contracting parties, i.e., seller and buyer). It refers to what they are objectively understood to have agreed upon.

Cite this passage

Justinian I, The Digest of Justinian §19.1.48.pr. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi2806.phi002.humanitext-lat1:19.1.48.pr

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