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Justinian I · The Digest of Justinian §2.8.7.pr-2.8.7.2

Sureties with Privileged Forum and the Place of Security

Passage 309 of 9271 · Latin

Summary

This passage regulates the plaintiff's right to reject a surety who holds a privilege of forum, the allowable locations for providing necessary versus voluntary security, and the temporary deposit of movable property with the court when security is insufficient.

[ULPIANUS libro quarto decimo ad edictum. ] §2.8.7.prSi fideiussor non negetur idoneus, sed dicatur habere fori praescriptionem et metuat petitor ne iure fori utatur: uidendum quid iuris sit.
[ULPIANUS, in the fourteenth book on the Edict.] If a surety is not denied to be suitable, but is said to possess a privilege of forum, and the plaintiff fears that he may use the law of his forum: it must be considered what the law is.
et diuus Pius (ut et Pomponius libro epistularum refert et Marcellus libro tertio digestorum et Papinianus libro tertio quaestionum) Cornelio Proculo rescripsit merito petitorem recusare talem fideiussorem: sed si alias caueri non possit, praedicendum ei non usurum eum priuilegio, si conueniatur.
And the deified Pius (as Pomponius reports in his book of Letters, Marcellus in the third book of the Digests, and Papinian in the third book of Questions) wrote back to Cornelius Proculus that the plaintiff rightly rejects such a surety; but if security cannot be provided in any other way, the surety must declare beforehand that he will not use the privilege if he is sued.
§2.8.7.1Si necessaria satisdatio fuerit et non facile possit reus ibi eam praestare, ubi conuenitur: potest audiri, si in alia eiusdem prouinciae ciuitate satisdationem praestare paratus sit.
If the security is necessary and the defendant cannot easily provide it in the place where he is sued, he may be heard if he is ready to provide security in another city of the same province.
si autem satisdatio uoluntaria est, non in alium locum remittitur: neque enim meretur qui ipse sibi necessitatem satisdationis imposuit.
If, however, the security is voluntary, it is not transferred to another place; for he who has himself imposed the necessity of providing security upon himself does not deserve this.
§2.8.7.2Si satisdatum pro re mobili non sit et persona suspecta sit, ex qua satis desideratur: apud officium deponi debebit si hoc iudici sederit, donec uel satisdatio detur uel lis finem accipiat.
If security has not been provided for a movable object and the person from whom security is required is suspect, the object must be deposited with the office of the court, if this is agreeable to the judge, until either security is given or the lawsuit comes to an end.

Notes

  1. §2.8.7.prpraedicendum ei — The pronoun `ei` accompanying the gerundive `praedicendum` is a dative of agent, referring to the surety (`fideiussor`). The subject of the following accusative-with-infinitive clause `non usurum eum priuilegio` is `eum` (also referring to the surety). Thus, it means 'the surety must declare beforehand that he will not use the privilege.'
  2. §2.8.7.prmerito — An adverbial ablative meaning 'deservedly' or 'rightly,' which qualifies the following accusative-with-infinitive clause `petitorem recusare...` as being justified.
  3. §2.8.7.prne iure fori utatur — A `ne` clause introduced by the verb of fearing `metuat` (present subjunctive), meaning 'fears lest he should use...' or 'fears that he may use...' The verb `utatur` is the present subjunctive of the deponent verb `uti`, which takes the ablative `iure` as its object.
  4. §2.8.7.2ex qua satis desideratur — The relative pronoun `qua` is feminine singular ablative, referring back to the antecedent `persona` (a feminine noun). `satis` is an abbreviation or short form of `satisdatio` (security). The whole clause means 'from whom security is required.'
  5. §2.8.7.2si hoc iudici sederit — The verb `sederit` (future perfect third-person singular of `sedere`, 'to sit') with the dative `iudici` is used idiomatically to mean 'if this is settled/satisfactory to the judge' or 'if the judge so decides.'

Cite this passage

Justinian I, The Digest of Justinian §2.8.7.pr-2.8.7.2. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi2806.phi002.humanitext-lat1:2.8.7.pr-2.8.7.2

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