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Justinian I · The Digest of Justinian §21.1.26.pr

Insolvent Sellers and Security for Slave Restitution

Passage 3041 of 9271 · Latin

Summary

Gaius questions whether it is unfair to force the buyer to return the slave first and sue for the price when the seller is insolvent, suggesting instead that the buyer should give security to restore the slave upon payment.

[GAIUS libro primo ad edictum aedilium curulium. ] §21.1.26.prUideamus tamen, ne iniquum sit emptorem compelli dimittere corpus et ad actionem iudicati mitti, si interdum nihil praestatur propter inopiam uenditoris, potiusque res ita ordinanda sit, ut emptor caueat, si intra certum tempus pecunia sibi soluta sit, se mancipium restituturum.
[GAIUS libro primo ad edictum aedilium curulium.] Yet let us consider whether it might not be unfair for the buyer to be compelled to give up the slave's body and be referred to an action on the judgment, if sometimes nothing is paid due to the insolvency of the seller, and whether the matter should not rather be so arranged that the buyer gives security that, if the money is paid to him within a certain time, he will restore the slave.

Notes

  1. §21.1.26.pruideamus tamen, ne iniquum sit — The clause introduced by ne following uideamus (present subjunctive, 1st person plural hortatory) functions as "let us consider whether it might not be [unfair]...". The subsequent potiusque res... ordinanda sit is also a subjunctive dependent on uideamus.
  2. §21.1.26.prcaueat ... se mancipium restituturum — caueat (from caueo, meaning "to give security" or "promise") takes the accusative with infinitive clause se mancipium restituturum [esse], meaning "he gives security that he will restore the slave".

Cite this passage

Justinian I, The Digest of Justinian §21.1.26.pr. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi2806.phi002.humanitext-lat1:21.1.26.pr

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