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Justinian I · The Digest of Justinian §21.1.57.pr-21.1.57.1

Peculium Transactions and the Redhibitory Action

Passage 3073 of 9271 · Latin

Summary

Paulus discusses the requirement of full performance when a master brings a redhibitory action after a slave's purchase, and the limits of the redhibitory action against the peculium when a slave or son sells, including the impact of their debts to the master.

[IDEM libro quinto quaestionum. ] §21.1.57.prSi seruus mancipium emit et dominus redhibitoria agat, non aliter ei uenditor daturus est, quam si omnia praestiterit quae huic actioni continentur et quidem solida, non peculio tenus: nam et si ex empto dominus agat, nisi pretium totum soluerit, nihil consequitur.
[BY THE SAME in the fifth book of Questions.] If a slave purchase a slave and the master bring a redhibitory action, the seller is not to make delivery to him, unless he [the master] has performed all things that are contained in this action, and that fully, not merely to the extent of the peculium; for even if the master should bring an action on purchase, unless he has paid the whole price, he obtains nothing.
§21.1.57.1Quod si seruus uel filius uendiderit, redhibitoria in peculium competit.
But if a slave or a son has sold [a slave], a redhibitory action is available against the peculium.
in peculio autem et causa redhibitionis continebitur: nec nos moueat, quod antequam reddatur seruus non est in peculio (non enim potest esse in peculio seruus, qui adhuc emptoris est): sed causa ipsius redhibitionis in peculio computatur: igitur si seruus decem milibus emptus quinque milibus sit, haec quoque in peculio esse dicemus, hoc ita, si nihil domino debeat aut ademptum peculium non est: quod si plus domino debeat, eueniet, ut hominem praestet et nihil consequatur.
Moreover, the subject-matter of redhibition will also be contained in the peculium; and we should not be troubled by the fact that before the slave is returned he is not in the peculium (for a slave who is still the buyer's property cannot be in the peculium); rather, the subject-matter of the redhibition itself is computed in the peculium. Therefore, if a slave bought for ten thousand is worth five thousand, we shall say that this also is in the peculium; this being so, provided that he owes nothing to his master or the peculium has not been taken away. But if he owes more to his master, it will result that he [the buyer] must deliver the slave and yet obtain nothing.

Notes

  1. 21.1.57.prnon aliter... quam si — A construction expressing a strong restrictive condition: "not otherwise... than if" (i.e., "only if"). It is equivalent in meaning to "nisi omnia praestiterit" (unless he has performed everything).
  2. 21.1.57.1nec nos moueat, quod — "moueat" is a hortatory subjunctive ("let it not move us" or "should not trouble us"). "quod" introduces a noun clause of fact functioning as the subject ("the fact that...").
  3. 21.1.57.1hoc ita, si — An idiomatic expression with the ellipsis of a verb like "est" or "se habet" after the demonstrative "hoc". It means "this is so, [only] if..." or "this applies only if...".
  4. 21.1.57.1ut hominem praestet — A substantive clause of result introduced by "ut", serving as the subject of the impersonal verb "eueniet" ("it will turn out that..."). The implied subject of "praestet" and "consequatur" is the buyer ("emptor"), understood from the context. It describes a situation where, because the master can first deduct his own claims against the peculium, the buyer is left to return the slave ("praestet") without recovering any of the price.

Cite this passage

Justinian I, The Digest of Justinian §21.1.57.pr-21.1.57.1. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi2806.phi002.humanitext-lat1:21.1.57.pr-21.1.57.1

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