Humanitext Reader

Justinian I · The Digest of Justinian §21.2.4.pr-21.2.4.1

Guarantor for Eviction and Sales by Tutors

Passage 3085 of 9271 · Latin

Summary

This text discusses whether a seller must provide a "second guarantor" against eviction and addresses the scope of liability of a tutor and a minor ward when eviction occurs after a sale conducted by the tutor in the minor's name.

[ULPIANUS libro trigesimo secundo ad edictum. ] §21.2.4.prIllud quaeritur, an is qui mancipium uendidit debeat fideiussorem ob euictionem dare, quem uolgo auctorem secundum uocant.
[ULPIAN, on the Edict, book thirty-two.] The question is raised whether one who has sold a slave must give a surety against eviction, whom people commonly call the "second guarantor".
et est relatum non debere, nisi hoc nominatim actum est.
And it has been held that he is not obliged to do so, unless this has been specifically agreed upon.
§21.2.4.1Si impuberis nomine tutor uendiderit, euictione secuta Papinianus libro tertio responsorum ait dari in eum cuius tutela gesta sit utilem actionem, sed adicit in id demum, quod rationibus eius accepto latum est.
If a tutor has sold in the name of a minor, and eviction has followed, Papinian in the third book of his Opinions says that an equitable action is granted against the person whose guardianship was administered, but he adds that this is only to the extent of what has been credited to his accounts.
sed an in totum, si tutor soluendo non sit, uideamus: quod magis puto: neque enim male contrahitur cum tutoribus.
But let us consider whether the action lies for the whole amount if the tutor is insolvent; I rather think that it does, for those who contract with tutors ought not to be placed in an unfavorable position.

Notes

  1. §21.2.4.prauctorem secundum — The masculine accusative relative pronoun 'quem' takes 'fideiussorem' as its antecedent, and 'auctorem secundum' functions as the accusative complement within the relative clause, referring to a 'second guarantor' or 'subsidiary seller' who secures the guarantee against eviction.
  2. §21.2.4.1dari in eum cuius tutela gesta sit utilem actionem — An accusative-with-infinitive (ACI) construction governed by the main verb 'ait'. 'dari' is the passive infinitive, and 'utilem actionem' is its subject accusative. 'in eum' means 'against the person', where 'eum' is modified by the relative clause 'cuius tutela gesta sit' (the person whose guardianship was administered, i.e., the ward).
  3. §21.2.4.1neque enim male contrahitur — The verb 'contrahitur' is used impersonally in the passive voice, meaning literally 'it is contracted'. 'male' here carries the sense of 'unfavorably' or 'to the disadvantage of the contracting party'. The phrase expresses the legal principle that those who enter into a contract with tutors should not be left in an unfair or disadvantageous position due to the tutor's insolvency.

Cite this passage

Justinian I, The Digest of Justinian §21.2.4.pr-21.2.4.1. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi2806.phi002.humanitext-lat1:21.2.4.pr-21.2.4.1

Please note the AI-draft status of the translation and the date accessed.

Translation, notes and summary are AI-generated drafts, revised through reader feedback.