Humanitext Reader

Justinian I · The Digest of Justinian §22.5.1.pr-22.5.1.2

Credibility of Witnesses and Limits on Their Number

Passage 3254 of 9271 · Latin

Summary

This section explains the importance of witness credibility, the criteria for employing them in both criminal and pecuniary cases, and the rules limiting their number to prevent harassment.

[ARCADIUS qui et CHARISIUS libro singulari de testibus. ] §22.5.1.prTestimoniorum usus frequens ac necessarius est et ab his praecipue exigendus, quorum fides non uacillat.
[ARCADIUS qui et CHARISIUS libro singulari de testibus.] The use of testimonies is frequent and necessary, and is to be required especially from those whose credibility does not waver.
§22.5.1.1Adhiberi quoque testes possunt non solum in criminalibus causis, sed etiam in pecuniariis litibus sicubi res postulat, ex his quibus non interdictum testimonium nec ulla lege a dicendo testimonio excusantur.
Witnesses can also be employed not only in criminal cases but also in pecuniary disputes wherever the matter demands, from among those who are not forbidden to give testimony and are not excused from giving testimony by any law.
§22.5.1.2Quamquam quibusdam legibus amplissimus numerus testium definitus sit, tamen ex constitutionibus principum haec licentia ad sufficientem numerum testium coartatur, ut iudices moderentur et eum solum numerum testium, quem necessarium esse putauerint, euocari patiantur, ne effrenata potestate ad uexandos homines superflua multitudo testium protrahatur.
Although a very large number of witnesses is defined by certain laws, nevertheless, by the constitutions of the emperors, this freedom is restricted to a sufficient number of witnesses, so that judges may exercise moderation and allow only that number of witnesses to be summoned which they have deemed necessary, lest, through unbridled power, a superfluous multitude of witnesses be dragged in to harass people.

Notes

  1. §22.5.1.1quibus non interdictum testimonium — The relative pronoun quibus is a dative referring back to the antecedent ex his. Since the verb interdicere (to forbid) governs a dative of person and accusative/ablative of thing, in the passive construction it takes testimonium as the subject (or is used impersonally), meaning 'to whom testimony is not forbidden'.
  2. §22.5.1.1nec ulla lege a dicendo testimonio excusantur — A transition (or omission) of the relative pronoun from the dative quibus in the preceding clause to the nominative (qui) occurs in this clause. Since the verb excusantur (are excused) requires the 'people' (his) as its subject, a nominative relative pronoun must be supplied.
  3. §22.5.1.2ad uexandos homines — A construction of the preposition ad combined with the accusative of the gerundive to express purpose, meaning 'in order to harass people'.

Cite this passage

Justinian I, The Digest of Justinian §22.5.1.pr-22.5.1.2. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi2806.phi002.humanitext-lat1:22.5.1.pr-22.5.1.2

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.