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Justinian I · The Digest of Justinian §26.1.6.pr-26.1.6.4

Conditions and Authority for Appointing Guardians

Passage 3734 of 9271 · Latin

Summary

The text discusses the appointment of guardians to mute or deaf impuberes, the invalidity of conditional appointments by governors, and states that the appointment of guardians is a specific power granted by law or the emperor. It also addresses the case of a child whose father is in enemy captivity, where a curator of the estate must be appointed instead.

[ULPIANUS libro trigesimo octauo ad Sabinum. ] §26.1.6.prMuto itemque mutae impuberibus tutorem dari posse uerum est: sed an auctoritas eis accommodari possit, dubitatur.
[ULPIANUS, On Sabinus, Book 38.] It is true that a guardian can be given to a mute male impuber, and likewise to a mute female impuber; but whether authority can be accommodated to them is doubted.
et si potest tacenti, et muto potest.
And if it can be to one who is silent, it can also be to one who is mute.
est autem uerius, ut Iulianus libro uicesimo primo digestorum scripsit, etiam tacentibus auctoritatem posse accommodare.
It is indeed more true, as Julian wrote in the twenty-first book of his Digests, that a guardian can accommodate authority even to those who are silent.
§26.1.6.1Sub condicione a praesidibus prouinciarum non posse dari tutorem placet et, si datus sit, nullius esse momenti dationem: et ita Pomponius ait: hanc autem adiectionem, quam praesides prouinciarum faciunt 'tutorem do, si satisdederit' non condicionem in se habere, sed admonitionem, non aliter ei tutelam committi, quam si satisdederit, hoc est non aliter ei gerere permittendum, quam si rem saluam fore cauerit.
It is accepted that a guardian cannot be given under a condition by governors of provinces, and that, if one has been given, the appointment is of no effect; and so Pomponius says: this addition, however, which governors of provinces make "I give a guardian if he provides security" does not contain a condition in itself, but an admonition, that guardianship is not otherwise entrusted to him than if he has provided security, that is, he must not otherwise be permitted to administer than if he has given security that the property will be safe.
§26.1.6.2Tutoris datio neque imperii est neque iurisdictionis, sed ei soli competit, cui nominatim hoc dedit uel lex uel senatus consultum uel princeps.
The appointment of a guardian belongs neither to imperium nor to jurisdiction, but belongs to him alone to whom either a law, a senate decree, or the emperor has specifically given this power.
§26.1.6.3Surdo impuberi poterit tutor dari.
A guardian can be given to a deaf impuber.
§26.1.6.4Ei cuius pater in hostium potestate est tutorem dari non posse palam est: sed si datus sit, an in pendenti sit datio, quaeri potest.
It is clear that a guardian cannot be given to one whose father is in the power of the enemy; but if one has been given, it can be asked whether the appointment is in suspense.
et non puto dationem ualere: sic enim post patris regressum reccidit in potestatem, atque si numquam pater ab hostibus captus fuisset.
And I do not think the appointment is valid; for in this way, after the father's return, he falls back into his power, just as if the father had never been captured by the enemy.
immo curator substantiae dari debet, ne in medio pereat.
Rather, a curator of the estate ought to be given, lest it perish in the meantime.

Notes

  1. §26.1.6.prauctoritas eis accommodari possit — "eis" is a dative referring to "muto itemque mutae impuberibus" (mute impuberes) in the preceding clause. "accommodari" is the passive infinitive of "accommodo". The point of discussion is whether the guardian's "authority" (auctoritas), which approves the ward's transaction, can be applied or granted to a ward who cannot speak.
  2. §26.1.6.pretiam tacentibus auctoritatem posse accommodare — "accommodare" is an active infinitive, with the implicit subject "guardian" (tutorem) omitted. "tacentibus" (those who are silent) functions as the indirect object (dative) of "accommodare".
  3. §26.1.6.1nullius esse momenti dationem — "nullius momenti" is a genitive of quality/value (descriptive genitive). "dationem" is the subject of the accusative-with-infinitive construction, which as a whole forms part of the subject clause of "placet" (it is accepted that...).
  4. §26.1.6.1non aliter ei tutelam committi, quam si satisdederit — "non aliter ... quam si" is a conditional expression meaning "not otherwise ... than if" (i.e., "only if"). "ei" (to him) is a dative referring to the newly appointed guardian.
  5. §26.1.6.2Tutoris datio neque imperii est neque iurisdictionis — "imperii" and "iurisdictionis" are genitives of possession/belonging (denoting "belonging to the power of..." or "of the nature of..."). They indicate that the act of appointing a guardian does not stem from executive command (imperium) or judicial jurisdiction (iurisdictio).
  6. §26.1.6.4in pendenti sit datio — "in pendenti" is a prepositional phrase meaning "in suspense, in abeyance, pending". It derives from the neuter singular substantive of the present participle of "pendeo" (to hang, remain undecided).
  7. §26.1.6.4reccidit in potestatem, atque si numquam pater ab hostibus captus fuisset — "atque si" (or "ac si") is a conjunction expressing comparison/metaphor ("just as if"). "fuisset" is a pluperfect subjunctive, expressing a past contrary-to-fact condition (unreal condition).

Cite this passage

Justinian I, The Digest of Justinian §26.1.6.pr-26.1.6.4. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi2806.phi002.humanitext-lat1:26.1.6.pr-26.1.6.4

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