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Justinian I · The Digest of Justinian §28.8.1.pr-28.8.1.2

Deliberation Period for Masters and Judicial Discretion

Passage 4349 of 9271 · Latin

Summary

It is explained that when a slave is instituted heir, the time to deliberate is granted to the master, and that the determination of the specific period under the praetor's edict lies within the magistrate's discretion.

[ULPIANUS libro sexagesimo ad edictum. ] §28.8.1.prSi seruus fuerit heres institutus, utique non ipsi praestituimus tempus ad deliberandum, sed ei cuius seruus est, quia pro nullo isti habentur apud praetorem.
[ULPIANUS, in the sixtieth book on the Edict.] If a slave is instituted heir, we certainly do not grant the time for deliberating to the slave himself, but to the person whose slave he is, because before the praetor they are regarded as nothing.
itemque si plurium seruus sit, utique omnibus dominis praestituemus.
Likewise, if he is the slave of several persons, we will certainly grant it to all the masters.
§28.8.1.1Ait praetor: 'si tempus ad deliberandum petet, dabo'. §28.8.1.2Cum dicit tempus nec adicit diem, sine dubio ostendit esse in ius dicentis potestate, quem diem praestituat:
The praetor says: "If he asks for time to deliberate, I will grant it." When he says "time" and does not add a "day", he undoubtedly shows that it is within the power of the magistrate what day he should prescribe:

Notes

  1. §28.8.1.prpro nullo — A combination of the preposition 'pro' and the ablative 'nullo' (used substantively in the neuter as a substitute for 'nemo'), meaning 'as nothing' or 'as having no legal existence.' It indicates that before the praetor (i.e., in the eyes of the law), slaves are treated as lacking legal capacity.
  2. §28.8.1.2ius dicentis — The genitive singular of the present participle 'dicens' (from 'dico') combined with its direct object, the noun 'ius', forming a substantival expression meaning 'the one who administers justice' or 'the magistrate.' It functions as a possessive genitive modifying 'potestate'.
  3. §28.8.1.2quem diem praestituat — An indirect question clause with the subjunctive present 'praestituat', functioning as the subject of the accusative-with-infinitive construction, or as an appositional element explaining the content of 'potestate'. 'diem' (day, deadline) here refers to the specific length of the period to deliberate set by the magistrate.

Cite this passage

Justinian I, The Digest of Justinian §28.8.1.pr-28.8.1.2. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi2806.phi002.humanitext-lat1:28.8.1.pr-28.8.1.2

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