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Justinian I · The Digest of Justinian §29.5.6.pr-29.5.6.3

Interrogation of Slaves in Missing Co-Owners and Attacks

Passage 4552 of 9271 · Latin

Summary

Discusses the procedures for interrogating slaves when one of the co-masters is missing or when a master is attacked, as well as the exceptions regarding the interrogation of slaves to the detriment of their master or heir.

[PAULUS libro quadragensimo sexto ad edictum. ] §29.5.6.prEtsi percussor certus sit, tamen habenda quaestio est, ut caedis mandator inueniatur: utique autem ipse maxime quaestioni dabitur, quamuis et ceteri puniantur.
[PAULUS, Book 46 on the Edict] Even if the perpetrator is certain, an inquiry must nevertheless be held in order to find the instigator of the murder; in any case, however, he himself will especially be subjected to inquiry, even though the others also are punished.
§29.5.6.1Quamuis alias in caput domini serui non torqueantur, recte tamen fiet quaestio, etiamsi heredem accusent, siue extraneus heres siue ex suis sit.
Although on other occasions slaves may not be tortured to the detriment of their master, an inquiry will nevertheless be properly conducted, even if they accuse the heir, whether the heir is an outsider or one of the household heirs.
§29.5.6.2Si unus ex dominis non compareat, quaerendum est de casu eius per seruos, quos communes habuerunt: magis enim de salute aut ultione domini non comparentis quam in caput praesentis torquebuntur.
If one of the masters is missing, an inquiry must be made concerning his fate through the slaves whom they held in common; for they will be tortured for the safety or vengeance of the missing master, rather than to the detriment of the one who is present.
§29.5.6.3Si appetitus sit nec occisus dominus, nihil senatus consulto cauetur: ipse enim in familiam suam potest animaduertere
If the master has been attacked but not killed, no provision is made by the senate-consult; for he himself can punish his own household.

Notes

  1. §29.5.6.1in caput domini — An idiomatic expression using the noun caput (head, life, civil status) in the accusative with in, meaning 'to the detriment of the master' or 'against the life of the master'. Normally, slaves could not be tortured to give evidence against their own master, but an exception is made under this specific legal context.
  2. §29.5.6.3animaduertere — When animaduertere is construed with the preposition in followed by the accusative (in familiam suam), it takes the legal meaning of 'to punish' or 'to inflict punishment upon' rather than simply 'to notice'. Here, since the master is alive, he can punish the slaves under his own domestic authority (potestas) without relying on the public intervention of the senate-consult.

Cite this passage

Justinian I, The Digest of Justinian §29.5.6.pr-29.5.6.3. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi2806.phi002.humanitext-lat1:29.5.6.pr-29.5.6.3

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