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Justinian I · The Digest of Justinian §3.3.35.pr-3.3.35.3

Defense Duty and Jurisdiction of Kin Acting Without Mandate

Passage 518 of 9271 · Latin

Summary

This section discusses the scope of the duty to defend for specific close relatives who can act as procurators without a mandate, and the compulsion to accept a trial.

[ULPIANUS libro nono ad edictum. ] §3.3.35.prSed et hae personae procuratorum debebunt defendere, quibus sine mandatu agere licet: ut puta liberi, licet sint in potestate, item parentes et fratres et adfines et liberti.
[ULPIAN, in the ninth book on the Edict.] But also those persons who act as procurators, and who are allowed to sue without a mandate, must defend: as, for example, children, even though they are under power, and likewise parents, brothers, affines, and freedmen.
§3.3.35.1Patronus libertum et per procuratorem ut ingratum accusare potest et libertus per procuratorem respondere.
A patron can accuse a freedman as ungrateful even through a procurator, and the freedman can answer through a procurator.
§3.3.35.2Non solum autem si actio postuletur a procuratore, sed et si praeiudicium uel interdictum, uel si stipulatione legatorum uel damni infecti uelit caueri: debebit absentem defendere in competenti tribunali et eadem prouincia.
Moreover, not only if an action is demanded from a procurator, but also if a preliminary judgment or an interdict is sought, or if security is desired through a stipulation for legacies or for threatened damage, he must defend the absent person before a competent tribunal and in the same province.
ceterum cogi eum etiam in prouincia de Roma abire uel e contrario uel a prouincia in aliam prouinciam et defendere durum est.
However, it is harsh to compel him to go from Rome even to a province, or vice versa, or from one province to another, and defend the suit.
§3.3.35.3Defendere autem est id facere quod dominus in litem faceret, et cauere idonee: nec debebit durior condicio procuratoris fieri quam est domini, praeterquam in satisdando.
Now, to defend is to do what the principal would do in the suit, and to give proper security; and the position of the procurator ought not to be made harder than that of the principal, except in the matter of giving security by sureties.
praeter satisdationem procurator ita defendere uidetur, si iudicium accipiat.
Apart from giving security by sureties, a procurator is considered to defend in this way, if he accepts the trial.
unde quaesitum est apud Iulianum, an compellatur, an uero sufficiat ob rem non defensam stipulationem committi.
Hence, it was questioned before Julian whether he should be compelled to do so, or whether it is sufficient that the stipulation be forfeited for default of defense.
et Iulianus scribit libro tertio digestorum compellendum accipere iudicium: nisi et agendum causa cognita recusauerit uel ex iusta causa remotus fuerit.
And Julian writes in the third book of his Digest that he must be compelled to accept the trial, unless, after cause shown, he has refused to act or has been removed for a just cause.
defendere uidetur procurator et si in possessionem uenire patiatur, cum quis damni infecti satis uel legatorum desideret,
A procurator is also considered to defend if he allows the other party to enter into possession, when someone demands security for threatened damage or for legacies,

Notes

  1. §3.3.35.prprocuratorum — `procuratorum` (genitive plural) is an explicative genitive (genitivus explicativus) defining `hae personae`, meaning 'these persons who have the character of procurators.'
  2. §3.3.35.2stipulatione legatorum uel damni infecti uelit caueri — `caueri` is a passive infinitive used impersonally, meaning 'security to be provided'. `stipulatione` is an ablative of means ('by stipulation'), and `legatorum` and `damni infecti` are genitives depending on it.
  3. §3.3.35.3sufficiat ob rem non defensam stipulationem committi — `stipulationem committi` is an accusative with infinitive (A.C.I.) clause acting as the subject of the impersonal verb `sufficiat`. The verb `committi` indicates that the condition of the stipulation is met (forfeited) due to the default of defense, making the penalty enforceable.
  4. §3.3.35.3nisi et agendum causa cognita recusauerit — `causa cognita` is an ablative absolute, meaning 'after the cause has been examined' or 'upon judicial inquiry'. `agendum` is the accusative of the gerund, serving as the direct object of `recusauerit` ('refused to act/sue').

Cite this passage

Justinian I, The Digest of Justinian §3.3.35.pr-3.3.35.3. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi2806.phi002.humanitext-lat1:3.3.35.pr-3.3.35.3

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