Justinian I · The Digest of Justinian §3.5.15.pr

Unity of Negotiorum Gestio and Separate Undertakings

Passage 587 of 9271 · Latin

Summary

This passage explains that the management of affairs in principle forms a single legal relationship (contract), but if one initially undertook it for a limited purpose, starting another affair with a new intention constitutes a separate contract.

[IDEM libro septimo ad Plautium. ] §3.5.15.prSed et cum aliquis negotia mea gerat, non multa negotia sunt, sed unus contractus, nisi si ab initio ad unum negotium accessit, ut finito eo discederet: hoc enim casu si noua uoluntate aliud quoque adgredi coeperit, alius contractus est.

[THE SAME, on Plautius, book seven] But also when someone manages my affairs, they are not several affairs, but a single contract, unless he approached a single affair from the beginning with the intention that, when it was finished, he would depart: for in this case, if he has begun to undertake another affair also with a new intention, it is another contract.

Notes

§3.5.15.prfinito eo — Ablative absolute. It consists of the pronoun `eo` (neuter singular ablative, referring back to the preceding `unum negotium`) and `finito` (perfect passive participle of `finio`, neuter singular ablative), expressing condition or time ('when it was finished' or 'once it is finished').
§3.5.15.prut finito eo discederet — The conjunction `ut` introduces an adverbial clause of purpose or intention ('in order to', 'with the intention that'), taking the imperfect subjunctive `discederet` (from `discedo`, 'to depart' or 'withdraw') due to the sequence of tenses following the historical perfect `accessit` in the main clause.

Cite this passage

Justinian I, The Digest of Justinian §3.5.15.pr. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi2806.phi002.humanitext-lat1:3.5.15.pr

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