Humanitext Reader

Justinian I · The Digest of Justinian §35.1.57.pr

Manumission Conditioned on Rendering Services to a Third Party

Passage 5388 of 9271 · Latin

Summary

Discusses the legal decision when a slave is granted freedom on the condition of rendering labor to a third party, explaining that the slave will still obtain freedom even if the heir prevents the rendering of labor.

[POMPONIUS libro nono ad Quintum Mucium. ] §35.1.57.prQuaesitum est, an, si iussus fuerit seruus quinque operas extraneo dare, ut liber sit, condicio talis sit recipienda, ut, quemadmodum circa pecuniae dationem dicitur, ita et circa praestationem operarum dicamus.
[POMPONIUS in the ninth book on Quintus Mucius.] The question was asked whether, if a slave should have been ordered to render five days of labor to a third party so that he may be free, such a condition ought to be accepted, that, just as it is said concerning the giving of money, so also we should say concerning the rendering of labor.
sed hoc iure utimur, ut, quemadmodum dictum est, si pecuniam ex peculio suo det extraneo, admitti eum ad libertatem, ita et, si operam² praestiterit, necesse sit eum admitti ad libertatem.
But we follow this rule of law, that, just as has been said, if he should give money from his peculium to a third party, he is to be admitted to freedom, so also, if he has rendered the labor, it is necessary that he be admitted to freedom.
itaque et in proposito sapienter faciet heres, si impedierit eum, quo minus praestet operas: hac enim ratione seruus perueniet quidem ad libertatem, sed operis eius extraneus non utetur.
Therefore, also in the case proposed, the heir will act wisely if he prevents him from rendering the labor: for by this means, the slave will indeed attain freedom, but the third party will not make use of his labor.

Notes

  1. 35.1.57.prcondicio talis sit recipienda, ut — The ut clause is a consecutive (or explanatory) clause specifying the preceding adjective talis, meaning "such a condition that...".
  2. 35.1.57.prquo minus praestet — A quo minus clause with the subjunctive, introduced by the verb of hindering impedierit, expressing the action prevented ("from rendering").
  3. 35.1.57.properis — The verb utetur (third-person singular future of utor) governs the ablative case. Here, operis is the ablative plural of the feminine noun opera (services/labor), acting as the object together with eius (it is not the genitive singular of the neuter noun opus).

Cite this passage

Justinian I, The Digest of Justinian §35.1.57.pr. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi2806.phi002.humanitext-lat1:35.1.57.pr

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