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Justinian I · The Digest of Justinian §39.5.21.pr-39.5.21.1

Delegated Promises and Exceptio in Immoderate Donations

Passage 6236 of 9271 · Latin

Summary

This chunk discusses the validity of a promise made to a creditor by delegation and the legal relations (exceptio, rescissory action, and condictio) among parties when a debtor is ordered to promise a third party for the purpose of making an immoderate gift.

[CELSUS libro uicensimo octauo digestorum. ] §39.5.21.prUt mihi donares, creditori meo delegante me promisisti: factum ualet, ille enim suum recepit.
[CELSUS, in the twenty-eighth book of the Digests.] In order to make a gift to me, you promised my creditor, at my direction, to pay him: the transaction is valid, for he has received what was due to him.
§39.5.21.1Sed si debitorem meum tibi donationis immodicae causa promittere iussi, an summoueris donationis exceptione necne, tractabitur.
But if, for the purpose of making an immoderate gift to you, I ordered my debtor to make a promise to you, it will be discussed whether or not you can be barred by the exception of gift.
et meus quidem debitor exceptione te agentem repellere non potest, quia perinde sum, quasi exactam a debitore meo summam tibi donauerim et tu illam ei credideris.
Indeed, my debtor cannot repel you when you sue him by using the exception, because I am in the same position as if I had gifted to you the sum collected from my debtor and you had lent it back to him.
sed ego, si quidem pecuniae a debitore meo nondum solutae sint, habeo aduersus debitorem meum rescissoriam in id, quod supra legis modum tibi promisit ita, ut in reliquum tantummodo tibi maneat obligatus: sin autem pecunias a debitore meo exegisti, in hoc, quod modum legis excedit, habeo contra te condictionem.
But, if the money has not yet been paid by my debtor, I have a rescissory action against my debtor regarding what he promised you above the legal limit, so that he remains obligated to you only for the remainder; on the other hand, if you have already collected the money from my debtor, I have a condictio against you for the amount exceeding the legal limit.

Notes

  1. §39.5.21.prdelegante me — An ablative absolute construction ('with me delegating' or 'at my direction'), referring to the legal act of delegation (delegatio) where a debtor promises payment to a third party upon the creditor's instruction.
  2. §39.5.21.1perinde sum, quasi... donauerim et tu illam ei credideris — The perfect subjunctive forms donauerim and credideris are used with quasi to express a hypothetical situation ('as if I had gifted... and you had lent...'), representing a past fiction in relation to the present main verb sum.
  3. §39.5.21.1rescissoriam — A feminine accusative adjective with the noun actionem ('action') understood, referring to a rescissory action (actio rescissoria) used to revoke or annul the transaction.

Cite this passage

Justinian I, The Digest of Justinian §39.5.21.pr-39.5.21.1. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi2806.phi002.humanitext-lat1:39.5.21.pr-39.5.21.1

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