Humanitext Reader

Justinian I · The Digest of Justinian §4.2.6.pr

Standard of Serious Fear Capable of Affecting a Firm Mind

Passage 643 of 9271 · Latin

Summary

Gaius states that the fear falling under the scope of this edict is not the subjective apprehension of a weak-minded person, but a serious fear that would reasonably affect even the most steadfast person.

[GAIUS libro quarto ad edictum prouinciale. ] §4.2.6.prMetum autem non uani hominis, sed qui merito et in homine constantissimo cadat, ad hoc edictum pertinere dicemus.
[GAIUS, On the Provincial Edict, book 4] But we shall say that the fear which pertains to this edict is not that of a fickle man, but such as may reasonably arise even in a most steadfast man.

Notes

  1. §4.2.6.prnon uani hominis, sed qui ... cadat — The genitive uani hominis and the relative clause qui ... cadat are contrastively coordinated by non... sed... to modify metum. The subjunctive cadat is a subjunctive of characteristic (or potential), describing the kind of fear that would affect even the most resolute person.
  2. §4.2.6.prdicemus — First-person plural future active indicative. Although literally 'we shall say', in juristic discourse it is commonly used to express a normative interpretation or legal guideline for future cases ('we should say', 'we will hold').

Cite this passage

Justinian I, The Digest of Justinian §4.2.6.pr. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi2806.phi002.humanitext-lat1:4.2.6.pr

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