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Justinian I · The Digest of Justinian §4.4.4.pr

Actions of Slaves by Master's Will and Defrauded Minor Mandataries

Passage 706 of 9271 · Latin

Summary

The author states the principle that a slave's actions are deemed to be by the master's will, and illustrates this by proposing a case where an adult mandates business to a minor who is then defrauded.

[AFRICANUS libro septimo quaestionum. ] §4.4.4.prEtenim quodcumque seruus ita gerit, uoluntate domini gerere intellegendus est.
[AFRICANUS in the seventh book of Questions.] For indeed, whatever a slave does in this way, he must be understood to act by the will of his master.
et magis hoc apparebit, si aut de institoria actione quaeratur, aut si proponatur maiorem annis uiginti quinque negotium aliquod gerendum minori mandasse et illum in ea re deceptum esse.
And this will appear more clearly if either a question is raised concerning the action on a business manager, or if it is proposed that a person over twenty-five years of age has mandated some business to be managed to a minor, and that the latter was defrauded in that matter.

Notes

  1. §4.4.4.pruoluntate domini — The ablative `uoluntate` expresses manner, attitude, or circumstance, meaning 'by the will of' or 'with the consent of' the master.
  2. §4.4.4.prgerere intellegendus est — A personal construction is used here with the nominative `seruus` as the subject of the gerundive `intellegendus est` instead of an impersonal accusative-with-infinitive construction ('intellegendum est seruum gerere'), meaning 'he is to be understood to act'.
  3. §4.4.4.prmaiorem annis uiginti quinque — The comparative `maiorem` is modified by the ablative of comparison `annis uiginti quinque` (referring to a person over twenty-five). The entire phrase acts as the subject accusative of the infinitive `mandasse`.
  4. §4.4.4.prnegotium aliquod gerendum — The gerundive `gerendum` modifies the noun `negotium aliquod` to express purpose or necessity ('some business to be managed'), functioning as the direct object of the verb `mandasse`.

Cite this passage

Justinian I, The Digest of Justinian §4.4.4.pr. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi2806.phi002.humanitext-lat1:4.4.4.pr

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