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Justinian I · The Digest of Justinian §40.12.30.pr

Conflicting Judgments on Shared Slavery and Compensation

Passage 6595 of 9271 · Latin

Summary

The text discusses the legal remedy when two plaintiffs separately claim a half share of slavery over a man and receive conflicting judgments, supporting the view that the man should be free but must pay half his value to the winning plaintiff.

[IULIANUS libro quinto ex Minicio. ] §40.12.30.prDuobus petentibus hominem in seruitutem pro parte dimidia separatim, si uno iudicio liber, altero seruus iudicatus est, commodissimum est eo usque cogi iudices, donec consentiant: si id non continget, Sabinum refertur existimasse duci seruum debere ab eo qui uicisset: cuius sententiae Cassius quoque est et ego sum.
[JULIANUS, in the fifth book from Minicius.] When two persons separately claim a man into slavery for a half share, if in one trial he is judged free, and in the other a slave, it is most convenient for the judges to be compelled to that point until they agree. If this does not happen, it is reported that Sabinus thought that the slave ought to be taken by the one who had won; Cassius also is of this opinion, and so am I.
et sane ridiculum est arbitrari eum pro parte dimidia duci, pro parte libertatem eius tueri.
And indeed it is ridiculous to think that he should be taken for a half share, and for a half share his freedom should be defended.
commodius autem est fauore libertatis liberum quidem eum esse, compelli autem pretii sui partem uiri boni arbitratu uictori suo praestare.
It is more convenient, however, out of favor for freedom, that he indeed be free, but be compelled to pay a share of his value to his victor in accordance with the decision of an honest man.

Notes

  1. §40.12.30.prDuobus petentibus hominem in seruitutem pro parte dimidia separatim — Duobus petentibus is an ablative absolute. pro parte dimidia (for a half share) refers to a situation where two plaintiffs separately (separatim) bring lawsuits claiming a half share of joint ownership (as a slave) over the man in question.
  2. §40.12.30.prcuius sententiae — The antecedent of the relative pronoun cuius is Sabinus' opinion implied in the previous sentence. sententiae is a genitive of property or description, which, used with esse (here est and sum), means 'to belong to this opinion' or 'to agree with this opinion.'
  3. §40.12.30.prcompelli autem pretii sui partem uiri boni arbitratu uictori suo praestare — An accusative with infinitive construction, sharing the subject accusative eum from the preceding clause 'liberum quidem eum esse'. compelli is a passive infinitive ('that he be compelled'), and praestare is a complementary infinitive depending on compelli. uiri boni arbitratu ('by the judgment of an honest man') indicates that the price is to be determined by an impartial arbitrator.

Cite this passage

Justinian I, The Digest of Justinian §40.12.30.pr. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi2806.phi002.humanitext-lat1:40.12.30.pr

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