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Justinian I · The Digest of Justinian §40.12.4.pr

Conditions for a Patron to Bring a Freedom Suit for a Freedman

Passage 6569 of 9271 · Latin

Summary

Gaius states that a patron is permitted to litigate for the freedom of a freedman only under the specific condition that the freedman allowed himself to be sold without the patron's knowledge.

[GAIUS ad edictum praetoris urbani titulo de liberali causa. ] §40.12.4.prSed tunc patrono conceditur pro libertate liberti litigare, si eo ignorante libertus uenire se passus est.
[GAIUS on the Edict of the Urban Praetor, under the title "On Liberty Cases".] But it is only granted to a patron to litigate on behalf of the freedom of his freedman if, while he was ignorant of it, the freedman allowed himself to be sold.

Notes

  1. §40.12.4.preo ignorante — An ablative absolute construction consisting of the pronoun `eo` (masculine singular ablative) and the present participle `ignorante` (ablative), meaning "while he (the patron) was ignorant of it".
  2. §40.12.4.pruenire — The present infinitive of `uēneo` (to be sold), not of `uĕnio` (to come). It functions as the infinitive in the accusative with infinitive construction dependent on `se passus est` ("allowed himself to be [sold]").
  3. §40.12.4.prtunc... si — The adverb `tunc` and the conjunction `si` are used correlatively to express a restrictive conditional relationship: "only then... if" or "only in the event that".

Cite this passage

Justinian I, The Digest of Justinian §40.12.4.pr. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi2806.phi002.humanitext-lat1:40.12.4.pr

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