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Justinian I · The Digest of Justinian §40.12.6.pr

Freedom Suits by Strangers on Behalf of the Insane or Infants

Passage 6571 of 9271 · Latin

Summary

It argues that if the person being dragged into slavery is insane or an infant, the lawsuit for freedom should be permitted not only to close relatives but also to strangers.

[GAIUS ad edictum praetoris urbani. ] §40.12.6.prBenignius autem hoc persequendum est, ut, si furiosus et infans est qui in seruitutem trahitur, non solum necessariis personis, sed etiam extraneis hoc permittatur.
[GAIUS on the Edict of the Urban Praetor.] This, however, must be pursued more liberally, so that, if the person who is being dragged into slavery is insane or an infant, this may be permitted not only to close relatives but also to strangers.

Notes

  1. §40.12.6.prbenignius — Either the neuter nominative singular of the adjective benignus, or the comparative of the adverb benigne. Here it functions adverbially to modify persequendum est (the gerundive construction expressing obligation), indicating that the legal process should be pursued 'more liberally' or 'more favorably'.
  2. §40.12.6.prnecessariis personis — Dative case. It refers to 'close relatives' or 'connected persons' who would normally have an interest or duty to litigate on behalf of the individual, contrasted here with 'strangers' or 'outsiders' (extraneis).

Cite this passage

Justinian I, The Digest of Justinian §40.12.6.pr. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi2806.phi002.humanitext-lat1:40.12.6.pr

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