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Justinian I · The Digest of Justinian §40.16.5.pr-40.16.5.1

Limit on Collusion Retrials and Selection of Claimants

Passage 6629 of 9271 · Latin

Summary

In §40.16.5.pr, it is established that a judgment of free birth can be reopened only once due to collusion, and in §40.16.5.1, criteria such as character, age, and interest are set to determine which person should be admitted when multiple individuals step forward to expose collusion.

[HERMOGENIANUS libro quinto iuris epitomarum. ] §40.16.5.prSententiam pro ingenuitate dictam collusionis praetextu semel retractare permittitur.
[HERMOGENIANUS, in the fifth book of the Epitome of Law.] It is permitted to reopen a judgment rendered in favor of free birth only once, under the pretext of collusion.
§40.16.5.1Si plures ad collusionem detegendam pariter accedant, causa cognita quis debeat admitti, comparatis omnium moribus et aetatibus et cuius magis interest, statui oportet.
If several persons step forward equally to uncover collusion, it must be decided, after investigating the case and comparing the character and age of all of them, as well as who has a greater interest, who ought to be admitted.

Notes

  1. §40.16.5.prSententiam pro ingenuitate dictam... retractare permittitur — The active infinitive `retractare` (to reopen) functions as the subject of the impersonal passive verb `permittitur` (it is permitted), with `Sententiam... dictam` serving as the accusative object of this infinitive.
  2. §40.16.5.1cuius magis interest — The impersonal verb `interest` takes the genitive of the person who has an interest, hence the genitive `cuius`. This indirect question clause is linked by the conjunction `et` to `moribus et aetatibus` in the ablative absolute, effectively functioning as part of the logical object compared under `comparatis` (having been compared).
  3. §40.16.5.1quis debeat admitti — This is an indirect question clause with the subjunctive present `debeat`, which functions as the logical subject of the passive infinitive `statui` (to be decided) in the main clause construction `statui oportet` (it ought to be decided).

Cite this passage

Justinian I, The Digest of Justinian §40.16.5.pr-40.16.5.1. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi2806.phi002.humanitext-lat1:40.16.5.pr-40.16.5.1

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