Humanitext Reader

Justinian I · The Digest of Justinian §40.2.8.pr

Manumission at a Praetor's Villa Without Lictors

Passage 6328 of 9271 · Latin

Summary

Ulpian relates his experience of permitting a manumission to take place in the presence of a praetor at his villa, even though no lictor was present.

[ULPIANUS libro quinto ad edictum. ] §40.2.8.prEgo cum in uilla cum praetore fuissem, passus sum apud eum manumitti, etsi lictoris praesentia non esset.
[ULPIANUS, in the fifth book on the Edict.] When I was in a villa with the praetor, I permitted manumission to take place before him, even though the presence of a lictor was not there.

Notes

  1. §40.2.8.prpassus sum ... manumitti — The perfect form of patior (passus sum, 'I permitted') governs the passive present infinitive manumitti ('to be manumitted') as its object. It indicates that Ulpian, though not the owner manumitting the slave, allowed and recognized the validity of the manumission performed in the praetor's presence.
  2. §40.2.8.pretsi lictoris praesentia non esset — The conjunction etsi ('although') takes the subjunctive imperfect esset to form a concessive clause. This indicates that the presence of a lictor (the praetor's attendant) was not strictly required for an informal manumission taking place outside of court (in a villa).

Cite this passage

Justinian I, The Digest of Justinian §40.2.8.pr. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi2806.phi002.humanitext-lat1:40.2.8.pr

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