Humanitext Reader

Justinian I · The Digest of Justinian §40.4.8.pr

Standard of Diligence in Conditional Manumission on Accounts

Passage 6356 of 9271 · Latin

Summary

In the case where freedom is bequeathed to a slave on a condition, the standard of 'diligence' required to satisfy the condition of managing accounts is discussed, stating that it must be beneficial to the master and combined with good faith and the return of remaining balances.

[POMPONIUS libro quinto ad Sabinum. ] §40.4.8.prSi ita sit scriptum: 'Stichus, si rationes diligenter tractasse uidebitur, liber esto', diligentiam desiderandam, quae domino, non quae seruo erit utilis, coniuncta fidei bonae et in reliquis quoque reddendis.
[POMPONIUS in the fifth book on Sabinus.] If it is written as follows: 'Let Stichus be free, if he appears to have managed the accounts carefully,' the diligence required is that which will be useful to the master, not to the slave, combined with good faith and also in rendering the remaining balance.

Notes

  1. §40.4.8.prdiligentiam desiderandam — An accusative with infinitive construction with the omission of `esse`. The governing main verb (such as 'it is held' or 'we say') is omitted, expressing in indirect speech the judgment that the 'diligence' required to fulfill the condition must be demanded.
  2. §40.4.8.prutiles — Although transmitted in the plural form `utiles` in the text, it is grammatically interpreted as the nominative singular adjective `utilis`, agreeing with the relative pronoun `quae` (feminine nominative singular) whose antecedent is `diligentiam`. The structure within the relative clause is `diligentia ... erit utilis` as a predicate.
  3. §40.4.8.prconiuncta — Placed outside the relative clause, modifying `diligentiam`. Grammatically, it should be the accusative `coniunctam`, but the manuscripts transmit `coniuncta` (ablative, or attracted to the nominative within the relative clause). Contextually, it is interpreted as `diligentiam ... coniunctam [esse]` (diligence combined with good faith).

Cite this passage

Justinian I, The Digest of Justinian §40.4.8.pr. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi2806.phi002.humanitext-lat1:40.4.8.pr

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