Humanitext Reader

Justinian I · The Digest of Justinian §40.8.1.pr

Freedom of a Slave Sold upon Condition of Manumission

Passage 6514 of 9271 · Latin

Summary

Paulus states that when a slave is sold under the condition of manumission within a certain time, the slave is entitled to freedom even if both the seller and the buyer die without heirs, or if the seller changes his mind.

[PAULUS libro quinto ad Plautium. ] §40.8.1.prSi seruus uenditus est, ut intra certum tempus manumitteretur, etiamsi sine herede decessissent et uenditor et emptor, seruo libertas competit: et hoc diuus Marcus rescripsit.
[PAULUS, from the fifth book on Plautius.] If a slave has been sold on the condition that he should be manumitted within a certain time, even if both the seller and the buyer have died without an heir, freedom belongs to the slave; and the divine Marcus stated this in a rescript.
sed et si mutauerit uenditor uoluntatem, nihilo minus libertas competit.
But even if the seller has changed his mind, freedom belongs to him nonetheless.

Notes

  1. §40.8.1.prut intra certum tempus manumitteretur — The ut-clause with the imperfect subjunctive expresses the term or condition attached to the sale (uenditus est). Literally 'so that he should be manumitted within a certain time,' in a legal context it indicates the contractual obligation or proviso under which the sale took place.
  2. §40.8.1.prlibertas competit — The verb competere is used in a legal sense meaning 'to belong to,' 'to accrue to,' or 'to be due to.' Here, it indicates that the status of freedom is directly and legally established for the slave by operation of law, even without formal manumission.

Cite this passage

Justinian I, The Digest of Justinian §40.8.1.pr. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi2806.phi002.humanitext-lat1:40.8.1.pr

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