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Justinian I · The Digest of Justinian §40.9.15.pr-40.9.15.1

Loss of Right to Manumit under Treason Accusation

Passage 6537 of 9271 · Latin

Summary

This section discusses an imperial rescript regarding when a person accused of treason loses the right to manumit slaves, and the validity of a son's manumission after a change in circumstances, such as the father's death or revocation of consent.

[PAULUS libro primo ad legem Iuliam. ] §40.9.15.prQuaesitum est, an is, qui maiestatis crimine reus factus sit, manumittere possit, quoniam ante damnationem dominus est.
[PAULUS, from the first book on the Julian Law.] It was asked whether he who has been made a defendant on a charge of treason can manumit, since before condemnation he is the owner.
et imperator Antoninus Calpurnio Critoni rescripsit ex eo tempore, quo quis propter facinorum suorum cogitationem iam de poena sua certus esse poterat, multo prius conscientia delictorum, quam damnatione ius dandae libertatis eum amississe.
And the Emperor Antoninus wrote back to Calpurnius Crito that, from that time at which anyone, on account of the contemplation of his misdeeds, could already be certain of his punishment, he had lost the right of granting freedom much earlier by the consciousness of his crimes than by condemnation.
§40.9.15.1Iulianus ait, si postea, quam filio permisit pater manumittere, filius ignorans patrem decessisse manumisit uindicta, non fieri eum liberum. sed et si uiuit pater et uoluntas mutata erit, non uideri uolente patre filium manumississe.
Julianus says that if, after the father permitted the son to manumit, the son, not knowing that his father had died, manumitted by the rod, he does not become free; but also if the father is alive and his will has changed, the son is not deemed to have manumitted with the father's consent.

Notes

  1. §40.9.15.prmulto prius conscientia delictorum, quam damnatione ius dandae libertatis eum amississe — An accusative with infinitive clause in indirect speech, depending on the main verb `rescripsit`. `eum` refers back to the indefinite pronoun `quis` in the relative clause. `multo prius... quam...` is a comparative construction meaning 'much earlier by the consciousness of his crimes than by condemnation.'
  2. §40.9.15.1postea, quam — A separated form of the temporal conjunction `posteaquam` ('after'), introducing the subordinate clause `permisit pater`.
  3. §40.9.15.1non uideri uolente patre filium manumississe — `uolente patre` is an ablative absolute construction with a present participle, meaning 'with the father consenting'. `non uideri` ('is not deemed to') either takes the accusative with infinitive `filium manumississe` as its subject or is used as a personal construction with `filius` as the subject.

Cite this passage

Justinian I, The Digest of Justinian §40.9.15.pr-40.9.15.1. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi2806.phi002.humanitext-lat1:40.9.15.pr-40.9.15.1

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