Justinian I · The Digest of Justinian §42.5.15.pr-42.5.15.1

Election of Creditor Representative and Document Inventory

Passage 6964 of 9271 · Latin

Summary

The passage discusses the election of a single representative among multiple creditors to prevent confusion, outlines the scope and limits of compiling an inventory of documents, and addresses the frequency limits of inspection and verification allowed for creditors.

[ULPIANUS libro sexagesimo secundo ad edictum. ] §42.5.15.prCum plures creditores in possessionem rerum debitoris mittantur, ne corrumpantur rationes, uni hoc negotium a creditoribus esse dandum, quem maior pars creditorum elegerit.

[Ulpianus, on the Edict, book 62] When several creditors are put in possession of the debtor's property, in order that the accounts may not be thrown into confusion, this business must be entrusted by the creditors to one person whom the majority of the creditors have chosen.

ego puto creditoribus instrumentorum etiam ἀναγραφήν facere, non ut describant ipsa corpora instrumentorum, sed quot sint, de qua re sint, subnotent sibi et quasi inuentarium faciant: quod etiam uniuersorum facere eis erit permittendum.

I think that the creditors should also make a list of the documents, not for the purpose of transcribing the actual texts of the documents, but so that they may note down for themselves how many there are and what they concern, and make a kind of inventory; which also they must be permitted to do for all the property.

praeterea nonnumquam praetor causa cognita etiam describere aliquid ex instrumentis creditoribus debebit permittere, si qua idonea causa interueniat.

Furthermore, sometimes the praetor, after investigating the case, will have to permit the creditors to transcribe something from the documents, if any suitable cause should intervene.

§42.5.15.1Utrum semel an etiam saepius recognitio et dispunctio concedenda sit creditoribus, uideamus.

Let us see whether inspection and verification should be granted to creditors once or even more often.

et ait Labeo amplius quam semel non esse concedendam: si quis tamen, inquit, iurauerit non calumniae causa se postulare neque habere quae dispunxerit, iterum ei faciendam potestatem ait nec amplius quam bis.

And Labeo says that it should not be granted more than once; however, he says that if anyone swears that he does not make the demand for the purpose of vexation, and that he does not have the things he has verified, the opportunity should be given to him a second time, but not more than twice.

Notes

42.5.15.pruni hoc negotium a creditoribus esse dandum — The phrase 'esse dandum' is a passive periphrastic construction (gerundive + 'esse') expressing obligation or necessity, functioning as the infinitive in indirect speech. The agent is expressed by 'a creditoribus' (ablative with 'a'), and 'uni' is the dative of indirect object.
42.5.15.prnon ut describant ... sed ... subnotent ... et ... faciant — The 'ut' clauses are juxtaposed with negative 'non ut' and positive 'sed ... subnotent ... et ... faciant', expressing purpose (not to transcribe... but to note... and make...). The present subjunctive verbs 'describant', 'subnotent', and 'faciant' are used.
42.5.15.1neque habere quae dispunxerit — This is an infinitive clause of indirect speech governed by 'iurauerit', with the subject accusative 'se' understood from the preceding 'se postulare'. 'quae' is a relative pronoun whose antecedent (neuter plural, meaning 'the things which he has verified') is omitted. 'dispunxerit' is in the perfect subjunctive due to subordination in indirect speech.

Cite this passage

Justinian I, The Digest of Justinian §42.5.15.pr-42.5.15.1. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi2806.phi002.humanitext-lat1:42.5.15.pr-42.5.15.1

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