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Justinian I · The Digest of Justinian §43.24.4.pr

Foreseeability of Disputes and the Objective Test of Stealth

Passage 7130 of 9271 · Latin

Summary

Citing Servius, the text establishes that a person who ought to foresee a dispute acts clandestinely, arguing that fools should not be favored over the experienced due to subjective carelessness or ignorance.

[UENULEIUS libro secundo interdictorum. ] §43.24.4.prSeruius etiam eum clam facere, qui existimare debeat sibi controuersiam futuram, quia non opinionem cuius et resupinam existimationem esse oporteat, ne melioris condicionis sint stulti quam periti.
Servius also holds that a person who ought to expect that there will be a dispute for him acts clandestinely, because the opinion and lazy belief of just anyone should not be accepted, lest fools be in a better position than the experienced.

Notes

  1. §43.24.4.prSeruius etiam eum clam facere — The main governing verb (such as scribit or putat) is omitted, and 'eum clam facere' is an accusative with infinitive construction depending on this implied verb.
  2. §43.24.4.prcuius — Here, 'cuius' is not an interrogative pronoun but functions as the genitive singular of the indefinite pronoun 'quis' after the negative 'non', meaning 'of just anyone' or 'of any person whatsoever,' referring to subjective and groundless individual opinions.
  3. §43.24.4.prresupinam existimationem — The adjective 'resupinus' originally means 'bent backward' or 'lying on one's back,' but is used here metaphorically to mean 'lazy,' 'careless,' or 'negligent' belief, denoting a subjective laxity that fails to meet the expected standard of diligence.

Cite this passage

Justinian I, The Digest of Justinian §43.24.4.pr. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi2806.phi002.humanitext-lat1:43.24.4.pr

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