Humanitext Reader

Justinian I · The Digest of Justinian §45.1.48.pr

Payment on Demand as Admonition rather than Condition

Passage 7395 of 9271 · Latin

Summary

Ulpianus discusses that a stipulation to pay 'when asked' constitutes a mere admonition for performance rather than a legal condition, meaning the stipulator's death before asking does not invalidate the obligation.

[ULPIANUS libro uicensimo sexto ad edictum. ] §45.1.48.prSi decem 'cum petiero' dari fuero stipulatus, admonitionem magis quandam, quo celerius reddantur et quasi sine mora, quam condicionem habet stipulatio: et ideo licet decessero priusquam petiero, non uidetur defecisse condicio.
[ULPIANUS, in the twenty-sixth book on the Edict.] If I have stipulated for ten to be given 'when I shall have asked for it', the stipulation involves a kind of admonition, in order that they may be returned more quickly and as if without delay, rather than a condition; and therefore, even if I should die before I have asked for it, the condition is not deemed to have failed.

Notes

  1. §45.1.48.prquo celerius reddantur — The conjunction quo (= ut eo) is used to introduce a purpose clause containing a comparative (celerius). The subject of the present subjunctive passive reddantur is decem (ten), which appears in the accusative-and-infinitive clause of the main sentence.
  2. §45.1.48.prlicet decessero — licet functions as a concessive conjunction, taking the subjunctive (here decessero, which is homonymous with the future perfect indicative) to mean "even if I should die."
  3. §45.1.48.prnon uidetur defecisse condicio — The phrase 'when I shall have asked for it' is not a 'condition' in the strict legal sense (an uncertain future event), but merely a designation of the time of performance (an admonition). Therefore, the death of the creditor before making the demand does not cause the condition to fail (deficio) and extinguish the right.

Cite this passage

Justinian I, The Digest of Justinian §45.1.48.pr. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi2806.phi002.humanitext-lat1:45.1.48.pr

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