Humanitext Reader

Justinian I · The Digest of Justinian §46.1.42.pr

Invalidity of Guaranteeing a Different Object of Debt

Passage 7590 of 9271 · Latin

Summary

A guarantee of a different object (wheat) for a monetary loan is invalid, as a surety cannot be bound for a different thing than the principal debt, and money cannot be valued in merchandise.

[IAUOLENUS libro decimo epistularum. ] §46.1.42.prSi ita fideiussorem accepero: 'quod ego decem credidi, de ea pecunia mille modios tritici fide tua 'esse iubes?', non obligatur fideiussor, quia in aliam rem, quam quae credita est, fideiussor obligari non potest, quia non, ut aestimatio rerum quae mercis numero habentur in pecunia numerata fieri potest, ita pecunia quoque merce aestimanda est.
[JAVOLENUS, in the tenth book of Letters.] If I accept a surety in this manner: "As to the ten which I have lent, do you authorize one thousand modii of wheat to be on your guarantee for that money?", the surety is not bound; because a surety cannot be bound for a different thing than that which was lent, because just as the valuation of things which are considered as merchandise can be made in cash, it does not follow that money also must be valued in merchandise.

Notes

  1. §46.1.42.prfide tua 'esse iubes?' — The standard formulaic question posed by the creditor to establish a guarantee (fideiussio) through verbal contract (stipulatio). The verb `iubes` asks for the surety's authorization or consent.
  2. §46.1.42.prquia non, ut ... ita — The correlative construction `ut... ita...` (as... so...) is negated by `non`, indicating an asymmetry: "just as A is possible, it does not follow that B is also". Here, it explains the legal logic that while merchandise can be valued in money, money cannot conversely be valued in merchandise.
  3. §46.1.42.prmercis numero — Literally "in the number of merchandise". `numero` is an ablative meaning "in the category of" or "reckoned as", making the whole phrase mean "things which are treated as merchandise".

Cite this passage

Justinian I, The Digest of Justinian §46.1.42.pr. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi2806.phi002.humanitext-lat1:46.1.42.pr

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