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Justinian I · The Digest of Justinian §46.1.73.pr

Scope of Liability of Agent's Sureties after Principal's Suit

Passage 7621 of 9271 · Latin

Summary

This section rules that if a principal brings a lawsuit again after their agent loses and the defendant is condemned to a large sum, the agent's guarantors are not liable for the excess resulting from the defendant's own penalty.

[PAULUS libro septuagensimo sexto ad edictum. ] §46.1.73.prCum procurator in rem agebat, cautionem dederat ratam rem dominum habiturum: postea uicto eo dominus reuersus iterum de eadem re agitabat, et cum reus haberet possessionem, et noluit eam restituere et ideo magno condemnatus est: in amplius fideiussores non tenentur: hoc enim non debet imputari fideiussoribus, quod ille propter suam poenam praestitit.
[PAULUS in the seventy-sixth book on the Edict.] When a procurator brought an action in rem, he had given security that the principal would ratify the matter; afterwards, when the procurator was defeated, the principal returned and again brought an action concerning the same matter, and although the defendant had possession, he did not wish to restore it and was therefore condemned in a large sum; for any larger amount the guarantors are not liable, for what the defendant paid on account of his own penalty ought not to be imputed to the guarantors.

Notes

  1. 46.1.73.prratam rem dominum habiturum — Infinitive clause. The future active participle 'habiturum' has 'esse' omitted, with the accusative 'dominum' as its subject and 'ratam rem' as its object. It is a formulaic expression of the 'cautio de rato,' guaranteeing that the principal will ratify the agent's act.
  2. 46.1.73.pruicto eo — Ablative absolute. 'eo' refers to the procurator, indicating that the agent was defeated in the lawsuit.
  3. 46.1.73.prin amplius — An adverbial phrase combining the preposition 'in' with the neuter accusative singular comparative 'amplius' of the adjective 'amplus,' meaning 'for any further amount' or 'for the excess.'
  4. 46.1.73.prquod ille propter suam poenam praestitit — The 'quod' clause is an appositive clause explaining the demonstrative 'hoc.' 'ille' refers to the defendant (reus), and 'praestitit' refers to what he paid as a penalty for refusing to restore the property.

Cite this passage

Justinian I, The Digest of Justinian §46.1.73.pr. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi2806.phi002.humanitext-lat1:46.1.73.pr

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