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Justinian I · The Digest of Justinian §46.4.8.pr-46.4.8.4

Agreement in Void Acceptilatio and Releases by Slaves

Passage 7772 of 9271 · Latin

Summary

Discusses the validity of an informal agreement in an invalid oral release, the application of acceptilatio by common slaves, sons under family power, and slaves, and confirms its validity in Greek under the ius gentium.

[IDEM libro quadragensimo octauo ad Sabinum. ] §46.4.8.prAn inutilis acceptilatio utile habeat pactum, quaeritur: et nisi in hoc quoque contra sensum est, habet pactum.
[The same in the forty-eighth book on Sabinus.] Whether an invalid acceptilatio contains a valid pactum is asked; and unless in this case too it is contrary to intention, it contains a pactum.
dicet aliquis: potest ergo non esse consensus? cur non possit? fingamus eum, qui accepto ferebat, scientem prudentemque nullius esse momenti acceptilationem sic accepto tulisse: quis dubitat non esse pactum, cum consensum paciscendi non habuerit?
Someone will say: is it therefore possible for there to be no consent? Why should it not be possible? Let us imagine that the person who recorded it as received, knowing and being aware that the acceptilatio was of no effect, recorded it as received in this way: who doubts that there is no pactum, since he did not have the intention of contracting?
§46.4.8.1Seruus communis sicut uni ex dominis stipulari potest, ita etiam acceptum rogare uni ex dominis potest eumque in solidum liberat: et ita Octauenus putat.
Just as a common slave can stipulate for one of his masters, so he can also ask for an acceptilatio for one of his masters, and he releases him in full; and so Octavenus thinks.
§46.4.8.2Accepto liberare seruus communis alterum ex dominis etiam ab altero domino potest: id enim et Labeoni placuit.
A common slave can also release one of his masters from the other master by acceptilatio; for this was also approved by Labeo.
denique libro pithanon scripsit, si a Primo domino Secundo socio domino suo stipulatus fuerit, posse Secundum accepto rogare et per acceptilationem Primum liberare, quem ipse obligauerat: sic fieri, ut per unum atque eundem seruum et constituatur et tollatur obligatio.
Finally, he wrote in his book of "Plausibilities" that if a common slave stipulated from the first master for the second, his partner-master, the slave can ask the second master for an acceptilatio, and by acceptilatio release the first master, whom he himself had bound; thus it happens that through one and the same slave an obligation is both established and destroyed.
§46.4.8.3Acceptum fieri non potest, nisi quod uerbis colligatum est: acceptilatio enim uerborum obligationem tollit, quia et ipsa uerbis fit: neque enim potest uerbis tolli, quod non uerbis contractum est.
An acceptio cannot be made except for what has been bound by words; for acceptilatio destroys an obligation of words, because it itself is also made by words; for what has not been contracted by words cannot be destroyed by words.
§46.4.8.4Filius familias promittendo patrem ciuiliter non obligat, sed se obligat: propter quod accepto rogare filius familias potest, ut se liberet, quia ipse obligatus est, pater autem acceptum rogando nihil agit, cum non sit ipse obligatus, sed filius.
A son under family power, by promising, does not bind his father under civil law, but binds himself; because of which the son under family power can ask for an acceptilatio to release himself, since he himself is bound, but the father, by asking for an acceptilatio, accomplishes nothing, since he himself is not bound, but the son is.
idem erit et in seruo dicendum: nam et seruus accepto liberari potest, et tolluntur etiam honorariae obligationes, si quae sunt aduersus dominum.
The same must also be said of a slave; for a slave can also be released by acceptilatio, and honorarian obligations, if there are any against the master, are also destroyed.
quia hoc iure utimur, ut iuris gentium sit acceptilatio: et ideo puto et Graece posse acceptum fieri, dummodo sic fiat, ut Latinis uerbis solet: ἔχεις λαβὼν δηνάρια τόσα; ἔχω λαβών.
For we use this law, that acceptilatio is of the ius gentium; and therefore I think that an acceptio can also be made in Greek, provided it is done just as is customary in Latin words: ἔχεις λαβὼν δηνάρια τόσα; ἔχω λαβών.

Notes

  1. 46.4.8.prnisi in hoc quoque contra sensum est — The phrase 'in hoc quoque' (in this case too) refers to the context of whether an invalid formal release (acceptilatio) can function as a valid informal agreement (pactum). 'contra sensum' means 'contrary to intention'; unless there is an explicit absence of the intent to agree, the transaction still holds effect as an informal pactum despite the invalidity of the formal transaction.
  2. 46.4.8.2posse Secundum accepto rogare — ‘Secundum’ (the second master) is the object (accusative) of the active verb ‘rogare’. The implied subject is the common slave (seruus communis). The structure indicates that the slave asks the second master for an acknowledgment of receipt (‘accepto rogare’). While some commentators treat ‘Secundum’ as the subject and suggest emending ‘rogare’ to the passive ‘rogari’, keeping the active form with the slave as the subject provides a grammatically consistent reading without emendation.
  3. 46.4.8.2quem ipse obligauerat — The pronoun ‘ipse’ within the relative clause refers to the common slave who performed the verbal stipulation (stipulatio). It highlights the relationship where the slave himself had bound (‘obligauerat’) the first master by taking a promise, and now releases him through the process of acceptilatio.
  4. 46.4.8.4nihil agit — The phrase ‘nihil agit’ (does nothing / accomplishes nothing) means that the act produces no legal effect (is void). Since the father himself is not bound by the obligation contracted by the son (which is the son's own civil obligation), any attempt by the father to ask the creditor for an acceptilatio has no legal effect on releasing the debt.

Cite this passage

Justinian I, The Digest of Justinian §46.4.8.pr-46.4.8.4. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi2806.phi002.humanitext-lat1:46.4.8.pr-46.4.8.4

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