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Justinian I · The Digest of Justinian §47.2.19.pr-47.2.19.6

Identifying Stolen Goods and Theft of Pledged Property

Passage 7880 of 9271 · Latin

Summary

Ulpian discusses the pleading requirements for identifying stolen property (such as weight, material, and color) and their exceptions in a theft action, and further explains the conditions under which an owner can commit theft of their own pledged property.

[ULPIANUS libro quadragensimo ad Sabinum. ] §47.2.19.prIn actione furti sufficit rem demonstrari, ut possit intellegi.
[ULPIANUS in the fortieth book on Sabinus.] In an action for theft, it is sufficient for the thing to be described so that it can be understood.
§47.2.19.1De pondere autem uasorum non est necesse loqui: sufficiet igitur ita dici 'lancem' uel 'discum' uel 'pateram': sed adscribenda etiam materia est, utrum argentea an aurea an alia quae sit.
However, it is not necessary to speak of the weight of the vessels; it will therefore be sufficient to say 'dish' or 'disk' or 'patera': but the material must also be added, whether it is of silver or of gold or of some other material.
§47.2.19.2Quod si quis argentum infectum petat, et massam argenteam dicere et pondus debebit ponere.
But if anyone claims uncoined silver, he must both declare it to be a mass of silver and state its weight.
§47.2.19.3Signati argenti numerum debebit complecti, ueluti aureos tot pluresue furto ei abesse.
In the case of coined silver, he must include the number, as for instance that so many gold coins or more are missing from him by theft.
§47.2.19.4De ueste quaeritur, an color eius dicendus sit.
Concerning clothing, it is asked whether its color should be stated.
et uerum est colorem eius dici oportere, ut, quemadmodum in uasis dicitur patera aurea, ita et in ueste color dicatur.
And it is true that its color ought to be stated, so that, just as in the case of vessels we say 'a golden patera,' so also in the case of clothing the color should be stated.
plane si quis iuret pro certo se colorem dicere non posse, remitti ei huius rei necessitas debet.
Obviously, if anyone swears that he cannot state the color for certain, the necessity of this requirement ought to be remitted for him.
§47.2.19.5Qui rem pignori dat eamque subripit, furti actione tenetur.
He who gives a thing in pledge and takes it away surreptitiously is liable to an action for theft.
§47.2.19.6Furtum autem rei pigneratae dominus non tantum tunc facere uidetur, cum possidenti siue tenenti creditori aufert, uerum et si eo tempore abstulerit, quo non possidebat, ut puta si rem pigneratam uendidit: nam et hic furtum eum facere constat, et ita et Iulianus scripsit.
Moreover, the owner is deemed to commit theft of a pledged thing not only at the time when he takes it away from the creditor who is in possession or holding it, but also if he takes it away at a time when the creditor was not in possession, as for example if he sold the pledged thing; for it is clear that here too he commits theft, and Julian also wrote to this effect.

Notes

  1. §47.2.19.3Signati argenti — Although in the genitive case, it functions as a genitive of relation or reference ('with regard to coined silver'), introducing the topic and connecting with the subsequent noun 'numerum'.
  2. §47.2.19.4colorem eius dici oportere — An accusative with infinitive clause functioning as the subject of the impersonal expression 'uerum est'. Within this clause, 'colorem eius dici' (passive infinitive) serves as the subject of the impersonal verb 'oportere'.
  3. §47.2.19.6quo non possidebat — The subject of 'possidebat' is omitted, but in context it refers to the creditor (creditor), not the owner (dominus). It describes a situation where the owner disposes of the pledged object at a time when the creditor does not physically possess it.

Cite this passage

Justinian I, The Digest of Justinian §47.2.19.pr-47.2.19.6. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi2806.phi002.humanitext-lat1:47.2.19.pr-47.2.19.6

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