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Justinian I · The Digest of Justinian §47.21.2.pr

Penalties for Moving Boundary Stones by Status and Intent

Passage 8100 of 9271 · Latin

Summary

Quoting a rescript of the deified Hadrian, this section states that the punishment for displacing boundary stones is determined progressively according to the status of the offender and their subjective intent.

[CALLISTRATUS libro tertio de cognitionibus. ] §47.21.2.prDiuus Hadrianus in haec uerba rescripsit: 'Quin pessimum factum sit eorum, qui terminos finium causa positos propulerunt, dubitari non potest.
[CALLISTRATUS in the third book on Extraordinary Proceedings.] The deified Hadrian replied by rescript in these words: 'There can be no doubt that the act of those who have displaced boundary stones set up for the purpose of marking boundaries is extremely wicked.
de poena tamen modus ex condicione personae et mente facientis magis statui potest: nam si splendidiores personae sunt, quae conuincuntur, non dubie occupandorum alienorum finium causa id admiserunt, et possunt in tempus, ut cuiusque patiatur aetas, relegari, id est si iuuenior, in longius, si senior, recisius.
However, regarding the penalty, the measure of it can rather be determined by the status of the person and the intention of the perpetrator; for if those who are convicted are of more distinguished status, they have undoubtedly committed this act for the purpose of seizing others' lands, and they can be relegated for a time, as the age of each permits, that is, if younger, for a longer period, if older, for a shorter period.
si uero alii negotium gesserunt et ministerio functi sunt, castigari et ad opus biennio dari.
If, however, others have executed the business and performed the service, they are to be chastised and sentenced to public works for two years.
quod si per ignorantiam aut fortuito lapides furati sunt, sufficiet eos uerberibus decidere'.
But if they have carried away the stones through ignorance or by accident, it will suffice to settle the matter with them by whipping.'

Notes

  1. §47.21.2.prpessimum factum sit eorum — eorum is the antecedent of the relative clause qui... propulerunt, acting as a genitive of possession or author with respect to pessimum factum. The whole phrase means "that the deed of those who displaced the stones is extremely wicked."
  2. §47.21.2.prut cuiusque patiatur aetas — The conjunction ut introduces a limit or condition ("as far as... permits"), with the verb patiatur in the present subjunctive. It indicates the standard for determining the period of exile as each individual's age allows.
  3. §47.21.2.prcastigari et ad opus biennio dari — In direct speech, verbs expressing legal obligation or necessity (such as debere or oportere) are omitted, leaving only the infinitives. While potentially influenced by the preceding possunt, they are translated here as expressing obligation ("must be chastised and sentenced").

Cite this passage

Justinian I, The Digest of Justinian §47.21.2.pr. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi2806.phi002.humanitext-lat1:47.21.2.pr

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