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Justinian I · The Digest of Justinian §47.4.2.pr

Master's Ignorance and Barred Action After Manumission

Passage 7960 of 9271 · Latin

Summary

This text explains that if a slave embezzles or damages property shortly before gaining freedom, the master's ignorance of this fact does not allow them to bring this action after the slave has become free.

[GAIUS libro tertio decimo ad edictum prouinciale. ] §47.4.2.prSi paulo ante, quam statuta libertas optigerit, amouerit aliquid seruus aut corruperit, ignorantia domini non introducit hanc actionem: ideoque licet maxime ignorauerit heres a statulibero aut quilibet alius dominus a seruo suo amotum aliquid corruptumue esse, non impetrat post libertatem eius ullam actionem, quamuis in pluribus aliis causis iusta ignorantia excusationem mereatur.
[GAIUS on the Provincial Edict, book 13] If, a little before the established freedom is realized, a slave has embezzled or damaged something, the ignorance of the master does not introduce this action; and therefore, even though the heir may have been entirely ignorant that something was embezzled or damaged by the conditionally free slave (statuliber), or any other master by his slave, he does not obtain any action after the slave's acquisition of freedom, although in many other cases a justifiable ignorance deserves an excuse.

Notes

  1. §47.4.2.prpaulo ante, quam — In paulo ante, quam, paulo is an ablative of degree of difference, meaning 'a little before'.
  2. §47.4.2.prlicet ... ignorauerit ... amotum aliquid corruptumue esse — The concessive conjunction licet governs the perfect subjunctive ignorauerit, which takes the perfect passive accusative with infinitive clause amotum aliquid corruptumue esse as its object. The ablatives a statulibero and a seruo suo indicate the agents of this passive construction.
  3. §47.4.2.prnon impetrat — The subject of the main verb impetrat is understood from the preceding licet clause, namely heres and quilibet alius dominus.

Cite this passage

Justinian I, The Digest of Justinian §47.4.2.pr. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi2806.phi002.humanitext-lat1:47.4.2.pr

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