Humanitext Reader

Justinian I · The Digest of Justinian §48.13.15.pr

Peculatus and Fourfold Penalty for Stealing War Booty

Passage 8326 of 9271 · Latin

Summary

Modestinus states that anyone who steals booty captured from the enemy is liable under the law of embezzlement and is condemned to pay fourfold.

[MODESTINUS libro secundo de poenis. ] §48.13.15.prIs, qui praedam ab hostibus captam subripuit, lege peculatus tenetur et in quadruplum damnatur.
[MODESTINUS, On Punishments, Book II.] He who has stolen booty captured from the enemy is liable under the law of embezzlement and is condemned to fourfold.

Notes

  1. §48.13.15.prpraedam ab hostibus captam — The perfect participle captam is accusative feminine singular, modifying praedam, meaning "booty captured from the enemy". Since such booty is considered public property that should accrue to the state, its theft is treated as peculatus (embezzlement of public property) rather than simple theft (furtum).
  2. §48.13.15.prin quadruplum — The preposition in with the accusative neuter noun quadruplum (fourfold) expresses the measure of the penalty (four times the value).

Cite this passage

Justinian I, The Digest of Justinian §48.13.15.pr. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi2806.phi002.humanitext-lat1:48.13.15.pr

Please note the AI-draft status of the translation and the date accessed.

Translation, notes and summary are AI-generated drafts, revised through reader feedback.