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Justinian I · The Digest of Justinian §48.16.5.pr

Threat to Accuse in a Petition and Senatusconsultum

Passage 8340 of 9271 · Latin

Summary

Regarding whether a person who threatened in a petition to the Emperor to bring a forgery charge, but failed to do so, is liable under the Turpilian Senatusconsultum, Paulus responds that the literal text of the decree does not apply to such a person.

[Paulus libro secundo responsorum. ] §48.16.5.prQuaesitum est, an is, qui libello principi dato falsum se obiecturum minatus est, si non obiecisset, Turpilliano senatus consulto tenetur.
[Paulus, Responses, Book II.] It was asked whether a person who, in a petition presented to the Emperor, threatened that he would bring a charge of forgery, is held liable under the Turpilian Senatusconsultum if he should not bring the charge.
Paulus respondit uerbis senatus consulti Turpilliani eum de quo quaeritur non contineri.
Paulus replied that the person in question is not comprehended within the words of the Turpilian Senatusconsultum.

Notes

  1. §48.16.5.prlibello principi dato — An ablative absolute or an ablative of instrument/place containing the noun `libellus` and the perfect passive participle `datus` from `dare`, meaning "after a petition had been presented to the Emperor" or "in a petition presented to the Emperor."
  2. §48.16.5.prfalsum se obiecturum — An accusative with infinitive (Aci) construction introduced by `minatus est`, where the auxiliary `esse` is omitted after the future active participle `obiecturum`. `falsum` functions here as a neuter noun meaning "forgery" and is the direct object of `obiecturum` ("to bring a charge of").
  3. §48.16.5.prsi non obiecisset — The pluperfect subjunctive `obiecisset` (from `obicere`) represents a future-perfect-in-the-past condition relative to the main past verb `minatus est`, shifted due to the sequence of tenses.
  4. §48.16.5.pruerbis — Ablative of limitation or instrument modifying `non contineri` ("is not comprehended"). It indicates that the person is "not included by the literal words" of the senatusconsultum, i.e., strictly speaking, the letter of the law does not apply.

Cite this passage

Justinian I, The Digest of Justinian §48.16.5.pr. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi2806.phi002.humanitext-lat1:48.16.5.pr

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