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Justinian I · The Digest of Justinian §48.18.18.pr-48.18.18.10

Order of Interrogation and Conditions for Applying Torture

Passage 8377 of 9271 · Latin

Summary

This section provisions the procedure for hearing multiple defendants, the limits on applying torture to defendants and witnesses, the restrictions on interrogating slaves against their masters, and the rules governing the trial schedules for those in custody to ensure their right to defense.

[PAULUS libro quinto sententiarum. ] §48.18.18.prUnius facinoris plurimi rei ita audiendi sunt, ut ab eo primum incipiatur, qui timidior est uel tenerae aetatis uidetur.
[PAULUS, in the fifth book of Sentences] When there are many accused of a single crime, they are to be heard in such a way that the inquiry begins first with the one who is more fearful or seems to be of a tender age.
§48.18.18.1Reus euidentioribus argumentis obpressus repeti in quaestionem potest, maxime si in tormenta animum corpusque durauerit.
A defendant overwhelmed by more evident proofs can be subjected to inquiry again, especially if he has hardened his mind and body against torture.
§48.18.18.2In ea causa, in qua nullis reus argumentis urguebatur, tormenta non facile adhibenda sunt, sed instandum accusatori, ut id quod intendat comprobet atque conuincat.
In a case in which the defendant was pressed by no proofs, torture is not easily to be applied, but the accuser must be urged to prove and establish that which he charges.
§48.18.18.3Testes torquendi non sunt conuincendi mendacii aut ueritatis gratia, nisi cum facto interuenisse dicuntur.
Witnesses are not to be tortured for the sake of exposing a lie or eliciting the truth, unless they are said to have been present at the deed.
§48.18.18.4Iudex cum de fide generis instrui non potest, poterit de seruis hereditariis habere quaestionem.
When the judge cannot be informed concerning the authenticity of the lineage, he will be able to hold an inquiry concerning the hereditary slaves.
§48.18.18.5Seruo qui ultro aliquid de domino confitetur, fides non accommodatur: neque enim oportet salutem dominorum seruorum arbitrio committi.
Credit is not given to a slave who voluntarily confesses something concerning his master; for it is not fitting that the safety of masters be committed to the discretion of slaves.
§48.18.18.6Seruus in caput eius domini, a quo distractus est cuique aliquando seruiuit, in memoriam prioris dominii interrogari non potest.
A slave cannot be interrogated against the life of that master from whom he was sold and whom he once served, in memory of the former ownership.
§48.18.18.7Seruus, nec si a domino ad tormenta offeratur, interrogandus est.
A slave is not to be interrogated, not even if he is offered by his master for torture.
§48.18.18.8Sane quotiens quaeritur, an serui in caput domini interrogandi sint, prius de eorum dominio oportet inquiri.
Clearly, whenever it is questioned whether slaves are to be interrogated against the life of their master, it is necessary first to inquire concerning their ownership.
§48.18.18.9Cogniturum de criminibus praesidem oportet ante diem palam facere custodias se auditurum, ne hi, qui defendendi sunt, subitis accusatorum criminibus obprimantur: quamuis defensionem quocumque tempore postulante reo negari non oportet, adeo ut propterea et differantur et proferantur custodiae.
The governor who is about to investigate crimes must make it publicly known beforehand that he will hear the cases of those in custody, lest those who are to be defended be overwhelmed by sudden accusations of the accusers; although defense must not be denied when the defendant requests it at any time, to such an extent that on this account the hearings of those in custody are both postponed and brought forward.
§48.18.18.10Custodiae non solum pro tribunali, sed et de plano audiri possunt atque damnari.
Those in custody can be heard and condemned not only from the tribunal, but also on level ground.

Notes

  1. §48.18.18.prab eo primum incipiatur — An impersonal passive construction. The ablative phrase 'ab eo' indicates the starting point, and the intransitive verb 'incipio' is used impersonally in the passive subjunctive 'incipiatur', expressing a recommendation: 'it should be begun from him'.
  2. §48.18.18.2instandum accusatori — An impersonal use of the gerundive, expressing obligation or necessity. The dative 'accusatori' functions as the dative of agent, forming the structure 'the accuser must be urged (to prove)'.
  3. §48.18.18.9Cogniturum de criminibus praesidem — The future active participle 'cogniturum' modifies the accusative noun 'praesidem'. This forms an accusative with infinitive (A.c.I.) construction as the subject of the impersonal verb 'oportet', where the governing infinitive is 'palam facere'.
  4. §48.18.18.9custodias — The accusative plural of the noun 'custodia' (custody). Here used metonymically to mean 'those in custody' (prisoners, defendants), acting as the semantic object of the future infinitive 'auditurum' (with 'esse' understood).
  5. §48.18.18.10pro tribunali, sed et de plano — A contrastive expression. 'pro tribunali' means 'from the tribunal', referring to formal judicial proceedings. Conversely, 'de plano' (literally, 'on level ground') is a legal idiom meaning 'informally' or 'by summary procedure' outside the formal courtroom.

Cite this passage

Justinian I, The Digest of Justinian §48.18.18.pr-48.18.18.10. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi2806.phi002.humanitext-lat1:48.18.18.pr-48.18.18.10

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