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Justinian I · The Digest of Justinian §48.18.8.pr-48.18.8.1

Torture in Capital Crimes and Conditionally Free Slaves

Passage 8367 of 9271 · Latin

Summary

Citing an edict of the Emperor Augustus, this section discusses that torture should not always be demanded but is highly effective for investigating serious crimes, and addresses the application of torture to conditionally free slaves without losing their prospect of freedom.

[PAULUS libro secundo de adulteriis. ] §48.18.8.prEdictum diui Augusti, quod proposuit Uibio Habito et Lucio Aproniano consulibus, in hunc modum exstat: 'Quaestiones neque semper in omni causa et persona desiderari debere arbitror, et, cum capitalia et atrociora maleficia non aliter explorari et inuestigari possunt quam per seruorum quaestiones, efficacissimas eas esse ad requirendam ueritatem existimo et habendas censeo'. §48.18.8.1Statuliber in adulterio postulari poterit, ut quaestio ex eo habeatur, quod seruus heredis est: sed spem suam retinebit.
[PAULUS, in the second book on Adulteries.] An edict of the deified Augustus, which he published during the consulship of Vibius Habitus and Lucius Apronianus, is extant in this manner: 'I do not think that tortures ought always to be demanded in every case and person; but, when capital and more heinous crimes cannot be investigated and tracked down otherwise than through the torture of slaves, I consider them to be most effective for seeking the truth and decide that they should be employed.' A conditionally free slave can be prosecuted in a case of adultery so that torture may be applied to him, because he is the slave of the heir; but he will retain his hope.

Notes

  1. §48.18.8.prUibio Habito et Lucio Aproniano consulibus — Ablative absolute consisting of nouns (proper names) and the noun "consulibus" without a participle. This is the standard Roman formula for indicating a year, referring here to 8 AD.
  2. §48.18.8.prneque... et... — A correlative construction showing strong contrast, meaning "not on one hand... but on the other hand...". It negates the first clause (torture should not always be demanded) while emphasizing the subsequent clause introduced by "et" which affirms its effectiveness under certain conditions.
  3. §48.18.8.1statuliber — A legal term referring to a slave who has been promised freedom under a certain future condition (such as labor or payment) specified in a will. Until the condition is met, they remain "the slave of the heir" (seruus heredis) and are subject to rules of torture for slaves, but they do not lose their "hope" (spem) of eventual freedom.

Cite this passage

Justinian I, The Digest of Justinian §48.18.8.pr-48.18.8.1. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi2806.phi002.humanitext-lat1:48.18.8.pr-48.18.8.1

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