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Justinian I · The Digest of Justinian §49.1.15.pr

Appeals by Masters for Slaves and Exceptional Petitions

Passage 8479 of 9271 · Latin

Summary

It stipulates that while slaves cannot appeal on their own, their masters (or someone on the master's behalf) can appeal for them, and exceptionally, the slave himself may implore aid if no one else does.

[MARCELLUS libro primo digestorum. ] §49.1.15.prSerui appellare non possunt: sed domini eorum ad opem seruo ferendam possunt uti auxilio appellationis, et alius domini nomine id facere potest.
[MARCELLUS, from the first book of the Digests.] Slaves cannot appeal; but their masters can employ the aid of an appeal in order to bring relief to the slave, and another person can do so in the name of the master.
sin uero neque dominus neque alius pro domino appellauerit, ipsi seruo, qui sententiam tristem passus est, auxilium sibi implorare non denegamus.
But if neither the master nor another on behalf of the master has appealed, we do not deny to the slave himself, who has suffered an adverse judgment, the right to implore aid for himself.

Notes

  1. 49.1.15.prad opem seruo ferendam — A gerundive construction with the preposition 'ad' expressing purpose ('in order to bring'). The dative 'seruo' serves as the indirect object of the verbal idea in 'ferendam' ('to the slave').
  2. 49.1.15.pripsi seruo ... auxilium sibi implorare non denegamus — The dative 'ipsi seruo' serves as the indirect object of the main verb 'non denegamus' ('we do not deny [to the slave]'), while also functioning logically as the subject of the dependent infinitive clause 'auxilium sibi implorare' ('to implore aid for himself'). The reflexive pronoun 'sibi' refers back to 'ipsi seruo'.

Cite this passage

Justinian I, The Digest of Justinian §49.1.15.pr. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi2806.phi002.humanitext-lat1:49.1.15.pr

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