Justinian I · The Digest of Justinian §49.16.10.pr-49.16.10.1

Death for Deserting Palace Guard and Pay for Restored Troops

Passage 8612 of 9271 · Latin

Summary

It prescribes the death penalty for deserting palace guard duty and specifies the strict conditions under which soldiers restored to service after desertion may receive back pay and special allowances.

[PAULUS libro singulari regularum. ] §49.16.10.prQui excubias palatii deseruerit, capite punitur.

[PAULUS, from the single book of Rules.] Anyone who deserts the guard of the palace is punished with death.

§49.16.10.1Sed ex causa desertionis restitutus in militiam non aliter medii temporis stipendium et donatiua accipit, nisi hoc liberalitas principalis ei specialiter indulserit.

However, a person restored to military service after desertion does not otherwise receive the pay and donatives of the intervening time, unless the imperial generosity has specially granted this to him.

Notes

§49.16.10.prcapite punitur — "capite" is an ablative of penalty used with "punitur". Originating from the physical "head," it represents citizenship or life, thus meaning "is punished with death."
§49.16.10.1restitutus — A perfect passive participle modifying the implied subject (such as "is") of the main verb "accipit". The ablative phrase "ex causa desertionis" (on account of desertion) modifies "restitutus", explaining the ground of the prior discharge or punishment.
§49.16.10.1non aliter... nisi — A correlative construction of "non aliter" (not otherwise) and "nisi" (unless), creating a strong restriction: "receives... only if..." (i.e., only under the condition of a special imperial favor).

Cite this passage

Justinian I, The Digest of Justinian §49.16.10.pr-49.16.10.1. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi2806.phi002.humanitext-lat1:49.16.10.pr-49.16.10.1

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