Humanitext Reader

Justinian I · The Digest of Justinian §5.3.30.pr

Surrender of Principal, Interest, and Transfer of Claims

Passage 1028 of 9271 · Latin

Summary

Through an examination of Julian's opinion, it is argued that the liability of a possessor in good faith should be limited either to the principal and actually received interest, or to the transfer of the claims themselves at the risk of the plaintiff.

[PAULUS libro uicensimo ad edictum. ] §5.3.30.prIulianus scribit actorem eligere debere, utrum sortem tantum an et usuras uelit cum periculo nominum agnoscere.
[PAULUS, on the Edict, book 20]\n\nJulian writes that the plaintiff must choose whether he wants to accept only the principal sum, or also the interest with the risk of the debts.
atquin secundum hoc non obseruabimus quod senatus uoluit, bonae fidei possessorem teneri quatenus locupletior sit: quid enim si pecuniam eligat actor, quae seruari non potest? dicendum itaque est in bonae fidei possessore haec tantummodo eum praestare debere, id est uel sortem et usuras eius si et eas percepit, uel nomina cum eorum cessione in id facienda, quod ex his adhuc deberetur, periculo scilicet petitoris.
But according to this we shall not observe what the senate intended, namely, that a possessor in good faith is held liable only to the extent that he is enriched; for what if the plaintiff chooses the money which cannot be recovered? Therefore, it must be said that in the case of a possessor in good faith, he must perform only these things: that is, either the principal sum and its interest if he also received it, or the claims themselves, with a cession thereof to be made in respect of what is still owed from them, of course at the risk of the claimant.

Notes

  1. §5.3.30.prnominum — Genitive plural of nomen, which here refers to debts or claims. Therefore, cum periculo nominum means with the risk of the debts becoming unrecoverable.
  2. §5.3.30.prquod senatus uoluit, bonae fidei possessorem teneri quatenus locupletior sit — The accusative with infinitive clause bonae fidei possessorem teneri... acts as an appositive explaining the content of quod senatus uoluit (what the senate intended), referring to the Senatusconsultum Iuventianum under Hadrian.
  3. §5.3.30.prcum eorum cessione in id facienda, quod ex his adhuc deberetur — facienda is a gerundive agreeing with cessione (ablative governed by cum). in id, quod... means to the extent that... or in respect of what..., indicating that the transfer of claims is to be made for the portion that remains unpaid by the debtors.

Cite this passage

Justinian I, The Digest of Justinian §5.3.30.pr. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi2806.phi002.humanitext-lat1:5.3.30.pr

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