[IDEM libro sexto ad Sabinum. ] §50.17.4.prUelle non creditur, qui obsequitur imperio patris uel domini.
[THE SAME, in his sixth book on Sabinus.] He who obeys the command of a father or a master is not believed to will.
Justinian I · The Digest of Justinian §50.17.4.pr
Absence of Free Will in Subordinates Obeying Orders
Summary
This fragment states the legal rule that a subordinate who obeys the command of a father or a master is not deemed to possess an independent will.
Notes
- §50.17.4.prUelle non creditur — The verb creditur functions in a nominative with infinitive (NcI) construction, where the logical subject is the omitted antecedent (is) of the relative clause qui obsequitur... The infinitive uelle is placed at the very beginning of the sentence for emphasis, highlighting the issue of voluntary intent.
- §50.17.4.primperio patris uel domini — imperio is the dative case governed by the intransitive verb obsequitur (to obey). patris and domini are possessive genitives, representing the two typical relationships of legal subordination in Roman law: a child under paternal power (patria potestas) and a slave under a master (dominium).
Cite this passage
Justinian I, The Digest of Justinian §50.17.4.pr. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi2806.phi002.humanitext-lat1:50.17.4.pr
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