Humanitext Reader

Justinian I · The Digest of Justinian §6.1.17.pr-6.1.17.1

Restitution of Price and Accessions upon Slave Sale or Death

Passage 1088 of 9271 · Latin

Summary

This section discusses Julian's views on how a possessor must restore to the plaintiff the price of a slave, fruits, and associated rights (such as an action under the Lex Aquilia) when the slave is lost through default or sale, or when the slave dies during litigation.

[ULPIANUS libro sexto decimo ad edictum. ] §6.1.17.prIulianus libro sexto digestorum scribit, si hominem, qui Maeuii erat, emero a Titio, deinde cum eum Maeuius a me peteret, eundem uendidero eumque emptor occiderit, aequum esse me pretium Maeuio restituere.
[ULPIANUS, in the sixteenth book on the Edict.] Julian writes in the sixth book of his Digests that if I buy from Titius a slave who belonged to Maevius, and then, while Maevius is claiming him from me, I sell him and the buyer kills him, it is equitable that I restore the price to Maevius.
§6.1.17.1Idem Iulianus eodem libro scribit, si moram fecerit in homine reddendo possessor et homo mortuus sit, et fructuum rationem usque ad rei iudicatae tempus spectandam esse.
The same Julian writes in the same book that if the possessor is in default in returning the slave and the slave dies, the calculation of the fruits must also be considered up to the time of judgment.
idem Iulianus ait non solum fructus, sed etiam omnem causam praestandam: et ideo et partum uenire in restitutionem et partuum fructus.
The same Julian says that not only the fruits but also the whole cause (all accessories) must be made good; and therefore both the offspring and the fruits of the offspring are included in the restoration.
usque adeo autem et causae ueniunt, ut Iulianus libro septimo scribit, si per eum seruum possessor adquisierit actionem legis Aquiliae, restituere cogendum.
But the accessories are included to such an extent that, as Julian writes in his seventh book, if the possessor has acquired an action under the Lex Aquilia through that slave, he must be compelled to restore it.
quod si dolo malo ipse possessor desierit possidere et aliquis hominem iniuria occiderit, aut pretium hominis aut actiones suas praestare cogetur, utrum eorum uoluerit actor.
But if the possessor himself has ceased to possess by willful deceit, and someone else has unlawfully killed the slave, he will be compelled to provide either the price of the slave or his own actions, whichever the plaintiff prefers.
sed et fructus, quos ab alio possessore percepit, restituere eum oportet: lucrum enim ex eo homine, qui in lite esse coeperit, facere non debet.
But he must also restore the fruits which he has received from the other possessor; for he ought not to make a profit from that slave who has become the subject of litigation.
sed fructus eius temporis, quo tempore possessus est ab eo qui euicerit, restituere non debet: sed quod dicit de actione legis Aquiliae, procedit, si post litem contestatam usucepit possessor, quia plenum ius incipit habere.
However, he does not have to restore the fruits of that period during which the slave was possessed by the person who evicted him. But what is said about the action under the Lex Aquilia applies if the possessor has acquired ownership by usucapion after the joinder of issue, because he begins to have full right.

Notes

  1. §6.1.17.prpretium Maeuio restituere — In a case where the defendant (possessor) sold the slave to a third party while Maevius (the true owner) was claiming him as plaintiff, and the buyer subsequently killed the slave, restoring the physical slave became impossible. Therefore, it is deemed equitable (aequum) that the defendant restore the received sale price (pretium) to the plaintiff.
  2. §6.1.17.1in homine reddendo — A gerundive construction where the ablative gerundive `reddendo` modifies the ablative noun `homine` governed by the preposition `in`, meaning "in returning the slave," which refers to default (delay) in restoration.
  3. §6.1.17.1actionem legis Aquiliae — A right of action for damages under the Lex Aquilia. If a third party injured the slave while the possessor was in possession, and the possessor acquired this action (e.g., via usucapion), it must be restored to the plaintiff as part of the "cause" (accessories/benefits) of the slave.
  4. §6.1.17.1ab eo qui euicerit — The subject of `euicerit` (perfect subjunctive or future perfect of `euincere`) refers to the true owner (plaintiff) who successfully established their right in court and recovered (evicted) the property.
  5. §6.1.17.1quod dicit de actione — The neuter accusative relative pronoun `quod` introduces a noun clause "what is said about the action..." which serves as the subject of the main verb `procedit` ("applies" or "holds good"). This rule is explained to apply only if the possessor acquired ownership by usucapion after the joinder of issue and thus obtained full right (plenum ius).

Cite this passage

Justinian I, The Digest of Justinian §6.1.17.pr-6.1.17.1. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi2806.phi002.humanitext-lat1:6.1.17.pr-6.1.17.1

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