[IULIANUS libro nono digestorum. ] §9.4.39.prSi plurium seruus furtum fecerit et omnes dolo fecerint, quo minus eum in potestate haberent, subsequi debet praetor iuris civilis actionem et iudicium honorarium, quod ex hac causa pollicetur, in eum dare, quem actor elegerit: neque enim amplius praestare actori debet, quam ut detracta noxae deditione agere possit cum eo, cum quo noxali iudicio experiri potuisset, si servus exhiberetur.
[JULIANUS, Digests, Book IX.] If a slave belonging to several masters commits a theft, and all of them have acted with malice to prevent themselves from having him in their power, the praetor ought to follow the action of the civil law and grant the honorary trial, which he promises on this ground, against whichever of them the plaintiff chooses; for he ought not to guarantee more to the plaintiff than that, the option of surrendering the slave as noxa being removed, he can bring an action against the person against whom he could have proceeded in a noxal action if the slave had been produced.
§9.4.39.1Qui alienum servum suum esse fatetur, quamvis noxali actione obligetur, nihilo minus causa cognita satisdare debet: qui autem pro servo convenitur, satisdatione onerandus non est: non enim offert se defensioni alieni servi.
He who confesses that another's slave is his, although he may be bound by the noxal action, must nevertheless, after an investigation of the case, give security; but he who is sued on account of a slave ought not to be burdened with giving security; for he does not offer himself for the defense of another's slave.
§9.4.39.2Si quis dicet dominum dolo fecisse, quo minus in potestate eius seruus esset, ille autem contendat eum seruum ab alio defendi cum satisdatione, doli mali exceptioni locus erit.
If anyone says that the master acted with malice to prevent the slave from being in his power, and the master contends that the slave is being defended by another with security, there will be ground for an exception of malice.
§9.4.39.3Sed et si post iudicium acceptum cum domino seruus apparuerit et, quia non defendebatur, ductus sit, exceptione doli mali posita dominus absoluetur.
But also, if the slave appears with his master after the joinder of issue and, because he was not defended, has been led away, the master will be acquitted on pleading the exception of malice.
§9.4.39.4Sed et mortuo seruo antequam iudicium accipiatur, omnino hac actione non tenebitur dominus.
But also, if the slave dies before the joinder of issue, the master will not be liable under this action at all.