Qui conveniuntur noxali actione. SV. Omnis autem noxalis actio capit sequitur; nam, si servus tuus noxam commiserit, quamdiu in tuâ potestate sit, tecum actio est: si autem in alterius potestatem pervenerit, cum illo incipit actio esse: at, si manumissus fuerit, directo ipse tenetur, et extinguitur noxæ deditio. Ex diverso quoque directa actio noxalis esse incipit; nam, si liber homo noxiam commiserit, et is servus tuus esse cœpe $ 5. No real actions follow the person; thus, the master is liable while the slave belongs to him; if the slave become subject to a new master, then he becomes liable; but, if the slave be manumitted, he may be prosecuted by a direct action; and the noxæ deditio, is extinguished. But an action, which was at first direct, may afterwards become noxal; for if a free man, guilty of malfeasance, become a slave, (and our rit, (quod quibusdam casibus effici primo libro tradidimus,) incipit tecum esse noxalis actio, quæ ante directa fuisset. first book shews in what cases this may happen,) then the direct action against the slave, is changed into a noxal action against the master. Si servus Domino noxiam commiserit, vel contra. tibi VI. Si servus domino noxiam commiserit, actio nulla nascitur; namque inter dominum et eum, qui in potestate ejus est, nulla obligatio nasci potest. Ideòque, si in alienam potestatem servus pervenerit, aut manumissus fuerit, neque cum ipso, neque cum eo, cujus nunc in potestate sit, agi potest: unde, si alienus. servus noxiam commiserit, et is postea in potestate tuâ esse cœperit, interdicitur actio; quia in eum casum deducta sit, in quo consistere non potuit. Ideòque, licèt exierit de tuâ potestate, agere non potes; quemadmodum si dominus in servum suum aliquid commiserit, nec, si manumissus aut alienatus fuerit servus, ullam actionem contra dominum habere potest. $6. Although a slave commit mal-feasance against his master, yet no action is given; for no obligation can arise between a master and his slave; and if the slave pass under the power of another master, or is manumitted, no action lies either. against him or his new master; whence it follows, that, if the slave of another should commit mal-feasance against you, and become your slave, the action is forbidden: for the case has arisen in which it cannot be brought. Therefore, although a slave hath passed out of your power, you cannot sue him: neither can a slave, who hath been aliened or manumitted, bring any action against his late master. De filiis-familiarum. § VII. Sed veteres quidem hoc in filiis-familiarum masculis et fominis admisere; nova autem hominum conversatio hujusmodi asperitatem rectè respuendam esse existimavit, et ab usu communi hoc penitùs recessit. Quis enim patiatur, filium suum, et maxime filiam, in noxam alii dari? ut penè per filii corpus pater magis quam filius periclitetur; cum in filiabus etiam pudicitiæ favor hoc benè excludat. $7. The ancients indeed admitted this law of the forfeiture of the person, even in cases of children, whether male or female: but later times have rightly thought, that such rigorous proceeding, ought to be exploded; and it hath therefore passed wholly into disuse: for who could suffer a son, and more especially a daughter, to be delivered up as a forfeiture to a stranger? for, in the case of a son, the punishment of the Et ideò placuit, in servos tantummodo, noxales actiones esse proponendas; cum, apud veteres legum commentatores, invenerimus sæpius dictum, ipsos filios-familiarum pro suis delictis posse conveniri. father would be greater, than that of the son; and, in the case of a daughter, the rules of modesty forbid the practice. It hath therefore prevailed, that noxal actions should apply to slaves only and, we find it often laid down in the old books, that sons of a family may be sued for their own misdeeds. TITULUS NONUS.. SI QUADRUPES PAUPERIEM FECISSE DICATUR. D. ix. T. 1. De actione, si quadrupes ex 1. xii. tab. ANIMALIUM nomine, quæ ratione carent, si qua lasciviâ, aut pavore, aut feritete, pauperiem fecerint, noxalis actio lege xii tab. prodita est: quæ animalia, si noxæ dedantur, proficiunt reo ad liberationem; quia ita lex xii tabularum scripta est, ut puta, si equus calcitrosus calce percusserit, aut bos, cornu petere solitus, cornu petierit. Hæc autem actio in iis, quæ contra naturam moventur, locum habet; cæterum, si genitalis sit feritas, cessat actio. Denique, si ursus fugerit à domino, et sic nocuerit, non potest quondam dominus conveniri, quia desiit dominus esse, ubi fera evasit. Pauperis autem est damnum sinè injuriâ facientis datum; nec enim potest animal injuriam A noxal action is given by the law of the 12 tables when damage is done by brute animals, through wantonness, fright, or furiousness; and when delivered up in atonement for the damage done, the defendant is cleared from the action: for it is thus written in the law of the 12 tables, if a horse, apt to kick, should strike with his foot; or if an ox, accustomed to gore, should wound any man with his horns, &c. But a noxal action takes place only when animals act contrary to their nature; for, when the ferocity of a beast is innate, no action can be given; so that, if a bear break loose from his master, and mischief be done, the master cannot be sued; for he ceased to be the master as caret. fecisse dici, quod sensu soon as the beast escaped. The word pauperies denotes a damage, by which no injury is intended; for an animal, void of reason, cannot be said to have committed an injury. Thus much as to noxal actions De actione ædilitia, concurrente SI Cæterum sciendum est, ædilitio edicto prohiberi nos canem, verrem, aprum, ursum, leonem, ibi habere, qua vulgò iter fit; et, si adversùs ea factum erit, et nocitum libero homini esse dicatur, quod bonum et æquum judici videtur, tanti dominus condemnetur; cæterarum verò rerum, quanti damnum datum sit, dupli. Præter has autem ædilitias actiones, et de pauperie locum habebit; nunquam enim actiones, præsertim pœnales, de eâdem re concurrentes, alia aliam consumit. cum actione de pauperie. 1. It must be observed, that the edict of the Edile forbids any man to keep a dog, a boar, a bear, or a lion, where there is a public passage or highway and if this prohibition be disobeyed, and any freeman receive hurt, the master of the beast may be condemned at the discretion of the judge; yet, in other cases of damage, the condemnation must be in double the amount. Besides the Edilitian action, an action for damage, called pauperies, may also take place against the same person for actions, especially penal actions, may concur on account of the same thing, without the one destroying the other. TITULUS DECIMUS. DE IIS, PER QUOS AGERE POSSUMUS. Per quos agere liceat. NUNC admonendi sumus, agere, posse quemlibet hominem aut suo nomine aut alieno. Alieno, veluti procuratorio, tutorio, curatorio; cum olim in usu fuisset, alterius We must now remark, that any man may commence a suit, in his own name, or in that of another, as of a proctor, a tutor, or a curator; but anciently, one person could not nomine agi non posse, nisi pro populo, pro libertate, pro tutelâ. Præterea lege Hostiliâ permissum erat furti agere eorum nomine, qui apud hostes essent, aut reipublicæ causâ abessent, quivè in eorum cujus tutelâ essent. Sed, quia hoc non minimam incommoditatem habebat, quod alieno nomine neque agere, neque excipere actionem licebat, cœperunt homines per procuratores litigare. Nam et morbus et ætas et necessaria peregrinatio, itemque allæ multæ causæ, sæpe hominibus impedimento sunt, quo minus rem suam ipsi exequi possint. sue in the name of another, unless in a public cause, in a cause to establish freedom, or in a cause of tutelage. It was afterwards permitted by the law Hostilia, that an action of theft might be brought in the names of captives: or of persons absent upon the affairs of the republic; or who were under the care of tutors. But, as it was found. in later times to be highly inconvenient, that any man should be prohibited, either from suing, or defending in the name of another, it by degrees became a practice to sue by proctors; for ill health, old age, the necessity of travelling, and many other causes, continually prevent mankind from being able to prosecute their own affairs in person. Quibus modis procurator constituatur. I. Procurator neque certis verbis, neque præsente semper adversario, imò et plerumque eo ignorante, constituitur: cuicunque enim permiseris rem tuam agere, aut defendere, is tuus procurator intelligitur. $1 A proctor may be appointed without any certain form of words, nor is the presence of the adverse party required; indeed it is generally done without his knowledge. Whoever is employed to sue or defend for another, is understood to be a proctor. Quibus modis tutores vel curatores constituuntur. II. Tutores et curatores quemadmodum constituantur, primo libro expositum est. $ 2. We have already explained in the first book, how tutors and curators may be appointed. |