Treść książki
Przejdź do opcji czytnikaPrzejdź do nawigacjiPrzejdź do informacjiPrzejdź do stopki
28
thingforthebenefitofmunicipalities12.Inthatcapacity,pollicitatiowasverybrieflyco-
veredinDigestandthetextsincorporatedinitcreateanexception,separatesetofrules,
practicallyirrelevantforwiderconsiderationsonthetopicofconclusionofcontracts.
Theexternalelementthatwouldjustifythelimiteduseandconsequentabsenceof
problemsregardingcontractsinterabsentesfromlegaltexts,wasthepredominantuse
ofsubordinates,firstlypersonsunderpatriapotestasandlaterprocurators,forentering
thecontract13.Theincreasinglevelofprotectionintheareaofrepresentationdiminished
theneedformessengers,especiallyasthecostswouldbesimilarorevenbiggerwith
messengersinmorecomplicatedcontracts.Ifthesamepersonswouldcarrythemes-
sage,withoutanyauthorizationtonegotiate,butjusttotransferthemaster,sdeclaration
ofwill,thegeneralrulesofpatriapotestaswouldmakeitmucheasierforthejudgeto
decidethepossiblecase,withouttheneedforinventionofnewrules14.
However,literarysources,andlegaltosomeextent,confirmarelativelybroaduse
ofindependentpersonsasmessengerswhoweremostlyfriendsorespeciallyforthat
casehiredpersonsandnotsubordinates15.So,evenifweacceptthattheuseoflettersor
messengerswasinlaterstagesofdevelopmentsuppressedbymoreextensiveemploy-
mentofrepresentation16,thepracticeofusingtheseinstrumentswasneverthelesspresent
foralongerperiodinRomanlawanditwouldbesurprisingtoexpectthattherehave
neverbeenproblemsintheprocessofconclusionofcontractsbetweenabsentparties.
ThequestionremainshowtheRomanjuristssolvedtheseproblems,orhowtheywould
respondiftheinquirywasmadetogivetheiropinion.
Intheabsenceofdirectsources–asthesimplestatementthatconsensualcontracts
couldbeconcludedbetweenabsentpartiesbecauseoftheirsinglerequirement,consen-
susoftheparties,doesn,tindicatewhenthecontractcameinforce–wehavetosearch
fortheanswerindirectly,throughanalogiesandusingindicesastothelegalcontentof
writtencorrespondence.
12
Cf.J.Voet,CommentariumadPandectas,lib.50,tit.12;R.Zimmerman,TheLawofObligations,
p.496,574sqq.
13
Cf.L.Mitteis,DieLehrevonderStellvertretungnachrömischemRechtmitBerücksichtigungdes
österreichischenRechts,Wien1885;F.Schulz,DieHaftungfürdasVerschuldenderAngestelltenimklassis-
chenrömischenRecht,„ZeitschriftfürdasPrivat-undÖffentlicheRechtderGegenwart”,Bd.38:1911,p.10
sqq.;R.Düll,ÜberAnsätzedirekterStellvertretungimfrührepublikanischenRecht,ZSS,Bd.67:1950,p.162
sqq.;A.Claus,GewillkürteStellvertretungimRomischenPrivatrecht,Berlin1973,p.5sqq.;G.Hamza,Zur
FragedergewillkürtenStellvertretungimklassischenrömischenRecht,„AnnalesUniversitatisScientiarum
Budapestinensis–SectioJuridica”,t.21:1979,p.19sqq.;A.Wacke,DieadjektizischenKlagenimÜber-
blick.VonderReeder-undBetriebsleiterklagezurdirektenStellvertretung,ZSS,Bd.111:1994,p.291sqq.;
F.Klinck,ZurBedeutungdesWortesprocuratorindenQuellendesklassischenRechts,ZSS,Bd.124:2007,
p.30sqq.
14
Ontheconclusionofcontractsbyslavesandsonsandtheirknowledge/doluswithfurtherliterature
cf.H.P.Benöhr,ArglistundKenntnisderHilfspersonenbeimAbschlussschuldrechtlicherGeschäfte,ZSS,
Bd.87:1970,p.142sqq.
15
WithregardtoCicerocf.H.P.Benöhr,DerBrief.Korrespondenz,menschlichundrechtlichgesehen,
ZSS,Bd.115:1998,p.120sqq.InPliny,sletterstherearesomeinstancesmentioningtabellarius,butinac-
cordancewiththeirnaturethecarrierisusuallynotmentioned.Cf.A.N.Sherwin-White,TheLettersofPliny,
Oxford1998,p.172.
16
Onthedifferencebetweenmessengersandrepresentatives,agents,cf.L.Mitteis,DieLehre,p.128
sqq.;R.Düll,ÜberAnsätze,p.162sqq.;M.Kaser,DasrömischePrivatrecht,Bd.1,p.262.
