Page 144 - Latent Defect or Excessive Price?Exploring Early Modern Legal Approach to Remedying Defects in Goods Exchanged for Money - Bruijn

CHAPTER THREE
had asked the judge in first instance to appoint experts to bring clarity in the orchards' just price.
'Concerning the worth of the said orchards your majesty should order the appointment of two other persons, farmers and fruiterers, which are likely to be acquainted with the worth of the said orchards so that they under oath declare what they could have been worth during two years291 and what they are worth in accordance with justice'.292
In other cases too witnesses are called in to assess for how much goods could be justly sold. A case decided in 1570 between Gonzales del Río and Alonso Rodríguez deals with the sale of two stallions.293 Another lawsuit in which witnesses estimate the just price is about a horse that did not endure spurs. The proof of this defect and the consequent lesion beyond moiety also consists of testimonies by witnesses.294
In sum, both witnesses and experts are appointed to assess a thing's just price. However, the use of witnesses seems to be the preferred method. In any case, the Chancery's case law safeguards a certain degree of objectivity by excluding testimonies by the parties themselves.
3.4.4 Extension to buyers, movables, and lease
Early modern scholastics reason from general rules which determine whether a penitent is hold to make restitution.295 Since the requirement of fairness in exchange applied to all commutative contracts in which both parties perform, they found no reason to exclude the remedy for lesion beyond moiety to other contracts than sales. Indeed we find Molina arguing in favour of the remedy's extension to lease.296
Medieval ius commune and the medieval Siete Partidas had already extended the remedy for lesion beyond moiety to lease.297 Castilian civil law carries through medieval
291 The value of land was determined by its yields.
292 Pl. civ., F. Alonso (f.), caja 971, 7, sc. 108: 'sobre el valor de las dichas arboledas | vuestras mercedes
manden nombrar dos | otras personas labradores e frute- | ros que que \[sic\] entiendan el valor | de las dichas arboledas e con juramento declaren lo que podian valer a- | gora dos anos y lo que valen derechamente'.
293 Pl. civ., F. Alonso (f.), caja 447, 1, sc. 22: '...e sabe que | al tiempo que se venderon | al dicho alonso rodriguez | gallinero | los dichos machos tenian | los defetos que la pregunta | dice e declara por lo qual | save este testigo que los dichos | machos podian baler como | veinte ducados o \[tres?\] menos | que mas por lo qual en | aberse bendido en mas | cantidad al dicho alonso rodriguez | parte enganado en lo demas'; idem, caja 447, 1, sc. 25: 'dice en conciencia \[de dios?\] este | testigo e como persona que toda | su vida a tratado en | cabalgadura e save que | no balian de veinte ducados | ariba a todo pagar e todo | lo demas que llebaron al | dicha alonso rodriguez por ellos en con | consciencia se le puede bolber | e fue enganado en ello y esto | rresponde \[sic\] al esta pregunta'; see 3.4.2.1.
294 Pl. civiles, F. Alonso (f.), caja 494, 3, scs. 40-43: 'El testigo | presentado por parte | \[sc. 41\] del antonio ruiz de la | vega en el pleito que ten- | ia con francisco hortiz vecino de | villalon: ... \[sc. 43\] por de tal calidad que por ellas | e por qualquiera ella se pue- | da tornar el cavallo | ... | (v) y a justa | e comun estimacion el | cavallo con las dichas | tachas o qualquiera dellas | no vale trescientos rreales'.
295 See 3.2.2.1.
296 Molina, Opera omnia, vol. 2, disp. 349, no. 14, p. 233: 'Praedicta locum habet... etiam in locationibus...'.
297 García y García, 'El pensamiento económico', pp. 202-203. The reader should be aware of the many
type-setting mistakes in this print.
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