Page 194 - Latent Defect or Excessive Price?Exploring Early Modern Legal Approach to Remedying Defects in Goods Exchanged for Money - Bruijn

LEGAL HUMANISM
leaves no room for a liability for all loss in the event the seller is not aware of any defects or has not exonerated himself from liability while he knew about the defect.150
Now back to the leaking barrel in D. 19.6.4. The seller in that text neither conceals a defect, nor falsely asserts the barrel's integrity. How does Doneau cope with the fact that the seller of the barrel has to account for all the buyer's losses, although he does not meet the abovementioned requirements?
'These texts are not in opposition, because in other things, e.g. damaged wood or ill cattle, it happens that he who sells ignorantly does not affirm that the wood is bad or the cattle ill. Wood and cattle are sold without reserve. because wood is no less wood even if it is defective. Nor is cattle less cattle, though ill. Yet, he who sells a barrel affirms by the sole fact of calling the thing a barrel that it is sound and capable of storing liquid, since under barrel we assume every instrument prepared to be capable of storing some liquid. We do not speak about a barrel capable of storing liquid, where it does not keep liquid poured into it. Hence, the word 'storing' must be understood as that things are stored which remain, D. 50.16.71'.151
Rotten wood is still wood, whereas a leaking barrel is not a barrel any more, since it cannot fulfil its function any longer. Therefore, someone selling a barrel can not be understood to sell something other than a barrel from which liquids do not leak out. This justifies that the seller is always liable for all damages resulting from defective barrels, whether or not he was capable of knowing anything about the defects. For this particular case, no warranties given or fraud are needed, as the general rule for liability under the sales contract requires for a full liability. Doneau thus stages something very close to what would later be called an implicit warranty.
Furthermore, Doneau ties in with Bartolus, who had said that 'he who leases out a defective barrel, be he aware of that or not, is liable for all losses. In other things there is a difference between knowing and ignorant sellers'.152 Likewise, Doneau explains the
150 Donellus, Commentarii, vol. 7, book 13, ch. 3, §12, p. 396: 'Sed hae actiones, ut apparet, pretium & aestimationem rei non egrediuntur. Quid ergo, si multo pluris intersit emptoris rem morbosam aut vitiosam venditam non fuisse? Finge tignum vitiosum venditum, & aedes vitio tigni corruisse: venditum pecus morbosum, & alia pecora contagione periisse. An non etiam eo nomine agi potest ex empto in id quod interest, ut quae detrimenta ex ea emptione emptor traxerit, ea omnia ei praestentur? Et posse agi constat: sed non semper, ut superioribus, redhibitoria & quanto minoris. Quibus experiri licet, sive quis sciens vitiosum aut morbosum vendiderit sive ignorans, & sive non esse morbosum aut vitiosum affirmaverit, sive tacuerit. Non item in id quod interest morbi vitiive nomine; idem, vol. 7, p. 397, §13: 'Quod si venditor rem morbosam aut vitiosam vendidit ignorans nec sanam esse affirmavit, placet eum superioribus quidem actionibus teneri, id est ad redhibendum, et quanto minoris emtor esset emturus; in id autem, quod interest, non teneri'.
151 Donellus, Commentarii, vol. 7, book 13, ch. 3, §14, p. 398: 'Non sunt haec contraria. Nam in caeteris rebus, puta tigno vitioso, aut pecore morboso hoc evenit, ut qui haec ignorans vendit, non ideo vitiosa aut morbosa non esse affirmet. Tignum enim & pecus simpliciter venduntur. Tignum autem non eo minus tignum est, etsi sit vitiosum; & pecus non minus pecus, etsi sit morbosum. Atqui vas vendit, etiamsi nihil aliud adiiciat, tamen solo vasis nomine affirmat vas esse integrum, & liquoris capax. Quoniam vas dicitur instrumentum omne, quod ad liquorem aliquem capiendum paratum est. Non dicitur autem vas liquorem capere, ubi liquorem infusum non retinet. Sic enim est capiendi verbum, ut ea capi dicantur, quae mansura sunt. L. aliud est capere, D. de verb. signif.'
152 For Bartolus 2.2.2.
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