Duties of Mandator

The mandator was bound to reimburse the mandatary for all proper expenditures in the performance of the mandate, to accept what the mandatary bought for him, and to indemnify him against all obligations incurred. In other words, he was to see that the mandatary lost nothing by the proper performance of the mandate. The mandatary gained nothing, the act being gratuitous, but on the other hand, he could lose nothing unless guilty of fault in the performance of the mandate.

The mandatary was considered as acting for the mandator, not for himself, and his claim against the mandator grew out of the fact that he had performed the mandate at the instance of the mandator and it would be a manifest breach of faith for the latter to refuse to reimburse or indemnify him. If the mandatary had not performed the mandate, he had no right of action against the mandator.

For the enforcement of his rights against the mandator the mandatary had the actio mandati contraria. And if compensation was agreed upon, he might recover it in a special action (persecutio extra ordinem).

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Curators

By the Roman law a male became of age for all purposes upon reaching the age of puberty. Females, at least under the older law, never attained full legal capacity. Plainly, however, a law which gave to a boy of fourteen full power to manage his own affairs was unsafe for him, and modifications were introduced from time to time for his protection. By an early law of uncertain date passed for the relief of minors (le.r Plcetoria), they were permitted to apply to the prsetor for the appointment of a form of guardian known as a curator, who would be appointed on proof of the minor's incapacity to manage his own affairs. And in time it became the rule for magistrates to appoint a curator upon the minor's application. But a minor above the age of puberty could not be compelled to have a curator, except when, on being sued, he neglected or refused to apply for a curator, in which case a curator would be appointed on petition of the plaintiff to defend the suit. The du
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The Several Kinds of Tutors

(1) Testamentary Tutors. These were appointed by the will of the deceased paterfamilias of the pupil. This mode of appointment was authorized by the Twelve Tables. ( 2) Statutory Tutors. These succeeded to the tutela by virtue of the provisions of the Twelve Tables or of some other Statute, but only if there were no testamentary tutors. They were called legitimi tutor es. They were the agnates (by Justinian's legislation, the nearest of kin, whether agnates or cognates) who in case of the death of the pupil would succeed to his inheritance. They were appointed upon the principle that those who had the advantage of the inheritance ought to bear the burden of the tutela (ubi entolumentum successionis ibi et onus tutelcs). In this connection may be mentioned also the guardianship of the patron over his freedman, and of the father over his emancipated child. (3) In the absence of a testamentary or statutory tutor, power was ' given to certain magistrates to appoint
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Nexum

This was an ancient contract made by the ceremony of mancipation per aes et libram . Very little is known about it. Its application seems to have been very narrow, perhaps limited to the contract of loan. It was obsolete from a very early date.
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