Humanitext Reader

Justinian I · The Digest of Justinian §1.6.8.pr-1.6.8.1

Continuance of Paternal Power during the Father's Insanity

Passage 99 of 9271 · Latin

Summary

This section explains that even if a father becomes insane, his paternal power and marriage remain intact, meaning that children born during his insanity still fall under his power, and any property acquired by the son is acquired for the father.

[IDEM libro uicensimo sexto ad Sabinum. ] §1.6.8.prPatre furioso liberi nihilominus in patris sui potestate sunt: idem et in omnibus est parentibus, qui habent liberos in potestate.
[THE SAME in the twenty-sixth book on Sabinus.] Although the father is insane, the children are nevertheless in their father's power; the same is also true of all parents who have children in their power.
nam cum ius potestatis moribus sit receptum nec possit desinere quis habere in potestate, nisi exierint liberi quibus casibus solent, nequaquam dubitandum est remanere eos in potestate.
For since the right of power has been received by custom, and no one can cease to have someone in their power unless the children should escape from it by those cases in which they usually do, it is by no means to be doubted that they remain in power.
quare non solum eos liberos in potestate habebit, quos ante furorem genuit, uerum et si qui ante furorem concepti in furore editi sunt.
Therefore, he will have in his power not only those children whom he begot before his insanity, but also any who, having been conceived before his insanity, were born during his insanity.
sed et si in furore agente eo uxor concipiat, uidendum an in potestate eius nascatur filius: nam furiosus licet uxorem ducere non possit, retinere tamen matrimonium potest: quod cum ita se habeat, in potestate filium habebit.
But even if his wife should conceive while he is insane, we must see whether a son is born into his power; for although an insane person cannot marry a wife, he can nevertheless retain his marriage; and since this is the case, he will have the son in his power.
proinde et si furiosa sit uxor, ex ea ante conceptus in potestate nascetur: sed et in furore eius conceptus ab eo qui non furebat sine dubio in potestate nascetur, quia retinetur matrimonium.
Accordingly, even if the wife is insane, a child conceived by her beforehand will be born into his power; but also a child conceived during her insanity by the husband who was not insane will without a doubt be born into his power, because the marriage is retained.
sed et si ambo in furore agant et uxor et maritus et tunc concipiat, partus in potestate patris nascetur, quasi uoluntatis reliquiis in furiosis manentibus: nam cum consistat matrimonium altero furente, consistet et utroque.
But even if both the wife and the husband are insane, and she then conceives, the offspring will be born into the power of the father, as if some remains of consent persisted in the insane; for since the marriage stands when one of them is insane, it will also stand when both are.
§1.6.8.1Adeo autem retinet ius potestatis pater furiosus, ut et adquiratur illi commodum eius, quod filius adquisiuit.
Moreover, the insane father retains the right of power to such a degree that any advantage of what the son has acquired is also acquired for him.

Notes

  1. 1.6.8.prPatre furioso — An ablative absolute consisting of the noun patre and the adjective furioso, expressing concession or condition ('Even though the father is insane').
  2. 1.6.8.prquibus casibus solent — A structure where the antecedent (casibus) of the relative pronoun qui is attracted into the relative clause. The verb solent is understood contextually with the infinitive exire (or exire ex potestate) supplied from the preceding verb, meaning 'by those cases in which they usually [escape].'
  3. 1.6.8.prlicet uxorem ducere non possit — The conjunction licet combined with the present subjunctive possit (third-person singular of possum) forms a concessive clause ('although he cannot'). Uxorem ducere is an idiomatic expression meaning 'to take a wife' (to contract a new marriage).
  4. 1.6.8.prquasi uoluntatis reliquiis in furiosis manentibus — The conjunction quasi followed by an ablative absolute (uoluntatis reliquiis... manentibus) expressing a hypothetical or fictional reason. Here, uoluntatis (genitive of uoluntas) refers to the 'consent' or 'marital intent' that sustains the marriage, indicating that a legal fiction presumes some remnant of this intent persists even during insanity.

Cite this passage

Justinian I, The Digest of Justinian §1.6.8.pr-1.6.8.1. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi2806.phi002.humanitext-lat1:1.6.8.pr-1.6.8.1

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