Humanitext Reader

Justinian I · The Digest of Justinian §1.8.2.pr-1.8.2.1

Classification of Things and Common Things by Natural Law

Passage 150 of 9271 · Latin

Summary

Marcian outlines the fourfold classification of things (common to all, belonging to a corporate body, belonging to no one, and belonging to individuals) and lists the examples of things common to all by natural law (air, flowing water, sea, and sea shores).

[MARCIANUS libro tertio institutionum. ] §1.8.2.prQuaedam naturali iure communia sunt omnium, quaedam uniuersitatis, quaedam nullius, pleraque singulorum, quae uariis ex causis cuique adquiruntur.
[MARCIANUS, Institutes, book 3.] Some things are by natural law common to all, some belong to a corporate body, some belong to no one, and most belong to individuals, which are acquired by each person from various causes.
§1.8.2.1Et quidem naturali iure omnium communia sunt illa: aer, aqua profluens, et mare, et per hoc litora maris.
And indeed, by natural law the following are common to all: the air, flowing water, the sea, and consequently the shores of the sea.

Notes

  1. 1.8.2.prnaturali iure — Ablative of means/manner or cause, translated as "by natural law" or "under natural law."
  2. 1.8.2.prquae — Relative pronoun, nominative neuter plural. Its antecedent is the preceding `pleraque` (most things), introducing a relative clause that explains how individual properties are acquired by individuals through various causes.
  3. 1.8.2.1per hoc — The preposition `per` combined with the accusative neuter singular of the demonstrative pronoun `hoc`. Here, `hoc` refers to the preceding `mare` (the sea), meaning "through this" or "as a consequence of the existence of the sea."

Cite this passage

Justinian I, The Digest of Justinian §1.8.2.pr-1.8.2.1. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi2806.phi002.humanitext-lat1:1.8.2.pr-1.8.2.1

Please note the AI-draft status of the translation and the date accessed.

Translation, notes and summary are AI-generated drafts, revised through reader feedback.