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Justinian I · The Digest of Justinian §15.1.57.pr-15.1.57.2

Peculium at Death Pending Suit and Scope of Legacy

Passage 2316 of 9271 · Latin

Summary

This section explains the evaluation criteria for the peculium when a son or slave dies during a pending lawsuit, and discusses the scope of the bequeathed peculium based on the testator's presumed intention both when manumitting a slave and when leaving it to a third party.

[TRYPHONINUS libro octauo disputationum. ] §15.1.57.prSi filius uel seruus, cuius nomine dumtaxat de peculio actum est, ante finitum iudicium decesserit, id peculium respicietur, quod aliquis eorum cum moriebatur habuit.
[TRYPHONINUS in the eighth book of disputations.] If a son or a slave, on whose account only an action concerning the peculium has been brought, dies before the trial is finished, that peculium which any of them had at the time of death shall be taken into account.
§15.1.57.1Sed eum, qui seruum testamento liberum esse iubet et ei peculium legat, eius temporis peculium legare intellegi Iulianus scribit, quo libertas competit: ideoque omnia incrementa peculii quoquo modo ante aditam hereditatem adquisita ad manumissum pertinere.
But Julian writes that he who orders a slave to be free by testament and bequeaths his peculium to him is understood to bequeath the peculium of that time when the freedom takes effect; and therefore all increases of the peculium acquired in any way before the acceptance of the inheritance belong to the manumitted person.
§15.1.57.2At si quis extraneo peculium serui legauerit, in coniectura uoluntatis testatoris quaestionem esse, et uerosimilius esse id legatum quod mortis tempore in peculio fuerit ita, ut quae ex rebus peculiaribus ante aditam hereditatem accesserint debeantur, ueluti partus ancillarum et fetus pecudum, quae autem seruo donata fuerint siue quid ex operis suis adquisierit, ad legatarium non pertinere.
But if someone bequeaths the peculium of a slave to an outsider, the question lies in the conjecture of the testator's intention, and it is more probable that that which was in the peculium at the time of death is bequeathed, in such a way that what was added from the peculiar property before the acceptance of the inheritance is due, such as the offspring of female slaves and the young of cattle; but what was donated to the slave or whatever he acquired from his own labor does not belong to the legatee.

Notes

  1. 15.1.57.1eum, qui seruum testamento liberum esse iubet et ei peculium legat, eius temporis peculium legare intellegi — This is a multi-layered accusative with infinitive (AcI) construction. The passive infinitive 'intellegi' (to be understood) depends directly on 'Iulianus scribit' (Julian writes). The subject of 'intellegi' is itself an active AcI clause: 'eum ... legare' (that he bequeaths). The antecedent 'eum' is modified by the relative clause 'qui ... iubet et ... legat', and the object of 'legare' is 'eius temporis peculium'.
  2. 15.1.57.2uerosimilius esse id legatum quod mortis tempore in peculio fuerit — In the accusative with infinitive clause functioning as the subject of 'uerosimilius esse' (it is more probable), 'id' is the subject and 'legatum' functions as the predicate accusative (perfect passive participle with 'esse' omitted, meaning 'to have been bequeathed', or used substantively as 'the legacy'), with the relative clause 'quod ... fuerit' modifying 'id'. Thus: 'it is more probable that that [which was in the peculium at the time of death] was bequeathed'.
  3. 15.1.57.2ita, ut quae ex rebus peculiaribus ante aditam hereditatem accesserint debeantur, ueluti partus ancillarum et fetus pecudum, quae autem seruo donata fuerint siue quid ex operis suis adquisierit, ad legatarium non pertinere — The first half under 'ita, ut' is a subjunctive clause of result/limitation ('quae ... accesserint debeantur'), but the second half ('quae autem ...') switches to an accusative with infinitive structure ('ad legatarium non pertinere'). This represents an anacoluthon where the syntax reverts to dependency on the main verb of judgment 'uerosimilius esse' ('it is more probable that... they do not belong to the legatee').

Cite this passage

Justinian I, The Digest of Justinian §15.1.57.pr-15.1.57.2. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi2806.phi002.humanitext-lat1:15.1.57.pr-15.1.57.2

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