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Justinian I · The Digest of Justinian §23.1.6.pr

Invalidity of Betrothal Dissolution by Guardians Alone

Passage 3294 of 9271 · Latin

Summary

Ulpian's view that if a girl's guardians send a messenger to end a betrothal, it is not sufficient to dissolve it without the girl's consent, just as they cannot contract one alone.

[ULPIANUS libro trigesimo sexto ad Sabinum. ] §23.1.6.prSi puellae tutores ad finienda sponsalia nuntium miserunt, non putarem suffecturum ad dissoluendam nuptiarum spem hunc nuntium, non magis quam sponsalia posse eos solos constituere, nisi forte omnia ista ex uoluntate puellae facta sint.
[ULPIANUS, in the thirty-sixth book on Sabinus.] If the guardians of a girl have sent a messenger to end the betrothal, I should not think that this messenger would be sufficient to dissolve the hope of marriage, any more than they alone can contract a betrothal, unless by chance all these things were done in accordance with the will of the girl.

Notes

  1. §23.1.6.prputarem — The subjunctive imperfect expresses a hesitant opinion or a potential/counterfactual apodosis in the present context (i.e., assuming the lack of the girl's consent).
  2. §23.1.6.prnon magis quam — The structure 'A non magis quam B' implies that just as B (the guardians contracting a betrothal on their own) is not possible, so A (the messenger being sufficient to dissolve the hope of marriage) is also not sufficient.

Cite this passage

Justinian I, The Digest of Justinian §23.1.6.pr. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi2806.phi002.humanitext-lat1:23.1.6.pr

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