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Justinian I · The Digest of Justinian §23.3.29.pr

Effect of Dowry Promise Followed by Dowry Legacy

Passage 3403 of 9271 · Latin

Summary

Ulpian explains the legal handling when a father promises a dowry for his daughter and also bequeaths a dowry, distinguishing between the invalid legacy to the husband and the valid legacy to the daughter, and detailing how the testator's intent and the order of claims affect the necessity of security or defenses.

[ULPIANUS libro trigesimo sexto ad Sabinum. ] §23.3.29.prCum pater dotem pro filia promittit et dotem legat, si quidem marito legauit, uidendum est, an legatum ualeat, et non puto ualere: nam cum creditori debitor legat id quod debet, nullum legatum est.
[ULPIANUS in the thirty-sixth book on Sabinus.] When a father promises a dowry on behalf of his daughter and also bequeaths a dowry, if indeed he bequeathed it to the husband, it must be considered whether the legacy is valid, and I do not think it is valid: for when a debtor bequeaths to his creditor that which he owes, the legacy is void.
quod si filiae legauit, ualet legatum: dos enim ex promissione marito debetur, legatum filiae.
But if he bequeathed it to the daughter, the legacy is valid: for the dowry is owed to the husband by virtue of the promise, while the legacy is to the daughter.
et si quidem hoc animo testatorem esse filia ostenderit, ut duplicaret ei legatum, habebit utrumque, dotem quam maritus persecutus fuerit et legatum ex causa legati.
And indeed, if the daughter demonstrates that the testator had the intention to double the gift for her, she will have both: the dowry which the husband has sued for, and the legacy by title of legacy.
quod si alterutrum uoluit habere: si mulier legatum petat, opposita doli exceptione non alias cogetur ei heres legatum soluere, quam si cauerit indemnem hoc nomine heredem futurum aduersus maritum ex promissione agentem.
But if he wished her to have only one of the two: if the woman claims the legacy, upon the defense of fraud being interposed, the heir will not otherwise be compelled to pay her the legacy unless she gives security that the heir will be kept harmless on this account against the husband suing on the basis of the promise.
sed si maritus agat, nihil de indemnitate eum cauere oportebit, uerum mulier post eum agens exceptione repelletur, quia semel dos praestita est.
But if the husband sues, he will not be required to give any security for indemnity, but the woman suing after him will be repelled by a defense, because the dowry has already been provided once.

Notes

  1. §23.3.29.prnam cum creditori debitor legat id quod debet, nullum legatum est — Explains the classical Roman law principle regarding 'legatum debiti' (legacy of a debt) being void. Since the creditor already holds a valid claim (contractual right), the legacy is considered void for lack of interest or utility unless it confers some additional advantage beyond the existing debt.
  2. §23.3.29.prnon alias cogetur ei heres legatum soluere, quam si cauerit indemnem — The correlative construction 'non alias ... quam si' means 'not otherwise than if...' or 'only if...'. In this context, it indicates that the heir is not compelled to pay the legacy to the daughter unless she provides a guarantee ('cautio') to hold the heir harmless against any future claims by her husband based on the initial promise of the dowry.
  3. §23.3.29.prut duplicaret ei legatum — A noun clause introduced by 'ut' expressing the testator's purpose or intent. The verb 'duplicaret' refers to the intention to double the gift (giving both the promised dowry and the legacy). Here 'legatum' is used in a broader sense to imply the double provision or benefit intended by the father for his daughter.

Cite this passage

Justinian I, The Digest of Justinian §23.3.29.pr. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi2806.phi002.humanitext-lat1:23.3.29.pr

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