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Justinian I · The Digest of Justinian §23.3.48.pr-23.3.48.1

Calculation of Term in Dowry Stipulations and Legacies for Daughters

Passage 3422 of 9271 · Latin

Summary

The text discusses the starting point for calculating the term in a dowry stipulation (the day of marriage) and the legal nature and restoration upon divorce of a legacy bequeathed by a father-in-law to his son-in-law on behalf of his daughter.

[IDEM libro secundo ad Urseium Ferocem. ] §23.3.48.prTali facta stipulatione: 'decem in anno proximo dotis nomine dare spondes'? quaesitum est, annus ex quo tempore esset numerandus, utrum ex die stipulationis factae an ex eo die, quo dos esse potuisset, id est nuptiarum.
[THE SAME in the second book on Urseius Ferox.] When such a stipulation had been made: "Do you promise to give ten within the next year under the name of a dowry?", it was asked from what time the year should be calculated, whether from the day the stipulation was made, or from that day on which the dowry could have existed, that is, of the marriage.
et responsum est ex die nuptiarum annum esse numerandum, ne, si aliter obseruaremus, si intra annum nuptiae factae non sint, uideri possit dos ex ea obligatione deberi.
And the answer was that the year should be calculated from the day of the marriage, lest, if we observed otherwise, and if the marriage were not celebrated within the year, it might seem that the dowry was owed under that obligation.
§23.3.48.1Socer genero suo sic legauerat: 'Lucio Titio filiae meae nomine centum heres meus damnas esto dare'. hanc pecuniam generum petere debere, exactam acceptam legatis referri, sed diuortio facto de dote actione mulieri reddendam Proculus respondit et nihilo minus dotis esse factam.
A father-in-law had bequeathed to his son-in-law as follows: "Let my heir be bound to give one hundred to Lucius Titius on behalf of my daughter." Proculus answered that the son-in-law ought to demand this money, and that once exacted and received, it should be entered as a legacy, but that if a divorce occurred, it must be restored to the woman by the action for dowry; and nevertheless it became part of the dowry.
IULIANUS notat: immo nec filiae, si uoluerit, deneganda est huiusmodi actio.
Julian notes: on the contrary, not even to the daughter, if she wishes, should an action of this kind be denied.

Notes

  1. §23.3.48.prne, si aliter obseruaremus, si intra annum nuptiae factae non sint, uideri possit — Within the negative purpose clause `ne ... uideri possit`, two conditional clauses representing hypotheses, `si aliter obseruaremus` (subjunctive imperfect) and `si ... non sint` (subjunctive perfect), are inserted in a nested manner. `aliter obseruare` means "to observe/apply otherwise" (i.e., to calculate from the day of the stipulation).
  2. §23.3.48.1heres meus damnas esto dare — The traditional formula for a "bequest by condemnation" (legatum per damnationem) in classical Roman law. `damnas`, functioning as an indeclinable predicate adjective, is accompanied by the future imperative `esto` and the infinitive `dare` (to give), establishing a strict obligation on the heir: "let my heir be bound to give".
  3. §23.3.48.1exactam acceptam legatis referri — Part of the accusative with infinitive (AcI) construction governed by `Proculus respondit`. `exactam` and `acceptam` are perfect passive participles modifying the accusative subject `hanc pecuniam`, expressing a temporal or conditional meaning ("once exacted and received"). `legatis referri` (passive infinitive) means "to be referred/entered to legacies".
  4. §23.3.48.1dotis esse factam — `dotis` is a genitive representing characteristic or attribution, meaning "(the money) became part of the dowry" or "assumed the nature of a dowry." Since the subject of `factam (esse)` is `hanc pecuniam` (feminine), the perfect participle is in the feminine singular accusative `factam`.

Cite this passage

Justinian I, The Digest of Justinian §23.3.48.pr-23.3.48.1. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi2806.phi002.humanitext-lat1:23.3.48.pr-23.3.48.1

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