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Justinian I · The Digest of Justinian §23.3.83.pr

Promise of Dowry to Betrothed and Pre-Marital Debt Claims

Passage 3457 of 9271 · Latin

Summary

This text explains that if a woman's debtor promises a dowry to her betrothed, the woman cannot demand the debt before the wedding, as the promise remains suspended until the marriage is solemnized.

[IAUOLENUS libro sexto posteriorum Labeonis. ] §23.3.83.prSi debitor mulieris dotem sponso promiserit, non posse mulierem ante nuptias a debitore eam pecuniam petere, quia ea promissio in pendenti esset, donec obligatio in ea causa est.
[JAVOLENUS in the sixth book of Labeo's Epitomes.] If a debtor of a woman has promised a dowry to her betrothed, the woman cannot demand that money from the debtor before the wedding, because that promise would be in suspense as long as the obligation is in that state.

Notes

  1. §23.3.83.prnon posse mulierem — This is an indirect discourse (accusative with infinitive construction) where the governing verb (such as Labeo ait or scribit) is omitted, reflecting Javolenus's style of summarizing Labeo's opinions. The subject is the accusative mulierem, and the infinitive is posse, which governs petere.
  2. §23.3.83.prdonec obligatio in ea causa est — The conjunction donec here with the indicative does not mean 'until', but 'as long as' or 'while'. The phrase in ea causa est refers to the state of being suspended (in pendenti), which is conditional upon the actual marriage taking place.

Cite this passage

Justinian I, The Digest of Justinian §23.3.83.pr. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi2806.phi002.humanitext-lat1:23.3.83.pr

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