Humanitext Reader

Justinian I · The Digest of Justinian §24.1.1.pr

Prohibition of Gifts Between Spouses and Its Purpose

Passage 3510 of 9271 · Latin

Summary

The customary rule invalidating donations between husband and wife is introduced, along with its purpose of preventing spouses from ruining each other financially out of mutual affection.

[ULPIANUS libro trigesimo secundo ad Sabinum. ] §24.1.1.prMoribus apud nos receptum est, ne inter uirum et uxorem donationes ualerent.
[ULPIANUS libro trigesimo secundo ad Sabinum.] It has been accepted by custom among us that donations between husband and wife should not be valid.
hoc autem receptum est, ne mutuo amore inuicem spoliarentur donationibus non temperantes, sed profusa erga se facilitate:
This, moreover, was accepted so that they would not despoil each other through mutual love, not restraining themselves in donations, but rather through lavish generosity toward one another:

Notes

  1. §24.1.1.prreceptum est, ne — The negative `ne` clause (with the imperfect subjunctive `ualerent`) functions substantively as the subject of the impersonal expression `receptum est` ('it has been accepted'), a common construction for introducing legal rules or customs.
  2. §24.1.1.prdonationibus non temperantes — The present participle `temperantes` refers to the implied subject of the sentence, the spouses. `donationibus` is a dative or ablative governed by the verb `temperare` ('to restrain', 'to moderate'), meaning 'not restraining themselves in regard to donations'.
  3. §24.1.1.prspoliarentur — The passive `spoliarentur` ('be despoiled' or 'be deprived of property') refers here to the material disadvantage suffered when one spouse makes excessive donations to the other. Combined with `inuicem` ('each other'), it expresses a mutual action where both run the risk of impoverishing one another.

Cite this passage

Justinian I, The Digest of Justinian §24.1.1.pr. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi2806.phi002.humanitext-lat1:24.1.1.pr

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