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Justinian I · The Digest of Justinian §24.1.4.pr

Invalidity of Redirecting a Mortis Causa Gift to One's Wife

Passage 3513 of 9271 · Latin

Summary

Discusses that the prohibition of spouse donations applies when one redirects a mortis causa donation meant for oneself to their wife, explaining the impoverishing effect on the husband in both cases of the donor's recovery or death.

[IULIANUS libro septimo decimo digestorum. ] §24.1.4.prIdemque est et si mortis causa traditurum mihi iusserim uxori tradere, nec referre, conualuerit donator an mortuus sit.
[JULIANUS libro septimo decimo digestorum.] And it is the same even if I should order someone who is about to deliver something to me as a donation mortis causa to deliver it to my wife, and it does not matter whether the donor has recovered or has died.
neque existimandum est, si dixerimus ualere donationem, non fieri me pauperiorem, quia siue conualuerit donator, condictione tenebor, siue mortuus fuerit, rem, quam habiturus eram, in bonis meis desinam propter donationem habere.
Nor must it be thought that, if we should say the donation is valid, I do not become poorer; because whether the donor has recovered, I shall be bound by a condictio, or whether he has died, I shall cease to have among my goods, on account of the donation, the thing which I was going to have.

Notes

  1. §24.1.4.prmortis causa traditurum — traditurum is the accusative masculine singular of the future active participle traditurus, used substantively to mean "one who is about to deliver," serving as the logical subject of the infinitive phrase uxori tradere (or the direct object of iusserim). mortis causa qualifies this future delivery.
  2. §24.1.4.prneque existimandum est ... non fieri me pauperiorem — A double negation construction where the negative clause non fieri me pauperiorem is embedded in the accusative-and-infinitive clause governed by the impersonal gerundive of obligation neque existimandum est. It literally means "nor must it be thought that I do not become poorer," meaning "it must be thought that I do become poorer."
  3. §24.1.4.prcondictione tenebor — condictione is an ablative of instrument or cause referring to the personal action for recovery (condictio). tenebor is the future passive first-person singular of tenere. This indicates that if the donor recovers, the donation mortis causa becomes void, making the husband (who ordered the delivery) personally liable to a claim for recovery by the donor.

Cite this passage

Justinian I, The Digest of Justinian §24.1.4.pr. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi2806.phi002.humanitext-lat1:24.1.4.pr

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