[ULPIANUS libro uicesimo quarto ad edictum. ] §25.4.1.10De inspiciendo uentre custodiendoque partu sic praetor ait: 'Si mulier mortuo marito praegnatem se esse dicet, his ad quos ea res pertinebit procuratoriue eorum bis in mense denuntiandum curet, ut mittant, si uelint, quae uentrem inspicient.
Concerning the inspection of the belly and the guarding of the offspring, the praetor says as follows: 'If a woman, after the death of her husband, says that she is pregnant, she must take care to give notice twice a month to those whom the matter concerns, or to their procurator, so that they may send, if they wish, women to inspect her belly.
mittantur autem mulieres liberae dumtaxat quinque haeque simul omnes inspiciant, dum ne qua earum dum inspicit inuita muliere uentrem tangat.
Moreover, let there be sent free women up to five in number, and let all of them inspect at the same time, provided that none of them, while inspecting, touches her belly against the will of the woman.
mulier in domu honestissimae feminae pariat, quam ego constituam.
Let the woman give birth in the house of a highly respectable woman, whom I shall designate.
mulier ante dies triginta, quam parituram se putat, denuntiet his ad quos ea res pertinet procuratoribusue eorum, ut mittant, si uelint, qui uentrem custodiant.
The woman, thirty days before she thinks she is to give birth, shall give notice to those whom the matter concerns, or to their procurators, so that they may send, if they wish, persons to guard her belly.
in quo conclaui mulier paritura erit, ibi ne plures aditus sint quam unus: si erunt, ex utraque parte tabulis praefigantur.
In the room in which the woman is to give birth, let there be no more than one entrance; if there are more, let them be blocked up with boards on both sides.
ante ostium eius conclauis liberi tres et tres liberae cum binis comitibus custodiant.
Before the door of that room, let three free men and three free women, each with two companions, keep guard.
quotienscumque ea mulier in id conclaue aliudue quod siue in balineum ibit, custodes, si uolent, id ante prospiciant et eos qui introierint excutiant.
Whenever that woman goes into that room or any other, or into the bath, let the guards, if they wish, inspect it beforehand and search those who have entered.
custodes, qui ante conclaue positi erunt, si uolunt, omnes qui conclaue aut domum introierint excutiant.
Let the guards who have been placed before the room, if they wish, search all who enter the room or the house.
mulier cum parturire incipiat, his ad quos ea res pertinet procuratoribusue eorum denuntiet, ut mittant, quibus praesentibus pariat.
When the woman begins to go into labor, she shall give notice to those whom the matter concerns, or to their procurators, so that she may give birth in their presence.
mittantur mulieres liberae dumtaxat quinque, ita ut praeter obstetrices duas in eo conclaui ne plures mulieres liberae sint quam decem, ancillae quam sex.
Let there be sent free women up to five, so that, besides two midwives, there be no more than ten free women and no more than six slave women in that room.
hae quae intus futurae erunt excutiantur omnes in eo conclaui, ne qua praegnas sit.
Let all those who are to be inside be searched in that room, lest any of them be pregnant.
'tria lumina ne minus ibi sint', scilicet quia tenebrae ad subiciendum aptiores sunt.
"Let there be no fewer than three lights there", obviously because darkness is more suitable for substituting a child.
'quod natum erit, his ad quos ea res pertinet procuratoribusue eorum, si inspicere uolent, ostendatur.
"What has been born shall be shown to those whom the matter concerns, or to their procurators, if they wish to inspect it.
apud eum educatur, apud quem parens iusserit.
Let it be reared in the house of the person whom the parent has directed.
si autem nihil parens iusserit aut is, apud quem uoluerit educari, curam non recipiet: apud quem educetur, causa cognita constituam.
But if the parent has directed nothing, or if the person with whom the parent wished it to be reared does not accept the care, I shall decide, after investigating the case, at whose house it shall be reared.
is apud quem educabitur quod natum erit, quoad trium mensum sit, bis in mense, ex eo tempore quoad sex mensum sit, semel in mense, a sex mensibus quoad anniculus fiat, alternis mensibus, ab anniculo quoad fari possit, semel in sex mensibus ubi uolet ostendat.
The person with whom what has been born is reared shall show it, until it is three months old, twice a month; from that time until it is six months old, once a month; from six months until it becomes one year old, every other month; from one year old until it is able to speak, once in six months, wherever he wishes.
si cui uentrem inspici custodiriue adesse partui licitum non erit factumue quid erit, quo minus ea ita fiant, uti supra comprehensum est: ei quod natum erit possessionem causa cognita non dabo.
If anyone is not permitted to inspect the belly, guard it, or be present at the birth, or if anything is done to prevent these things from being carried out as comprehended above: I will not, after investigating the case, give possession to the child who is born.
siue quod natum erit, ut supra cautum est, inspici non licuerit, quas utique actiones me daturum polliceor his quibus ex edicto meo bonorum possessio data sit, eas, si mihi iusta causa uidebitur esse, ei non dabo'. §25.4.1.11Quamuis sit manifestissimum edictum praetoris, attamen non est neglegenda interpretatio eius.
Or if what has been born, as provided above, has not been permitted to be inspected, whatever actions I promise to give to those to whom possession of property is given under my edict, I will not, if a just cause does not appear to me, give them to that child."' Although the edict of the praetor is most manifest, yet its interpretation must not be neglected.
§25.4.1.12Denuntiare igitur mulierem oportet his scilicet, quorum interest partum non edi, uel totam habituris hereditatem uel partem eius siue ab intestato siue ex testamento.
Therefore, it is necessary for the woman to give notice to those, namely, whose interest it is that the offspring is not born, who will have either the whole inheritance or a part of it, whether by intestacy or by testament.
§25.4.1.13Sed et si seruus heres institutus fuerit, si nemo natus sit, Aristo scribit, huic quoque seruo quamuis non omnia, quaedam tamen circa partum custodiendum arbitrio praetoris esse concedenda.
But even if a slave has been instituted as heir in case no one is born, Aristo writes that to this slave also, though not all, yet certain things concerning the guarding of the offspring ought to be granted at the discretion of the praetor.
quam sententiam puto ueram: publice enim interest partus non subici, ut ordinum dignitas familiarumque salua sit: ideoque etiam seruus iste, cum sit in spe constitutus successionis, qualisqualis sit, debet audiri rem et publicam et suam gerens.
I think this opinion is true: for it is of public interest that offspring not be substituted, so that the dignity of ranks and families may be preserved; and therefore even that slave, since he is placed in the expectation of succession, of whatever kind it may be, ought to be heard, as he is conducting both public and his own business.
§25.4.1.14Denuntiari autem oportet his, quos proxima spes successionis contingit, ut puta primo gradu heredi instituto (non etiam substituto) et, si intestatus pater familias sit, ei qui primum locum ab intestato tenet: si uero plures sint simul successuri, omnibus denuntiandum est.
Moreover, notice ought to be given to those whom the next expectation of succession touches, as for example to the heir instituted in the first degree (not also to the substitute), and, if the father of the family is intestate, to the person who holds the first place by intestacy; but if there are several who are to succeed together, notice must be given to all of them.
§25.4.1.15Quod autem praetor ait causa cognita se possessionem non daturum uel actiones denegaturum, eo pertinet, ut, si per rusticitatem aliquid fuerit omissum ex his quae praetor seruari uoluit, non obsit partui.
What the praetor says, however, that he will not, after investigating the case, give possession or will deny actions, belongs to this, that if anything has been omitted through ignorance out of those things which the praetor wished to be observed, it should not harm the offspring.
quale est enim, si quid ex his, quae leuiter obseruanda praetor edixit, non sit factum, partui denegari bonorum possessionem: sed mos regionis inspiciendus est, et secundum eum et obseruari uentrem et partum et infantem oportet.
For what a thing it would be, if anything of those things which the praetor edicted to be lightly observed was not done, that possession of property should be denied to the offspring; but the custom of the region must be inspected, and according to it both the belly, the birth, and the infant ought to be observed.