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Justinian I · The Digest of Justinian §28.1.16.pr-28.1.16.1

Capacity of Incapacitated Persons to Take by Will

Passage 4106 of 9271 · Latin

Summary

Pomponius and Marcellus discuss how individuals who cannot make a testament themselves—such as sons-in-power, alien slaves, posthumous children, deaf persons, and madmen—nevertheless possess testamentary capacity, specifically the capacity to acquire property or rights under a testament.

[POMPONIUS libro singulari regularum. ] §28.1.16.prFilius familias et seruus alienus et postumus et surdus testamenti factionem habere dicuntur: licet enim testamentum facere non possunt, attamen ex testamento uel sibi uel aliis adquirere possunt.
[POMPONIUS, in the single book of Rules.] A son-in-power, a slave of another, a posthume, and a deaf person are said to have testamentary capacity; for although they cannot make a testament, yet they can acquire under a testament either for themselves or for others.
§28.1.16.1MARCELLUS notat: furiosus quoque testamenti factionem habet, licet testamentum facere non potest: ideo autem habet testamenti factionem, quia potest sibi adquirere legatum uel fideicommissum: nam etiam compotibus mentis personales actiones etiam ignorantibus adquiruntur.
MARCELLUS notes: a madman also has testamentary capacity, although he cannot make a testament; and he has testamentary capacity because he can acquire for himself a legacy or a fideicommissum; for even to those of sound mind, personal actions are acquired, even when they are unaware.

Notes

  1. §28.1.16.prtestamenti factionem — Refers to "testamentary capacity." In Roman law, a distinction is made between active testamentary capacity (testamenti factio activa, the capacity to make a will) and passive testamentary capacity (testamenti factio passiva, the capacity to take or acquire under a will). In this context, it refers to the passive capacity, as the text immediately explains that these persons cannot make a testament but can acquire under one.
  2. §28.1.16.prlicet enim testamentum facere non possunt — The conjunction licet (although) typically requires the subjunctive mood in classical Latin grammar, but here it is used with the indicative (possunt). This reflects a usage, common in post-classical and juristic Latin, where licet is treated similarly to quamquam (which takes the indicative).
  3. §28.1.16.1compotibus mentis ... ignorantibus — Compotibus mentis is the dative plural of the adjective compos mentis (of sound mind). Ignorantibus is the dative plural of the present participle ignorans (unaware). Both function as datives (of advantage or acquisition) governed by the passive verb adquiruntur (are acquired for). This establishes an analogy: just as personal actions are acquired for those of sound mind even without their active awareness, so too can rights be acquired for a madman.

Cite this passage

Justinian I, The Digest of Justinian §28.1.16.pr-28.1.16.1. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi2806.phi002.humanitext-lat1:28.1.16.pr-28.1.16.1

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