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Justinian I · The Digest of Justinian §28.3.11.pr

Validity of an Earlier Will When a Later One Is Blank

Passage 4166 of 9271 · Latin

Summary

Ulpian explains that if two sets of tablets executed at different times are produced and the later one is found to be blank upon opening, the earlier testament is not revoked because no subsequent testament exists.

[ULPIANUS libro quadragesimo sexto ad edictum. ] §28.3.11.prSi binae tabulae proferantur diuersis temporibus factae, unae prius, aliae postea, utraeque tamen septem testium signis signatae, et apertae posteriores uacuae inuentae sint, id est nihil scriptum habentes omnino, superius testamentum non est ruptum, quia sequens nullum est.
[ULPIAN, in the forty-sixth book on the Edict] If two sets of tablets executed at different times are produced, one earlier, the other later, both however sealed with the seals of seven witnesses, and, when opened, the later ones are found to be blank, that is, having nothing written on them at all, the earlier testament is not revoked, because there is no subsequent one.

Notes

  1. §28.3.11.prbinae tabulae — Since tabulae is a plurale tantum (a noun used only in the plural) meaning a set of tablets or a testament, the distributive numeral binae is used instead of the cardinal duae to mean "two testaments". Similarly, unae is the plural form of unus referring to one set of tablets.
  2. §28.3.11.prapertae — A perfect passive participle in the nominative feminine plural agreeing with posteriores (tabulae). It can be interpreted attributively ("the opened later tablets") or adverbially indicating time or circumstance ("the later tablets, when opened").

Cite this passage

Justinian I, The Digest of Justinian §28.3.11.pr. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi2806.phi002.humanitext-lat1:28.3.11.pr

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