[MARCELLUS libro uicesimo nono digestorum. ] §28.4.3.prProxime in cognitione principis cum quidam heredum nomina induxisset et bona eius ut caduca a fisco uindicarentur, diu de legatis dubitatum est et maxime de his legatis, quae adscripta erant his, quorum institutio fuerat inducta.
[MARCELLUS, Book 29 of the Digests.] Recently, in the judicial inquiry of the Emperor, when someone had crossed out the names of the heirs and his property was claimed by the treasury as escheated, there was a long-standing doubt about the legacies, and especially about those legacies which had been charged upon those whose institution had been crossed out.
plerique etiam legatarios excludendos existimabant.
Most people thought that even the legatees should be excluded.
quod sane sequendum aiebam, si omnem scripturam testamenti cancellasset: nonnullos opinari id iure ipso peremi quod inductum sit, cetera omnia ualitura.
I used to say that this opinion indeed should be followed, if he had cancelled the entire writing of the testament; but that some were of the opinion that only that which was crossed out was extinguished by the law itself, and all other things would remain valid.
quid ergo? non et illud interdum credi potest eum, qui heredum nomina induxerat, satis se consecuturum putasse, ut intestati exitum faceret? sed in re dubia benigniorem interpretationem sequi non minus iustius est quam tutius.
What then? Can it not also sometimes be believed that he who had crossed out the names of the heirs thought that he would sufficiently achieve this, namely, to produce the result of an intestacy? But in a doubtful matter, to follow a more liberal interpretation is no less more just than it is safer.
sententia imperatoris Antonini Augusti Pudente et Pollione consulibus. 'Cum Ualerius Nepos mutata uoluntate et inciderit testamentum suum et heredum nomina induxerit, hereditas eius secundum diui patris mei constitutionem ad eos qui scripti fuerint pertinere non uidetur'. et aduocatis fisci dixit: 'Uos habetis iudices uestros'. Uibius Zeno dixit: 'Rogo, domine imperator, audias me patienter: de legatis quid statues'? Antoninus Caesar dixit: 'Uidetur tibi uoluisse testamentum ualere, qui nomina heredum induxit'? Cornelius Priscianus aduocatus Leonis dixit: 'Nomina heredum tantum induxit'. Calpurnius Longinus aduocatus fisci dixit: 'Non potest ullum testamentum ualere, quod heredem non habet'. Priscianus dixit: 'Manumisit quosdam et legata dedit'. Antoninus Caesar remotis omnibus cum deliberasset et admitti rursus eodem iussisset, dixit: 'Causa praesens admittere uidetur humaniorem interpretationem, ut ea dumtaxat existimemus Nepotem irrita esse uoluisse, quae induxit'. Nomen serui, quem liberum esse iusserat, induxit.
The judgment of the Emperor Antoninus Augustus, in the consulship of Pudens and Pollio: 'Since Valerius Nepos, having changed his mind, both cut his testament and crossed out the names of the heirs, his inheritance, according to the constitution of my divine father, does not seem to belong to those who were written.' And he said to the advocates of the treasury: 'You have your judges.' Vibius Zeno said: 'I beg, Lord Emperor, that you hear me patiently: what will you decide concerning the legacies?' Antoninus Caesar said: 'Does it seem to you that he wished the testament to be valid, who crossed out the names of the heirs?' Cornelius Priscianus, advocate for Leo, said: 'He crossed out only the names of the heirs.' Calpurnius Longinus, advocate of the treasury, said: 'No testament can be valid which does not have an heir.' Priscianus said: 'He manumitted certain persons and gave legacies.' Antoninus Caesar, having deliberated after all were removed and having ordered them to be admitted again to the same place, said: 'The present case seems to admit of a more humane interpretation, so that we should think Nepos wished only those things to be invalid which he crossed out.' He crossed out the name of a slave whom he had ordered to be free.
Antoninus rescripsit liberum eum nihilo minus fore: quod uidelicet fauore constituit libertatis.
Antoninus replied by rescript that he would nevertheless be free; which he obviously established out of favor for liberty.