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Justinian I · The Digest of Justinian §28.5.14.pr

Designation of Heirs by Ordinals and Equal Division

Passage 4193 of 9271 · Latin

Summary

When a testator appoints heirs by referring to 'the first part', 'the second part', etc., it is interpreted as designating order rather than fractional shares, resulting in an equal division of the inheritance.

[IAUOLENUS libro primo ex Cassio. ] §28.5.14.prSi quis heredes ita instituit: 'Titius ex parte prima, Seius ex parte secunda, Maeuius ex parte tertia, Sulpicius ex parte quarta heredes sunto': aequae partes hereditatis ad institutos pertinebunt, quia testator appellatione numeris scripturae magis ordinem, quam modum partibus imposuisse uidetur.
[IAUOLENUS libro primo ex Cassio.] If anyone has appointed heirs as follows: 'Let Titius be heir for the first part, Seius for the second part, Maevius for the third part, and Sulpicius for the fourth part'; equal parts of the inheritance will belong to the appointed heirs, because the testator seems, by the designation of numbers in the writing, to have imposed order on the parts rather than a measure.

Notes

  1. §28.5.14.prappellatione numeris scripturae — The word numeris functions here effectively as a genitive numerorum ('of the numbers') or as an ablative of means modifying appellatione. It indicates that the numbers (first, second, etc.) written in the will are used as names of order (appellatione) rather than definitions of fraction.
  2. §28.5.14.prmagis ordinem, quam modum — Meaning 'an order (ordinem) rather than a limit or measure (modum)'. It explains why 'the first part', 'the second part', etc., do not designate unequal shares of the inheritance, but merely the sequence of naming the heirs, resulting in equal shares (aequae partes) for all.

Cite this passage

Justinian I, The Digest of Justinian §28.5.14.pr. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi2806.phi002.humanitext-lat1:28.5.14.pr

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