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Justinian I · The Digest of Justinian §28.5.57.pr

Institution of an Heir Conditional on Death Before a Certain Age

Passage 4236 of 9271 · Latin

Summary

This passage explains that instituting an heir on the condition of dying before a certain age is valid, as it is understood as a conditional institution rather than a violation of the rule against partial testacy.

[IDEM libro singulari de secundis tabulis. ] §28.5.57.prPotest quis ita heredem instituere: 'si intra annum septuagesimum decessero, ille mihi heres esto': non enim pro parte testatus intellegi debet, sed sub condicione instituisse.
[THE SAME, On Duplicate Wills, Single Book] Anyone can institute an heir in this manner: 'If I die within my seventieth year, let that person be my heir.' For he should not be understood to have made a will for only a part, but rather to have instituted him under a condition.

Notes

  1. §28.5.57.prpro parte testatus — An expression referring to the fundamental Roman law rule that 'no one can die partly testate and partly intestate' (nemo pro parte testatus, pro parte intestatus decedere potest). In this context, it means that the testator should not be deemed to have died having made a will for only a portion of the estate. Grammatically, testatus [esse] functions as an infinitive phrase acting as the complement of intellegi debet.
  2. §28.5.57.prinstituisse — Perfect active infinitive. It stands in parallel structure: non enim ... intellegi debet, sed ... instituisse [intellegi debet]. The implied subject of the infinitive instituisse is the testator (quis) in the accusative, meaning '[he should be understood] to have instituted' under a condition.

Cite this passage

Justinian I, The Digest of Justinian §28.5.57.pr. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi2806.phi002.humanitext-lat1:28.5.57.pr

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