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Justinian I · The Digest of Justinian §29.2.45.pr-29.2.45.4

Attribution of Inheritance Acceptance Outside Slave Services

Passage 4448 of 9271 · Latin

Summary

Based on the principle that accepting an inheritance is not part of a slave's services, this section discusses the attribution of acquisition in cases involving dotal, partnership, and usufructuary slaves, and explains an exception for a free person serving in good faith.

[IDEM libro primo ad Urseium Ferocem. ] §29.2.45.prAditio hereditatis non est in opera seruili.
[THE SAME, in the first book on Urseius Ferox.] The acceptance of an inheritance is not included in the services of a slave.
§29.2.45.1Idcirco si seruus dotalis adierit, actione de dote eam hereditatem mulier reciperabit, quamuis ea, quae ex operis dotalium adquiruntur, ad uirum pertineant.
Therefore, if a dotal slave has accepted an inheritance, the woman will recover that inheritance by the action on dowry, although those things which are acquired from the services of dotal slaves belong to the husband.
§29.2.45.2Et cum quaestus et compendii societas initur, quidquid ex operis suis socius adquisierit, in medium conferet: sibi autem quisque hereditatem adquirit.
And when a partnership of gain and profit is entered into, whatever a partner has acquired from his own services, he shall bring into the common fund; but everyone acquires an inheritance for himself.
§29.2.45.3Praeterea nec fructuarius quidem seruus iussu eius, qui usum fructum in eo habet, adire hereditatem poterit.
Furthermore, not even a slave subject to a usufruct will be able to accept an inheritance by the order of the person who has the usufruct in him.
§29.2.45.4Et quod a quibusdam respondetur, si liber homo, qui bona fide mihi seruiebat, propter me heres institutus erit, posse eum iussu meo adire hereditatem, potest uerum esse, ut intellegatur non opera sua mihi adquirere, sed ex re mea, sicut in stipulando et per traditionem accipiendo ex re mea mihi adquirat.
And as for the opinion given by some, that if a free man who was serving me in good faith should be appointed heir on my account, he can accept the inheritance by my order, this can be true, provided it is understood that he acquires for me not by his own services, but from my property, just as in stipulating and in receiving by delivery he acquires for me from my property.

Notes

  1. §29.2.45.prin opera seruili — The ablative singular of the feminine noun "opera" (service), modified by the adjective "seruili" (servile) in agreement. Together with the preposition "in", it means "within the scope of a slave's services," indicating that accepting an inheritance is not considered a standard service of a slave.
  2. §29.2.45.4Et quod a quibusdam respondetur... potest uerum esse — The subject of the main clause is the noun clause introduced by the relative pronoun "quod" ("that which is answered by some..."), with "potest uerum esse" (can be true) functioning as its predicate. Inside this clause, the accusative with infinitive construction "posse eum... adire" represents the content of "respondetur" (indirect speech) and follows the conditional clause "si liber homo...".
  3. §29.2.45.4ut intellegatur — The "ut" clause with the subjunctive passive "intellegatur". Rather than purpose, it introduces a qualification or condition under which the main assertion ("potest uerum esse") holds true ("provided that it is understood that...").

Cite this passage

Justinian I, The Digest of Justinian §29.2.45.pr-29.2.45.4. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi2806.phi002.humanitext-lat1:29.2.45.pr-29.2.45.4

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