[IDEM libro uicesimo quarto ad Sabinum. ] §30.1.50.prSi seruus plurium sit, pro dominii portione legatum ei relictum adquiret.
[THE SAME, Book 24 on Sabinus.] If a slave is owned by several persons, he will acquire a legacy left to him in proportion to each master's share of ownership.
§30.1.50.1Si hereditatis iudex contra heredem non agentem causam uel lusorie agentem, nihil hoc nocebit legatariis.
If the judge of an inheritance [should pronounce a judgment] against an heir who does not defend the case or who defends it playfully, this will in no way prejudice the legatees.
quid ergo, si per iniuriam fuerit pronuntiatum, non tamen prouocauit? iniuria ei facta non nocebit legatariis, ut et Sabinus significat.
What then, if an unjust judgment was pronounced, and yet he did not appeal? The injustice done to him will not prejudice the legatees, as Sabinus also indicates.
si tamen secundum substitutum pronuntiet, an ille legatariis teneatur, uideamus: et cum ius facit haec pronuntiatio quod attinet ad ipsius personam, numquid legatariis teneatur? nec enim tam improbe causari potest secundum se iudicatum per gratiam.
If, however, the judge should pronounce in favor of the substitute heir, let us see whether he is liable to the legatees; and since this pronouncement makes law so far as his person is concerned, is he liable to the legatees? For he cannot so shamelessly plead that the judgment was rendered in his favor through favor.
respondebit igitur et legatariis, ut creditoribus.
Therefore he will be liable to the legatees as well, just as to the creditors.
§30.1.50.2Si quis ante quaestionem de familia habitam adierit hereditatem uel necem testatoris non defenderit, legatorum persecutio aduersus fiscum locum habet.
If anyone enters upon an inheritance before an inquiry has been held concerning the household slaves, or does not avenge the death of the testator, the pursuit of the legacies lies against the treasury.
quid tamen, si fiscus bona non adgnoscat? ex necessitate redundabit onus legatorum ad heredem.
But what if the treasury does not accept the property? Of necessity, the burden of the legacies will fall back upon the heir.
sed si subiecit delatorem sibi, ut ei hereditas abiudicetur et oneribus careret, uel minus plene defendit causam, non se exonerat exemplo eius, qui collusorie de hereditate litigauit.
But if he put forward an informer against himself so that the inheritance might be adjudged away from him and he might be free from the burdens, or if he defended the case less than fully, he does not free himself, following the example of one who litigated collusively over an inheritance.
§30.1.50.3Si numerus nummorum legatus sit neque apparet quales sunt legati, ante omnia ipsius patris familias consuetudo, deinde regionis, in qua uersatus est, exquirenda est: sed et mens patris familiae et legatarii dignitas uel caritas et necessitudo, item earum quae praecedunt uel quae sequuntur summarum scripta sunt spectanda.
If a number of coins has been bequeathed, and it is not clear what kind they are, first of all, the custom of the paterfamilias himself, and then that of the region where he was active, must be investigated; but the intention of the paterfamilias, the status of the legatee, his affection and relationship, and likewise the written descriptions of the sums that precede or follow, must also be considered.