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Justinian I · The Digest of Justinian §30.1.68.pr-30.1.68.2

Legacies Taking Effect After Death and Conditional Manumissions

Passage 4664 of 9271 · Latin

Summary

This text discusses the vesting and attribution of legacies taking effect after a master's or father's death, and how conditions or terms of manumission affect the validity of a legacy made to a slave.

[IDEM libro octauo decimo ad edictum prouinciale. ] §30.1.68.prSi post mortem patris filio legetur, dubium non est, quin mortuo patre ad filium pertineat legatum nec intersit, an patri heres exstiterit nec ne, sed si seruo post mortem domini relictum legatum est, si quidem in ea causa durabit, ad heredem domini pertineat: usque adeo, ut idem iuris est et si testamento domini liber esse iussus fuerit: ante enim cedit dies legati, quam aliquis heres domino exsistat, quo fit, ut hereditati adquisitum legatum postea herede aliquo exsistente ad eum pertineat: praeterquam si suus heres aliquis aut necessarius domino ex eo testamento factus erit: tunc enim quia in unum concurrit, ut et heres exsistat et dies legati cedat, probabilius dicitur ad ipsum potius cui relictum est pertinere legatum quam ad heredem eius, a quo libertatem consequitur.
[THE SAME, Book 18 on the Provincial Edict.] If a legacy is left to a son to take effect after the death of his father, there is no doubt that, upon the father's death, the legacy belongs to the son, and it makes no difference whether he becomes his father's heir or not. But if a legacy is left to a slave to take effect after the death of his master, if indeed he remains in that status, it belongs to the master's heir; to such an extent that the same rule of law applies even if he has been ordered to be free by the master's will. For the right to the legacy vests before anyone becomes the master's heir, whence it happens that the legacy, acquired for the inheritance, belongs to some heir when he subsequently exists; except if some self-successor or necessary heir has been made for the master by that will. For then, because it coincides at one time that both an heir exists and the right to the legacy vests, it is more reasonably said that the legacy belongs to the person himself to whom it was left, rather than to the heir of him from whom he obtains his freedom.
§30.1.68.1Si pure legatus seruus sub condicione liber esse iussus fuerit, sub contraria condicione ualet legatum: et ideo exsistente condicione legatum peremitur, deficiente ad legatarium pertinebit.
If a slave, who is bequeathed unconditionally, has been ordered to be free under a condition, the legacy is valid under the contrary condition; and therefore, if the condition is fulfilled, the legacy is extinguished, and if it fails, it will belong to the legatee.
et ideo si pendente condicione libertatis legatarius decesserit posteaque defecerit condicio libertatis, ad heredem legatarii non pertinet legatum.
And therefore, if the legatee dies while the condition of freedom is pending, and afterwards the condition of freedom fails, the legacy does not belong to the legatee's heir.
§30.1.68.2Quod si idem pure legatus sit et ex die liber esse iussus erit, omnimodo inutile legatum est, quia diem uenturam certum est.
But if the same slave is bequeathed unconditionally and has been ordered to be free from a certain day, the legacy is in every way void, because it is certain that the day will come.
ita Iulianus quoque sensit, unde ait: si seruus Titio legatus sit et idem post mortem Titii liber esse iussus fuerit, inutile legatum est, quia moriturum Titium certum est.
Julian also held this opinion, whence he says: "If a slave is bequeathed to Titius, and the same slave is ordered to be free after the death of Titius, the legacy is void, because it is certain that Titius will die."

Notes

  1. 30.1.68.prante enim cedit dies legati, quam — The adverb `ante` and the conjunction `quam` correlate to mean "before". The phrase `dies cedit` is a legal term of art meaning "the right to the legacy vests" (which occurs at the moment of the testator's death), temporally preceding the entry or existence of an heir (`heres exsistat`).
  2. 30.1.68.prin unum concurrit, ut — `concurrit` is used impersonally, with the following `ut` clauses ("that both an heir exists and the right to the legacy vests") acting as its substantive subject clauses, indicating that these two events coincide.
  3. 30.1.68.prprobabilius dicitur — The impersonal expression `dicitur` ("it is said") is followed by the infinitive structure `pertinere legatum` as its subject. The prepositional phrases `ad ipsum` (the slave himself to whom the legacy was left) and `ad heredem` are contrasted by `potius... quam` ("rather than...").
  4. 30.1.68.1sub contraria condicione — In contrast to the condition for manumission, the legacy is valid only if that manumission condition fails, which is legally interpreted as being valid "under the contrary condition."
  5. 30.1.68.2ex die liber esse iussus erit — This expression means "to be ordered to be free from a certain day (a future point in time)." Since the arrival of a certain future day (`ex die`) is legally certain (`certum est`), unlike a condition (which is uncertain), the legacy cannot be saved by a contrary condition and is therefore completely void (`inutile`).

Cite this passage

Justinian I, The Digest of Justinian §30.1.68.pr-30.1.68.2. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi2806.phi002.humanitext-lat1:30.1.68.pr-30.1.68.2

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