Humanitext Reader

Justinian I · The Digest of Justinian §31.0.31.pr

Invalidity of Legacy for Freeing Slaves Without Manumission Power

Passage 4757 of 9271 · Latin

Summary

It states the rule that if a testator bequeaths individuals they have no power to manumit for the purpose of their manumission, both the legacy and the freedom are invalid.

[MODESTINUS libro primo regularum. ] §31.0.31.prSi quis quos non poterit manumittere legauit, ut manumitterentur, nec legatum nec libertas ualet.
[MODESTINUS libro primo regularum.] If anyone has bequeathed those whom he will not be able to manumit, so that they might be manumitted, neither the legacy nor the freedom is valid.

Notes

  1. §31.0.31.prquos — The antecedent of the relative pronoun (such as eos) is omitted, and the entire relative clause functions as the direct object of the main verb legauit.
  2. §31.0.31.prut manumitterentur — A clause introduced by the conjunction ut expressing purpose. Since the main verb legauit is in the historical (perfect) tense, the subjunctive imperfect is used in accordance with the sequence of tenses.
  3. §31.0.31.prualet — The verb is in the singular despite the compound subject nec legatum nec libertas. In Latin, when subjects are joined by disjunctive negatives, the verb often agrees with the nearest subject (libertas) or is understood as applying to each subject individually.

Cite this passage

Justinian I, The Digest of Justinian §31.0.31.pr. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi2806.phi002.humanitext-lat1:31.0.31.pr

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