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Justinian I · The Digest of Justinian §32.0.25.pr-32.0.25.1

Alternative Legacies and Adherence to Clear Wording

Passage 4846 of 9271 · Latin

Summary

This section discusses the method of demanding a legacy left under an alternative obligation of joint heirs, and states that when the wording of a will is unambiguous, the search for the testator's intention should not be allowed.

[PAULUS libro primo ad Neratium. ] §32.0.25.pr'Ille aut ille heres Seio centum dato': potest Seius ab utro uelit petere.
[PAULUS from the first book on Neratius.] 'Let either this heir or that heir give one hundred to Seius': Seius can demand it from whichever of the two he wishes.
§32.0.25.1Cum in uerbis nulla ambiguitas est, non debet admitti uoluntatis quaestio.
When there is no ambiguity in the words, an inquiry into the intention should not be admitted.

Notes

  1. §32.0.25.prab utro uelit — utro is the ablative of the pronominal adjective uter, meaning 'whichever of the two'. uelit is the third-person singular present subjunctive of uolo; the subjunctive is used in the relative clause to indicate a subjective condition or choice ('from whichever of the two he may wish').
  2. §32.0.25.1uoluntatis quaestio — uoluntatis ('of intention') is an objective genitive dependent on quaestio ('inquiry', 'question'). This reflects the fundamental contrast in Roman legal interpretation between verba ('words') and voluntas ('intention'), establishing the principle that subjective intention should not be investigated when the objective wording is clear.

Cite this passage

Justinian I, The Digest of Justinian §32.0.25.pr-32.0.25.1. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi2806.phi002.humanitext-lat1:32.0.25.pr-32.0.25.1

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