Humanitext Reader

Justinian I · The Digest of Justinian §32.0.41.5-32.0.41.8

Scope of Trust-Bequests and Invalidity of Adoption Clauses

Passage 4864 of 9271 · Latin

Summary

This chunk determines the scope of trust-bequests regarding slave families, hometown properties like ledgers, and dowries, and declares trust-bequests requiring adoption to be invalid.

[IDEM libro uicesimo secundo digestorum. ] §32.0.41.5Concubinae inter cetera his uerbis legauerat: 'fundum in Appia cum uilico suo et contubernali eius et filiis dari uolo': quaesitum est, an nepotes quoque uilici et contubernalis eius testator ad concubinam pertinere uoluit.
[THE SAME, from the twenty-second book of the Digests.] To his concubine, among other things, he had bequeathed in these words: 'I wish that the estate on the Appian Way, with its manager and his female companion and children, be given.' It was asked whether the testator wished that the grandchildren of the manager and of his female companion should also belong to the concubine.
respondit nihil proponi, cur non deberentur.
He answered that no reason was presented why they should not be due.
§32.0.41.6Legauerat per fideicommissum Maeuiis ita: 'et quidquid in patria Gadibus possideo': quaesitum est, an, si quam suburbanam adiacentem possessionem haberet, haec quoque ex causa fideicommissi Maeuiis debeatur.
He had bequeathed by trust to the Maevii as follows: 'and whatever I possess in my hometown of Gades.' It was asked whether, if he had any adjacent suburban property, this also is due to the Maevii by virtue of the trust.
respondit posse ad hanc quoque uerborum significationem extendi.
He answered that it is possible for the meaning of these words to be extended to this also.
item quaesitum est, an, si calendarii, quod in patria sua uel intra fines eius defunctus exercuit, instrumenta in domo, quam in patria sua habebat, reliquit, an id quoque kalendarium propter uerba supra scripta Maeuiis ex causa fideicommissi deberetur.
It was also asked whether, if the deceased had left in the house which he had in his hometown the documents of a ledger which he kept in his hometown or within its boundaries, that ledger also should be due to the Maevii by virtue of the trust because of the words written above.
respondit non deberi.
He answered that it is not due.
item quaesitum est, an pecunia, quae in arca domi Gadibus inuenta esset, uel ex diuersis nominibus exacta et ibi deposita, ex fideicommisso debeatur.
It was also asked whether money found in a chest at the house in Gades, or collected from various debtors and deposited there, is due by virtue of the trust.
respondit supra responsum.
He answered as has been answered above.
§32.0.41.7Testamento, quo filium et uxorem heredes instituerat, filiae per fideicommissum centum, cum in familia nuberet, legauit et adiecit ita: 'fidei tuae, filia, committo, ut, cum in familia nubas et quotienscumque nubes, patiaris ex dote tua, quam dabis, partem dimidiam stipulari fratrem tuum et Seiam matrem tuam pro partibus dimidiis dari sibi, si in matrimonio eius cui nubes siue diuortio facto, priusquam dos tua reddatur eoue nomine satisfactum erit, morieris nullo filio filiaue ex eo relicto'.
In a will by which he had appointed his son and his wife as heirs, he bequeathed one hundred by trust to his daughter when she should marry within the family, and added as follows: 'I commit to your trust, my daughter, that when you marry within the family and as often as you marry, you allow your brother and your mother Seia to stipulate for half of your dowry which you will give, to be given to them for a half share each, if you die during the marriage with the one whom you marry or after a divorce has been made, before your dowry is returned or satisfaction is made on that account, leaving no son or daughter from that marriage.' The father placed his daughter in marriage, gave a dowry in her name, and after a divorce recovered the same, gave her in marriage to another with a dowry, and stipulated that the dowry be returned to himself or to his daughter.
pater uirginem filiam nuptum collocauit eiusque nomine dotem dedit et post diuortium eandem recepit et alii in matrimonium cum dote dedit et stipulatus est eam dotem sibi aut filiae suae reddi: manente filia in matrimonio secundo mortuus est eodem testamento relicto eique heredes exstiterunt filius et uxor: postea marito defuncto puella dote recepta nupsit alii praesentibus et consentientibus fratre et matre, quae etiam dotem eius auxit, et neuter eorum stipulati sunt dotem: mox matri filius et filia heredes exstiterunt: deinde in matrimonio filia decessit marito herede relicto.
While the daughter remained in her second marriage, he died leaving the same will, and his son and wife became his heirs. Afterwards, the husband having died, the young woman recovered her dowry and married another, with her brother and mother being present and consenting, and the mother even increased her dowry, and neither of them stipulated for the dowry. Soon, the son and daughter became heirs to the mother. Then, the daughter died during the marriage, leaving her husband as her heir.
quaesitum est, cum puella non ex causa legati pecuniam in dotem ab heredibus patris acceperat, sed mortuo secundo marito mater familias facta dotem reciperauerat, an heres eius ex causa fideicommissi fratri defunctae teneatur in eam pecuniam, quam percipere posset, si dotem stipulatus esset.
It was asked, since the young woman had received the money for her dowry from her father's heirs not by virtue of a legacy, but after the death of her second husband had recovered the dowry having become independent, whether her heir is bound by virtue of the trust to the brother of the deceased for that money which he could have received if he had stipulated for the dowry.
respondit secundum ea quae proponerentur non teneri.
He answered that according to the facts proposed, he is not bound.
§32.0.41.8Eius heres uel legatarius rogatus est, ut quendam adoptet, his uerbis adiectis: 'si alias fecerit, exheres esto' uel 'perdat legatum'. quaesitum est, si non adoptauerit, an ei qui adoptatus non est actio quaedam ex fideicommisso competit.
His heir or legatee was requested to adopt someone, with these words added: 'if he does otherwise, let him be disinherited' or 'let him lose the legacy.' It was asked whether, if he did not adopt, any action by virtue of the trust is available to the one who was not adopted.
respondit fideicommissum, quo quis rogatur ut adoptet, ratum non esse.
He answered that a trust by which someone is requested to adopt is not valid.

Notes

  1. §32.0.41.5nihil proponi, cur non deberentur — A strong affirmation through double negation. The subject of deberentur is nepotes (grandchildren), indicating that they are included in the legacy along with the manager, his female companion, and their children.
  2. §32.0.41.6supra responsum — Refers to the negative answer (non deberi) concerning the ledger (calendarium) immediately above. It indicates that cash in the chest or collected and deposited there is likewise not included in the scope of the trust-bequest of hometown properties.
  3. §32.0.41.7patiaris ... stipulari fratrem tuum ... dari sibi — The subjunctive patiaris is governed by the conjunction ut. The infinitive stipulari takes fratrem tuum (and matrem tuam) as its subject accusative, which in turn takes the passive infinitive phrase dari sibi as its object. This dictates a complex legal setup where the daughter must permit her brother and mother to make a contract (stipulatio) to secure half of the dowry for themselves.
  4. §32.0.41.7non ex causa legati pecuniam in dotem ab heredibus patris acceperat — Part of the cum clause describing the facts. The young woman did not receive the dowry money as a 'performance of legacy' from her father's heirs, but rather recovered it as an independent person (mater familias) after her second husband's death. This factual setup is central to ruling that her heir is not bound (non teneri).
  5. §32.0.41.8fideicommissum, quo quis rogatur ut adoptet — A clause in a trust-bequest requesting the trustee to adopt someone is legally invalid (ratum non esse) because it unduly constrains the personal and volitional freedom of the individual in matters of family status.

Cite this passage

Justinian I, The Digest of Justinian §32.0.41.5-32.0.41.8. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi2806.phi002.humanitext-lat1:32.0.41.5-32.0.41.8

Please note the AI-draft status of the translation and the date accessed.

Translation, notes and summary are AI-generated drafts, revised through reader feedback.