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Justinian I · The Digest of Justinian §32.0.98.pr

Scope of General Legacies and Individual Heirs

Passage 4922 of 9271 · Latin

Summary

The author explains that if there are multiple degrees of heirs, the phrase "let my heir give" applies to all of them, and thus one must charge heirs individually by name if they wish to burden only specific heirs with legacies.

[IDEM libro singulari de forma testamenti. ] §32.0.98.prSi plures gradus sint heredum et scriptum sit heres meus dato', ad omnes gradus hic sermo pertinet, sicuti haec uerba 'quisquis mihi heres erit. itaque si quis uelit non omnes heredes legatorum praestatione onerare, sed aliquos ex his, nominatim damnare debet.
[THE SAME, from his single book on the Form of a Will.] If there are several degrees of heirs, and it is written "let my heir give," this expression applies to all degrees, just like these words "whoever shall be my heir." Therefore, if anyone wishes not to burden all the heirs with the payment of legacies, but only some of them, he must impose the obligation by name.

Notes

  1. §32.0.98.prheres meus dato — dato is the third-person singular future imperative (or testamentary imperative). Even though written in the singular (heres meus), it is construed as applying to all joint or substitute heirs at all degrees (ad omnes gradus).
  2. §32.0.98.prlegatorum praestatione onerare — The verb onerare (to burden, impose a charge on) takes an accusative of the person (non omnes heredes) and an ablative of the thing/means (legatorum praestatione, "with the payment/provision of legacies").
  3. §32.0.98.prnominatim damnare debet — damnare is a Roman legal term meaning "to condemn" or "to bind/charge [an heir] to perform a legacy" (derived from formulas like damnas esto). It means that to charge specific heirs rather than all, the testator must condemn them individually by name (nominatim).

Cite this passage

Justinian I, The Digest of Justinian §32.0.98.pr. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi2806.phi002.humanitext-lat1:32.0.98.pr

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