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Justinian I · The Digest of Justinian §33.10.9.pr-33.10.9.2

Enumeration of Goods, Silver Furniture, and Pledged Items

Passage 5131 of 9271 · Latin

Summary

Papinian discusses the impact of enumerating individual items in a legacy of household goods, the inclusion of tables and silver items (such as beds and candelabra) under household goods, and the exclusion of silver received in pledge from a legacy of "one's own" household goods.

[PAPINIANUS libro septimo responsorum. ] §33.10.9.prLegata supellectili cum species ex abundanti per imperitiam enumerentur, generali legato non derogatur: si tamen species certi numeri demonstratae fuerint, modus generi datus in his speciebus intellegitur.
[PAPINIANUS in his seventh book of Responses.] When household goods are bequeathed, even if individual items are enumerated superfluously through ignorance, the general legacy is not diminished; if, however, items of a certain number are designated, the limit given to the class is understood to apply to these items.
idem seruabitur instructo praedio legato, si quaedam species numerum certum acceperint.
The same shall be observed when an equipped estate is bequeathed, if certain items have received a specific number.
§33.10.9.1Supellectilis mensas esse cuiuscumque materiae, scilicet uel argenteas uel argento inclusas placet: nam et argenteos lectos, item argentea candelabra supellectili cedere posterior aetas recepit: cum et Ulixem ex auro et argento lectum uiuentis arboris truncis aedificatum ornasse, quem Penelopa recognoscendi uiri signum accepit, ut uoluit Homerus.
It is agreed that tables, of whatever material, namely either of silver or inlaid with silver, belong to household goods; for a later age has also accepted that silver beds and likewise silver candelabra go to household goods, since, as Homer wished, even Ulysses adorned a bed built on the trunks of a living tree with gold and silver, which Penelope accepted as a token for recognizing her husband.
§33.10.9.2Supellectili sua omni legata acceptum argentum pignori non continebitur, quia supellectilem suam legauit, utique si non in usu creditoris id argentum uoluntate debitoris fuit, sed propositum propter contractus fidem ac restituendae rei uinculum.
When all one's household goods are bequeathed, silver received in pledge will not be included, because he bequeathed "his own" household goods; especially if that silver was not, by the will of the debtor, in the use of the creditor, but was deposited for the security of the contract and under the obligation of restoring the thing.

Notes

  1. 33.10.9.prLegata supellectili — Ablative absolute construction. "supellectili" is the ablative of "supellex" (feminine third-declension noun), agreeing with "legata" (perfect participle, feminine ablative singular), meaning "when household goods are bequeathed."
  2. 33.10.9.1Supellectilis mensas esse ... placet — The accusative with infinitive clause "mensas esse" serves as the subject of the impersonal verb "placet", with "supellectilis" functioning as a genitive of possession, meaning "that tables belong to household goods."
  3. 33.10.9.1cum et Ulixem ... ornasse — In the clause introduced by the conjunction "cum", under the influence of indirect speech (dependent on "posterior aetas recepit"), the verb which would normally be in the subjunctive appears as an accusative with infinitive ("Ulixem ... ornasse").
  4. 33.10.9.2acceptum argentum pignori — "pignori" is a dative of purpose, modifying "acceptum argentum" (received silver), meaning "silver received as a pledge (for security)."

Cite this passage

Justinian I, The Digest of Justinian §33.10.9.pr-33.10.9.2. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi2806.phi002.humanitext-lat1:33.10.9.pr-33.10.9.2

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