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Justinian I · The Digest of Justinian §33.8.3.pr

Independence of Bequests of a Slave and Her Offspring

Passage 5092 of 9271 · Latin

Summary

This passage explains that if a female slave is bequeathed along with her offspring, the offspring still belong to the legatee even if the status or existence of the mother changes, because they constitute two separate bequests.

[PAULUS libro quarto ad Sabinum. ] §33.8.3.prAt si ancilla cum suis natis legata sit, etiam mortua ea uel alienata uel manumissa nati ad legatarium pertinebunt, quia duo legata sunt separata.
[PAULUS, from the fourth book on Sabinus.] But if a female slave is bequeathed along with her offspring, even if she dies, is alienated, or is manumitted, the offspring will belong to the legatee, because they are two separate bequests.

Notes

  1. §33.8.3.prmortua ea uel alienata uel manumissa — An ablative absolute construction. The feminine pronoun "ea" (referring to "ancilla") serves as the logical subject, with three perfect participles ("mortua", "alienata", "manumissa") connected in parallel by "uel". Together with the preceding "etiam", it functions as a concessive clause: "even if she dies, is alienated, or is manumitted".
  2. §33.8.3.prduo legata sunt separata — Here, "legata" is not the participle of the verb "legare", but the nominative plural of the neuter noun "legatum" (bequest). Thus, "duo legata" is the subject ("two bequests"), and "separata" functions as a predicate adjective/participle meaning "are separate".

Cite this passage

Justinian I, The Digest of Justinian §33.8.3.pr. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi2806.phi002.humanitext-lat1:33.8.3.pr

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