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Justinian I · The Digest of Justinian §34.2.1.pr-34.2.1.1

Conflict of General and Specific Legacies and Cash Substitutes

Passage 5160 of 9271 · Latin

Summary

This text discusses the rules of distribution when a general bequest (genus) and a specific bequest (species) conflict, and explains the conditions under which an heir can be discharged from a legacy of a specific weight of silver by paying equivalent cash.

[POMPONIUS libro sexto ad Sabinum. ] §34.2.1.prSi alii uestimenta, alii uestis muliebris separatim legata sit, detractis muliebribus et ei adsignatis, cui specialiter legata sunt, reliquum alteri debetur.
[POMPONIUS, in the sixth book on Sabinus.] If clothing is bequeathed to one person, and women's clothing separately to another, the women's clothing having been subtracted and assigned to the person to whom it was specifically bequeathed, the remainder is owed to the other.
idem est, cum alteri mundus muliebris, alteri argentum omne legatum esset, de argento quod in mundo esset.
The same holds true, when women's ornaments are bequeathed to one person, and all the silver to another, concerning the silver which was in the ornaments.
item si duae statuae marmoreae tibi et deinde omne marmor legatum esset, praeter duas nulla statua marmorea legata est tibi.
Likewise, if two marble statues are bequeathed to you, and then all the marble is bequeathed [to someone else], no marble statue other than the two is bequeathed to you.
idem urbanis seruis tibi legatis, si mihi dispensator legatus sit.
The same applies when city slaves are bequeathed to you, if a steward is bequeathed to me.
§34.2.1.1Cui certum pondus argenti dare heres iussus sit, ei pecuniam numeratam dando iure ipso liberatur, si in ea pecunia eadem aestimatio fuerit: quod ita uerum est, si non certum genus argenti legatum sit.
An heir who has been ordered to give a certain weight of silver is discharged by operation of law by paying coined money, if the same value is present in that money; which is true only if a specific kind of silver has not been bequeathed.

Notes

  1. §34.2.1.prdetractis muliebribus et ei adsignatis — The preceding singular `uestis muliebris` (women's clothing) is here referred to in the neuter plural `muliebria` (women's garments), forming an ablative absolute (`detractis... et adsignatis...`). Similarly, `legata sunt` in the clause `ei..., cui... legata sunt` (to the person to whom they were specifically bequeathed) is in the neuter plural.
  2. §34.2.1.pridem urbanis seruis tibi legatis — `urbanis seruis tibi legatis` is an ablative absolute ("city slaves having been bequeathed to you"). The main predicate `idem [est]` (the same holds true) indicates that the legal principle of deducting a specific bequest (species) from a general one (genus) applies here as well, subtracting the specific steward (`dispensator`) from the general class of city slaves.
  3. §34.2.1.1Cui certum pondus argenti dare heres iussus sit, ei — `Cui` is a relative pronoun whose antecedent is `ei` in the main clause (proleptic relative clause). The whole structure means "to whom the heir was ordered to give..., to him [the heir is discharged]...", establishing a double dative relationship.

Cite this passage

Justinian I, The Digest of Justinian §34.2.1.pr-34.2.1.1. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi2806.phi002.humanitext-lat1:34.2.1.pr-34.2.1.1

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