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Justinian I · The Digest of Justinian §34.5.22.pr

Presumption of Survivorship of Mother and Son in Shipwreck

Passage 5286 of 9271 · Latin

Summary

If a mother and her adult son die in a shipwreck and it cannot be determined who died first, it is deemed more humane to presume that the son lived longer.

[IAUOLENUS libro quinto ex Cassio. ] §34.5.22.prCum pubere filio mater naufragio periit: cum explorari non possit, uter prior exstinctus sit, humanius est credere filium diutius uixisse.
[JAVOLENUS, from the fifth book on Cassius.] When a mother perished in a shipwreck together with her adult son, if it cannot be ascertained which of them died first, it is more humane to believe that the son survived longer.

Notes

  1. §34.5.22.pruter prior exstinctus sit — An indirect question clause. The comparative adjective `prior` modifies the pronominal subject `uter` ("which of the two") and functions adverbially ("which died first"). The verb `exstinctus sit` is the perfect passive subjunctive third-person singular of `exstinguere`.
  2. §34.5.22.prhumanius — The neuter singular comparative of the adjective `humanus` ("humane", "natural"). It forms the impersonal construction `humanius est...` ("it is more humane..."), which serves as a guiding legal principle (*humanitas*) when strict proof of facts is impossible.

Cite this passage

Justinian I, The Digest of Justinian §34.5.22.pr. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi2806.phi002.humanitext-lat1:34.5.22.pr

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