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Justinian I · The Digest of Justinian §34.5.27.pr

Uncertain Designation of Slaves and Voidness of Manumission

Passage 5291 of 9271 · Latin

Summary

This section rules that if a testator intends to manumit only one among several slaves but fails to specify which one, none of them can claim freedom under the trust.

[MODESTINUS libro primo regularum. ] §34.5.27.prSi quis de pluribus unum manumitti uoluerit nec appareat, de quo manumittendo testator sensit, nulli eorum fideicommissa competit libertas.
[MODESTINUS, from the first book of the Rules.] If anyone wished one of several to be manumitted, and it is not clear which one to be manumitted the testator intended, the liberty left by trust belongs to none of them.

Notes

  1. §34.5.27.prde quo manumittendo — A gerundive construction with the preposition 'de'. The gerundive 'manumittendo' agrees with the interrogative 'quo', meaning 'about which person to be manumitted'. This phrase introduces the indirect question clause which functions as the subject of the impersonal verb 'appareat'.
  2. §34.5.27.prnulli eorum fideicommissa competit libertas — The dative phrase 'nulli eorum' (to none of them) depends on the verb 'competit' (belongs to, is available to). 'fideicommissa' acts as an adjective modifying the subject 'libertas' (liberty), meaning 'liberty left by trust'.

Cite this passage

Justinian I, The Digest of Justinian §34.5.27.pr. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi2806.phi002.humanitext-lat1:34.5.27.pr

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