Humanitext Reader

Justinian I · The Digest of Justinian §35.1.38.pr

Validity of Legacies with Amount Specified by Codicil

Passage 5369 of 9271 · Latin

Summary

The author explains, citing ancient precedents, that if a legacy's amount is to be determined by codicils, the legacy itself remains valid by virtue of the main will, and the codicil merely specifies the amount.

[IDEM libro singulari de iure codicillorum. ] §35.1.38.prSi ita scribsero: 'quantum codicillis Titio legauero', licet codicillis legatum explicetur, tamen ex testamento ualet solaque quantitas in codicillo delata est.
[THE SAME, in his single book on the law of codicils.] If I write thus: 'whatever amount I bequeath to Titius in my codicils', although the legacy is specified in the codicils, it is nevertheless valid by virtue of the will, and only the amount is conferred in the codicil.
nam et apud ueteres legata talia fuere: 'quantum ei per epistulam scribsero': 'quantum ex illa actione detraxero, heres dato'.
For even among the ancients there were such legacies: 'whatever amount I write to him in a letter': 'whatever amount I deduct from that action, let the heir give it'.

Notes

  1. §35.1.38.prlicet codicillis legatum explicetur — The conjunction licet ('although') takes the subjunctive present (explicetur) to form a concessive clause. The word codicillis is an ablative of instrument (plural in form but referring to a single set of codicils).
  2. §35.1.38.prheres dato — The word dato is the third-person singular, future active imperative of the verb dare. Its subject is the third-person singular heres. This quotes an archaic testamentary formula, expressing a solemn legal command more formal than the present imperative.

Cite this passage

Justinian I, The Digest of Justinian §35.1.38.pr. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi2806.phi002.humanitext-lat1:35.1.38.pr

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