Humanitext Reader

Justinian I · The Digest of Justinian §35.1.43.pr-35.1.43.3

Proportional Reduction of Trusts in Possession Against a Will

Passage 5374 of 9271 · Latin

Summary

This text discusses the legal rules regarding the proportional reduction of trust legacies and performance obligations, as well as the right to claim back overpayments, when a patron requests possession against a will or when other statutory reductions and limitations occur.

[PAULUS libro octauo ad Plautium. ] §35.1.43.prPLAUTIUs.
[PAULUS in the eighth book on Plautius.] PLAUTIUS.
Rogatus est heres a liberto testatore, ut perceptis sibi decem totam hereditatem reuenderet: postea patronus defuncti bonorum possessionem contra tabulas petierat et partem hereditatis, quae debebatur, abstulerat.
An heir was requested by a libertus testator to retain ten for himself and transfer the entire inheritance to another: afterwards, the patron of the deceased had requested possession of goods contrary to the tablet (will) and had taken away the portion of the inheritance which was due to him.
Proculus Cassius fideicommissarium pro rata quod soluit repetere debere aiunt.
Proculus and Cassius say that the beneficiary of the trust ought to claim back what he paid in proportion.
PAULUS. hoc iure utimur: nam quemadmodum praestatione fideicommissorum et legatorum heres exoneratur per praetorem, ita etiam ipse partem consequi debet.
PAULUS. This is the law we practice: for just as the heir is discharged by the praetor from the performance of trusts and legacies, so also he himself ought to obtain his portion.
§35.1.43.1Diuersum est, si Falcidia interueniat et minuat legatum: nam his casibus nihil repetetur, quia in solidum condicioni paretur.
The case is different if the Lex Falcidia intervenes and reduces the legacy: for in these cases nothing will be claimed back, because the condition is complied with in full.
§35.1.43.2Item scinditur ius dandi, si is cui legatum est non potest partem hereditatis sibi relictam totam capere: nam uerius est partem eum praestare debere, partem illos, qui auferunt ab eo, quod plus relictum est, quam a lege conceditur.
Likewise, the obligation of giving is divided, if the person to whom the legacy was left cannot take the whole of the portion of the inheritance left to him: for it is more correct that he should perform a part, and those who take away from him what was left in excess of what is allowed by law should perform the other part.
§35.1.43.3Neratius libro primo responsorum scribit, ex duobus scriptis heredibus si unus rogatus sit tibi hereditatem restituere, tu Titio certam summam dare, et beneficio legis Falcidiae in restituendo heres utatur, quanto minus tibi praestiterit, tanto minus te Titio praestare non esse iniquum.
Neratius writes in the first book of Responses: if, out of two written heirs, one is requested to restore the inheritance to you, and you are requested to give a certain sum to Titius, and the heir uses the benefit of the Lex Falcidia in restoring it, it is not unjust that you should perform so much less to Titius as the heir has performed less to you.

Notes

  1. §35.1.43.prperceptis sibi decem — An ablative absolute. The perfect passive participle 'perceptis' agrees with 'decem' (the indeclinable numeral used substantively). The dative 'sibi' refers to the heir himself, meaning 'having retained ten for himself'.
  2. §35.1.43.prfideicommissarium pro rata quod soluit repetere debere — An accusative with infinitive clause depending on 'aiunt'. 'fideicommissarium' is the subject accusative of the infinitive 'debere'. 'quod soluit' is a relative clause referring to what was paid by the beneficiary, and 'pro rata' (proportionally) modifies 'repetere'.
  3. §35.1.43.2nam uerius est partem eum praestare debere, partem illos, qui auferunt — An accusative with infinitive clause introduced by the impersonal expression 'uerius est'. It features a parallel structure where 'eum' (the legatee) is the subject of the first 'partem ... praestare debere', and 'illos' (those who take away) is the subject of the implied second 'partem [praestare debere]'.
  4. §35.1.43.3quanto minus tibi praestiterit, tanto minus te Titio praestare non esse iniquum — An accusative with infinitive clause depending on 'scribit'. 'quanto... tanto...' is a correlative construction showing proportion (by how much less... by so much less...). 'te' is the subject accusative of the infinitive 'praestare', and the entire infinitive clause 'te Titio praestare [tanto minus]' serves as the subject of 'non esse iniquum'.

Cite this passage

Justinian I, The Digest of Justinian §35.1.43.pr-35.1.43.3. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi2806.phi002.humanitext-lat1:35.1.43.pr-35.1.43.3

Please note the AI-draft status of the translation and the date accessed.

Translation, notes and summary are AI-generated drafts, revised through reader feedback.