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Justinian I · The Digest of Justinian §35.1.67.pr

Restitution of a Legacy upon Breach of Condition

Passage 5398 of 9271 · Latin

Summary

This section discusses the restitution obligations between the heir, the first legatee, and Maevius, when land bequeathed under a negative condition (not to manumit) is received under security but subsequently the condition is violated.

[IAUOLENUS libro undecimo epistularum. ] §35.1.67.prCum sub hac condicione fundus alicui legatus esset 'si seruum non manumiserit' et, si manumiserit, legatum fundi ad Maeuium translatum esset, legatarius de non liberando satisdedit et legatum accepit et postea liberauit: quaero, an aliquid Maeuio detur.
[IAUOLENUS in the eleventh book of Letters.] When a tract of land had been bequeathed to someone under this condition, "if he should not manumit the slave," and, if he should manumit him, the legacy of the land was to be transferred to Maevius, the legatee gave security not to manumit, received the legacy, and afterwards manumitted him; I ask whether anything is to be given to Maevius.
respondit, si cui ita legatum erit 'si seruum non manumiserit', satisdatione interposita accipere ab herede legatum poterit et, si postea seruum manumiserit, commissa stipulatione heredi uel fundum uel quanti ea res est restituet eoque casu heres ei, cui ex sequenti condicione legatum debuerit, restituet.
He answered that, if a legacy is bequeathed to anyone in this manner, "if he should not manumit the slave," he will be able to receive the legacy from the heir after providing security; and if he afterwards manumits the slave, he shall, because of the forfeiture of the stipulation, restore to the heir either the land or its value, and in that case, the heir shall restore it to the person to whom he owed the legacy under the subsequent condition.

Notes

  1. 35.1.67.prde non liberando — A combination of the preposition de and the ablative of the gerund liberando. It modifies satisdedit ("gave security"), indicating the substance of the security (cautio) provided by the legatee to guarantee the negative condition of the legacy.
  2. 35.1.67.prcommissa stipulatione — Ablative absolute. In juristic Latin, when committere is used with stipulatio, it means that the event triggering the penalty under the stipulation (here, the breach of the condition by manumitting the slave) has occurred, making the obligation under the stipulation enforceable.

Cite this passage

Justinian I, The Digest of Justinian §35.1.67.pr. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi2806.phi002.humanitext-lat1:35.1.67.pr

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