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Justinian I · The Digest of Justinian §35.1.73.pr

Security and Heir Liability in Alternative Conditional Legacies

Passage 5404 of 9271 · Latin

Summary

Discusses the scope of the heir's liability to Sempronius after the provision of the Mucian security in a conditional land legacy, and the succession of rights to Sempronius's heir upon his death.

[IDEM libro nono decimo quaestionum. ] §35.1.73.prTitio fundus, si in Aşiam non uenerit, idem, si peruenerit, Sempronio legatus est.
[THE SAME in the nineteenth book of Questions.] A land was bequeathed to Titius if he should not go to Asia, and the same land to Sempronius if he should go.
cum in omnibus condicionibus, quae morte legatariorum finiuntur, receptum est, ut Muciana cautio interponatur, heres cautionem a Titio accepit et fundum ei dedit.
Since it is accepted in all conditions that are terminated by the death of the legatees that the Mucian security is to be interposed, the heir accepted security from Titius and gave him the land.
si postea in Asiam peruenerit, Sempronio heres, quod ex stipulatu cautionis interpositae consequi potest, utili actione praestare cogitur.
If Titius should afterwards reach Asia, the heir is compelled by a beneficial action to perform to Sempronius what he can obtain from the stipulation of the interposed security.
sed si cautio medio tempore defecerit, quae sollicite fuerat exacta, non de suo praestabit heres, sed quia nihil ei potest obici, satis erit actiones praestari.
But if in the meantime the security, which had been carefully exacted, should fail, the heir will not perform from his own property, but since nothing can be imputed to him, it will be sufficient for the actions to be ceded.
si tamen, Titius cum in Asiam uenisset, Sempronius, priusquam legatum accipiat, decesserit, heredi eius deberetur, quod defunctus petere potuit.
If, however, when Titius had come to Asia, Sempronius should die before he receives the legacy, what the deceased could have claimed would be due to his heir.

Notes

  1. §35.1.73.prutili actione — Originally, the claim from the security (stipulation) obtained by the heir from Titius belongs to the heir. However, to protect Sempronius, who gained the right upon the fulfillment of the condition, the praetor grants him the exercise of this claim (or cession of action) through a "beneficial action" (utilis actio).
  2. §35.1.73.prdefecerit — Here, defecerit (deficere) means that the security becomes unenforceable or fails (e.g., due to the insolvency of the guarantors).
  3. §35.1.73.practiones praestari — The passive infinitive praestari with its subject actiones means that the heir is discharged not by paying damages himself, but by "ceding (delivering) the actions" against Titius or his guarantors.

Cite this passage

Justinian I, The Digest of Justinian §35.1.73.pr. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi2806.phi002.humanitext-lat1:35.1.73.pr

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