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Justinian I · The Digest of Justinian §36.2.20.pr

Term Annuities for Maintenance versus Instalments

Passage 5661 of 9271 · Latin

Summary

Discusses the difference in the legal nature of an annuity legacy with a set term of years, depending on whether it is for maintenance (multiple legacies, non-transmissible) or merely divided into instalments to ease the heir's burden (a single legacy, transmissible).

[MARCIANUS libro sexto institutionum. ] §36.2.20.prSi cum praefinitione annorum legatum fuerit, ueluti 'Titio dena usque ad annos decem', Iulianus libro trigensimo digestorum scribit interesse: et si quidem alimentorum nomine legatum fuerit, plura esse legata et futurorum annorum legatum legatarium mortuum ad heredem non transmittere: si uero non pro alimentis legauit, sed in plures pensiones diuisit exonerandi heredis gratia, hoc casu ait omnium annorum unum esse legatum et intra decennium decedentem legatarium etiam futurorum annorum legatum ad heredem suum transmittere, quae sententia uera est.
[MARCIANUS, sixth book of the Institutes.] a legacy is given with a definition of years, such as 'Let my heir give ten yearly to Titius for ten years,' Julian writes in the thirtieth book of his Digest that there is a difference: if indeed it was bequeathed under the name of maintenance, there are several legacies, and the deceased legatee does not transmit the legacy of future years to his heir; but if he did not bequeath it for maintenance, but divided it into several instalments for the sake of easing the burden on the heir, in this case he says that there is a single legacy for all the years, and that the legatee who dies within the ten years transmits even the legacy of future years to his heir, which opinion is correct.

Notes

  1. §36.2.20.printeresse — An impersonal verb meaning 'there is a difference' or 'it makes a difference.' What this difference consists of is explained in detail by the following clauses starting with 'et si quidem...' and 'si uero...'.
  2. §36.2.20.prexonerandi heredis gratia — A gerundive construction where the genitive gerundive 'exonerandi' agrees with the noun 'heredis', accompanied by 'gratia' (for the sake of) to express purpose ('for the sake of easing the burden on the heir').
  3. §36.2.20.prdecedentem legatarium ... transmittere — Part of the accusative with infinitive (Aci) construction introduced by the verb 'ait'. The present participle 'decedentem' modifies 'legatarium', and this entire phrase acts as the subject accusative of the infinitive 'transmittere'.

Cite this passage

Justinian I, The Digest of Justinian §36.2.20.pr. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi2806.phi002.humanitext-lat1:36.2.20.pr

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