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Justinian I · The Digest of Justinian §36.2.21.pr-36.2.21.1

Effects of Certain and Uncertain Dates on Legacies

Passage 5662 of 9271 · Latin

Summary

Paulus explains how certain and uncertain dates affect the vesting and claimability of a legacy, and references Pomponius regarding how conditions on the institution of an heir impact the legacy.

[PAULUS libro secundo ad Uitellium. ] §36.2.21.prSi dies adposita legato non est, praesens debetur aut confestim ad eum pertinet cui datum est: adiecta quamuis longa sit, si certa est, ueluti Kalendis Ianuariis centesimis, dies quidem legati statim cedit, sed ante diem peti non potest: at si incerta, quasi 'cum pubes erit' 'cum in familiam nupserit' 'cum 'magistratum inierit' cum aliquid demum, quod scribenti comprehendere sit commodum, fecerit: nisi tempus condicioue optigit, neque res pertinere neque dies legati cedere potest.
[PAULUS, second book on Vitellius.] If a time (dies) is not attached to a legacy, it is owed immediately, or belongs immediately to the person to whom it was given; if one is attached, however distant it may be, if it is certain, such as "on the hundredth Kalends of January," the time of the legacy indeed is established (cedit) immediately, but it cannot be claimed before the day. But if it is uncertain, such as "when he reaches puberty," "when she marries into a family," "when he enters upon a magistracy," or when he has finally done something which it is convenient for the writer to specify; unless the time or condition has occurred, neither can the thing belong to him nor can the time of the legacy establish (cedit).
§36.2.21.1Si sub condicione, qua te heredem institui, sub ea condicione Titio legatum sit, Pomponius putat perinde huius legati diem cedere atque si pure relictum esset, quoniam certum esset herede existente debitum iri: neque enim per condicionem heredum fieri incerta legata nec multum interesse tale legatum ab hoc 'si heres erit, dato'.
If a legacy is given to Titius under the same condition under which I instituted you as heir, Pomponius thinks that the time of this legacy establishes just as if it had been left unconditionally (pure), since it would be certain that it will be owed once there is an heir; for legacies do not become uncertain through a condition attached to the heirs, nor is there much difference between such a legacy and this one: "if he is the heir, let him give."

Notes

  1. §36.2.21.prdies quidem legati statim cedit, sed ante diem peti non potest — This indicates the two-stage process of a legacy taking effect in Roman law: the vesting of the right (dies cedit) and the claimability/arrival of the time for performance (dies venit). When there is a certain date (dies certa), the right vests (cedit) immediately upon the opening of the legacy, but cannot be claimed (peti) until that date (diem) arrives.
  2. §36.2.21.prquod scribenti comprehendere sit commodum — The subjunctive present `sit` in the relative clause `quod ...` expresses a generic or hypothetical character, referring to any example that is convenient for the writer to include.
  3. §36.2.21.1debitum iri — The future passive infinitive of the verb debeo (to be owed), used as the predicate of the accusative-with-infinitive (AcI) construction that serves as the subject of `certum esset` (it would be certain). The whole phrase means 'it would be certain that it will be owed (once there is an heir)'.
  4. §36.2.21.1neque enim per condicionem heredum fieri incerta legata — An accusative-with-infinitive (AcI) construction in indirect speech governed by the preceding `Pomponius putat` (Pomponius thinks). The accusative subject is `incerta legata` (uncertain legacies) and the infinitive is `fieri`. The following clause `nec multum interesse...` is similarly coordinated as part of Pomponius' thought.

Cite this passage

Justinian I, The Digest of Justinian §36.2.21.pr-36.2.21.1. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi2806.phi002.humanitext-lat1:36.2.21.pr-36.2.21.1

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