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Justinian I · The Digest of Justinian §37.11.2.pr-37.11.2.9

Priority of Written Heirs and Possession of Goods

Passage 5834 of 9271 · Latin

Summary

This fragment discusses the order of priority between children and written heirs in the possession of goods according to the tablets, the rules governing conditional and substitute heirs, the invalidity resulting from the intentional erasure of an heir's name, and the rule that the possession of goods follows the ownership of an instituted slave.

[IDEM libro quadragensimo primo ad edictum. ] §37.11.2.prAequissimum ordinem praetor secutus est: uoluit enim primo ad liberos bonorum possessionem contra tabulas pertinere, mox, si inde non sit occupata, iudicium defuncti sequendum.
[IDEM libro quadragensimo primo ad edictum.] The praetor has followed a most equitable order: for he willed that in the first place the possession of goods against the tablets should belong to the children, and then, if it was not occupied from that quarter, the decision of the deceased should be followed.
exspectandi igitur liberi erunt, quamdiu bonorum possessionem petere possunt: quod si tempus fuerit finitum aut ante decesserint uel repudiauerint uel ius petendae bonorum possessionis amiserint, tunc reuertetur bonorum possessio ad scriptos.
Therefore, the children must be waited for, as long as they are able to petition for the possession of goods: but if the time has expired, or they have died beforehand, or have rejected it, or have lost the right to petition for the possession of goods, then the possession of goods will revert to the written heirs.
§37.11.2.1Si sub condicione heres institutus filius sit, Iulianus peraeque putauit secundum tabulas competere ei quasi scripto bonorum possessionem, qualisqualis condicio sit, etiam si haec 'si nauis ex Asia uenerit': et quamuis defecerit condicio, praetor tamen filium, qui admiserit secundum tabulas, tueri debebit ac si contra tabulas acceperit: quae tuitio ei qui emancipatus est necessaria est.
If a son is instituted heir under a condition, Julian thought that the possession of goods according to the tablets belongs to him equally as a written heir, whatever the condition may be, even if it is "if a ship arrives from Asia": and even if the condition should fail, the praetor must nevertheless protect the son, who has accepted according to the tablets, just as if he had received it against the tablets; which protection is necessary for one who has been emancipated.
§37.11.2.2Pro qua quisque parte heres scriptus est, pro ea accipiet bonorum possessionem, sic tamen, ut, si non sit qui ei concurrat, habeat solus bonorum possessionem: quamdiu tamen ex heredibus unus deliberat, utrum admittat bonorum possessionem an non, portio bonorum possessionis eius coheredi non defertur.
Each shall receive the possession of goods in proportion to the share for which he has been written heir, yet in such a way that, if there is no one to compete with him, he shall have the possession of goods alone: however, as long as one of the heirs is deliberating whether to accept the possession of goods or not, his share of the possession of goods is not offered to his co-heir.
§37.11.2.3Si Primus quidem ita substitutus sit, si intra decem, Secundus, si post decem intra quattuordecim annos: si quidem intra decem decesserit, Primus solus heres erit et accipiet bonorum possessionem, si uero post decem intra quattuordecim, Secundus solus heres erit et accipiet bonorum possessionem, nec sibi iunguntur, cum ad suam quisque causam substitutus sit.
If Primus indeed has been substituted in this way, "if [he dies] within ten [years]," and Secundus, "if after ten and within fourteen years": if indeed [the deceased] died within ten years, Primus alone will be the heir and will receive the possession of goods; but if after ten and within fourteen, Secundus alone will be the heir and will receive the possession of goods; nor are they joined to each other, since each was substituted for his own specific circumstance.
§37.11.2.4Defertur bonorum possessio secundum tabulas primo gradu scriptis heredibus, mox illis non petentibus sequentibus, non solum substitutis, uerum substituti quoque substitutis, et per seriem substitutos admittimus.
The possession of goods according to the tablets is offered to the written heirs in the first degree, and then, if they do not petition, to those who follow—not only to the substitutes, but also to the substitutes of a substitute, and we admit the substitutes in order.
primo gradu autem scriptos accipere debemus omnes, qui primo loco scripti sunt: nam sicuti ad adeundam hereditatem proximi sunt, ita et ad bonorum possessionem admittendam.
But by "written in the first degree" we ought to understand all those who are written in the first place; for just as they are the nearest to entering upon the inheritance, so also are they to being admitted to the possession of goods.
§37.11.2.5Si quis ita scripserit: 'Primus ex parte heres esto: si Primus heres non erit, Secundus heres esto.
If anyone has written thus: "Let Primus be heir for a share; if Primus is not heir, let Secundus be heir.
Tertius ex alia parte dimidia heres esto: si non erit, Quartus heres esto', Primus et Tertius priores ad bonorum possessionem inuitantur.
Let Tertius be heir for the other half share; if he is not, let Quartus be heir," Primus and Tertius are invited first to the possession of goods.
§37.11.2.6Si quis ita instituerit heredes: 'uter ex fratribus meis Seiam uxorem duxerit, ex dodrante mihi heres esto, uter non duxerit, ex quadrante heres esto', si quidem mortua fuerit Seia, aequas partes habituros heredes constat: quod si ab altero uxor ducta fuerit, dodrantem et quadrantem eis competere: bonorum autem possessionem, antequam existat condicio, neutrum petere.
If anyone has instituted heirs thus: "Whichever of my brothers marries Seia, let him be my heir for three-quarters; whichever does not marry her, let him be heir for one-quarter": if indeed Seia should die, it is clear that the heirs will have equal shares; but if she is married by one of them, the three-quarters and the one-quarter belong to them respectively; but before the condition is fulfilled, neither can petition for the possession of goods.
§37.11.2.7Si consulto sit inductum nomen heredis, indubitanter probatur bonorum possessionem petere eum non posse, quemadmodum non potest, qui heres scriptus est non consulto testatore: nam pro non scripto est, quem scribi noluit.
If the name of an heir has been intentionally erased, it is proved beyond doubt that he cannot petition for the possession of goods, just as he cannot who has been written as heir without the intention of the testator; for he whom the testator did not wish to be written is regarded as not written.
§37.11.2.8Si duo sint heredes instituti Primus et Secundus, Secundo Tertius substitutus, omittente Secundo bonorum possessionem Tertius succedit: quod si Tertius noluerit hereditatem adire uel bonorum possessionem accipere, reccidit bonorum possessio ad Primum.
If two heirs, Primus and Secundus, are instituted, and Tertius is substituted for Secundus, if Secundus declines the possession of goods, Tertius succeeds; but if Tertius should not wish to enter upon the inheritance or to accept the possession of goods, the possession of goods falls back to Primus.
nec erit ei necesse petere bonorum possessionem, sed ipso iure ei adcrescet: heredi enim scripto sicut portio hereditatis, ita et bonorum possessio adcrescit.
Nor will it be necessary for him to petition for the possession of goods, but it will accrue to him by operation of law; for to a written heir, just as a portion of the inheritance accrues, so also does the possession of goods.
§37.11.2.9Si seruus heres scriptus sit, ei domino defertur bonorum possessio, ad quem hereditas pertinebit: ambulat enim cum dominio bonorum possessio.
If a slave has been written as heir, the possession of goods is offered to that master to whom the inheritance will belong; for the possession of goods travels with the ownership.
quare si mortis tempore Stichus heres institutus fuit seruus Sempronii nec Sempronius eum iussit adire, sed uel decessit uel etiam eum alienauit et coepit esse Septicii: euenit, ut, si Septicius eum iusserit, Septicio deferatur bonorum possessio: ad hunc enim hereditas pertinet.
Therefore, if at the time of death Stichus, instituted heir, was the slave of Sempronius, and Sempronius did not order him to enter upon it, but either died or even alienated him, and he began to belong to Septicius: it happens that, if Septicius orders him, the possession of goods is offered to Septicius; for to him the inheritance belongs.
unde si per multos dominos transierit seruus tres uel plures, nouissimo dabimus bonorum possessionem.
Hence, if the slave has passed through many masters, three or more, we shall give the possession of goods to the newest one.

Notes

  1. §37.11.2.prexspectandi igitur liberi erunt — An expression of passive necessity or obligation using the gerundive (exspectandi erunt). The dative of agent is omitted, but contextually refers to the praetor or the written heirs: "the children must be waited for."
  2. §37.11.2.1quasi scripto bonorum possessionem — The particle quasi (as if) is used adverbially with scripto (to the written [heir]). It denotes a legal fiction that the son is entitled to petition for the possession of goods as if he were already an unconditional written heir, regardless of the condition's outcome.
  3. §37.11.2.3si intra decem — A highly elliptical expression presupposing pupillary substitution (substitutio pupillaris). After intra decem and post decem, the noun annos (years of age) is understood, and the conditional clauses implicitly require a verb phrase such as decesserit pupillus (if the ward should die).
  4. §37.11.2.8omittente Secundo bonorum possessionem — An ablative absolute using the present participle. It expresses a temporal or causal condition ("when/since Secundus declines the possession of goods"), which serves as the prerequisite for the main verb succedit (Tertius succeeds).

Cite this passage

Justinian I, The Digest of Justinian §37.11.2.pr-37.11.2.9. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi2806.phi002.humanitext-lat1:37.11.2.pr-37.11.2.9

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