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Justinian I · The Digest of Justinian §38.2.5.pr-38.2.5.1

Substitution of Patron's Children and Scope of Duty

Passage 5941 of 9271 · Latin

Summary

It regulates the inheritance obligations of a freedman toward his patron and the patron's children, specifying the need for substitution in case of the patron's prior death, and the scope of obligations when there is an emancipated son and a grandson.

[GAIUS libro quinto decimo ad edictum prouinciale. ] §38.2.5.prLibertinus, qui patronum patronique liberos habet, si patronum ex parte debita heredem instituit, liberos eius in eandem portionem substituere debet, ut, licet patronus uiuo liberto mortuus fuerit, satisfactum uideatur liberis eius.
[GAIUS from the fifteenth book on the provincial edict.] A freedman who has a patron and children of the patron, if he appoints the patron as heir for the due portion, must substitute his children into the same portion, so that, although the patron should die during the lifetime of the freedman, satisfaction may seem to be given to his children.
§38.2.5.1Si patroni filium emancipatum et nepotem ex eo, qui in aui familia remansit, libertus habeat, filio tantum, non etiam nepoti satisfacere debebit libertus: nec ad rem pertinet, quod ad parentis bona pariter uocantur.
If a freedman has an emancipated son of the patron and a grandson from him who remained in the family of the grandfather, the freedman will be obliged to satisfy the son only, and not also the grandson; nor does it matter that they are equally called to the goods of the parent.

Notes

  1. §38.2.5.prsubstituere — Refers to 'substituting' or appointing as a substitute heir (substitutio) in inheritance law. This ensures that the patron's children can take the portion if the patron dies before the freedman.
  2. §38.2.5.prlicet patronus uiuo liberto mortuus fuerit — The conjunction licet takes the subjunctive (here the perfect mortuus fuerit) to introduce a concessive clause ('although the patron should die...'). uiuo liberto is an ablative absolute construction formed by a noun and an adjective ('while the freedman is alive').
  3. §38.2.5.1nepotem ex eo, qui in aui familia remansit — The antecedent of the relative pronoun qui is nepotem. It describes a family status where, when the patron's son (eo) was emancipated, the grandson (nepotem) born of that son remained in the household (under the paternal power) of the grandfather (auus).
  4. §38.2.5.1quod ad parentis bona pariter uocantur — The quod clause is a noun clause indicating a fact, serving as the subject of the negative impersonal expression nec ad rem pertinet ('the fact that... does not matter'). parentis refers to the grandfather (the patron) in this context.

Cite this passage

Justinian I, The Digest of Justinian §38.2.5.pr-38.2.5.1. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi2806.phi002.humanitext-lat1:38.2.5.pr-38.2.5.1

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