Prohibition on Testamentary Manumission by Soldiers under Twenty

Notes

1. §40.4.3.prminori annis uiginti — The comparative adjective minori (dative modifying militi) is accompanied by the ablative of comparison annis, meaning literally 'younger than twenty years', i.e., 'under twenty years of age'.
2. §40.4.3.prpermittitur posse — The infinitive posse (to be able) functions as the subject of the impersonal passive verb permittitur (it is permitted), and in turn governs the infinitive manumittere. This is a common pleonastic use of posse in post-classical and juristic Latin when expressing permission or capability.