[GAIUS libro secundo rerum cottidianarum siue aureorum. ] §41.1.7.pradeo quidem, ut et liberi homines in seruitutem deducantur: qui tamen, si euaserint hostium potestatem, recipiunt pristinam libertatem.
[GAIUS, Daily Matters or Golden Words, Book II] Indeed, to such an extent that even free persons are reduced to slavery; who, however, if they escape from the power of the enemy, recover their pristine liberty.
Praeterea quod per alluionem §41.1.7.1agro nostro flumen adicit, iure gentium nobis adquiritur.
Moreover, what by alluvion a river adds to our land is acquired by us by the law of nations.
per alluionem autem id uidetur adici, quod ita paulatim adicitur, ut intellegere non possimus, quantum quoquo momento temporis adiciatur.
Moreover, that is deemed to be added by alluvion which is added so gradually that we cannot perceive how much is added at any single moment of time.
§41.1.7.2Quod si uis fluminis partem aliquam ex tuo praedio detraxerit et meo praedio attulerit, palam est eam tuam permanere.
But if the force of a river has torn away some part from your land and brought it to my land, it is clear that it remains yours.
plane si longiore tempore fundo meo haeserit arboresque, quas secum traxerit, in meum fundum radices egerint, ex eo tempore uidetur meo fundo adquisita esse.
Clearly, if it has adhered to my land for a longer time, and the trees which it carried with it have struck roots into my land, from that time it is deemed to have been acquired for my land.
§41.1.7.3Insula quae in mari nascitur (quod raro accidit) occupantis fit: nullius enim esse creditur.
An island which rises in the sea (which rarely happens) becomes the property of the occupant, for it is believed to belong to no one.
in flumine nata (quod frequenter accidit), si quidem mediam partem fluminis tenet, communis est eorum, qui ab utraque parte fluminis prope ripam praedia possident, pro modo latitudinis cuiusque praedii, quae latitudo prope ripam sit: quod si alteri parti proximior sit, eorum est tantum, qui ab ea parte prope ripam praedia possident.
One born in a river (which frequently happens), if indeed it occupies the middle of the river, is common to those who possess estates near the bank on both sides of the river, in proportion to the width of each estate, which width is near the bank; but if it is nearer to one side, it belongs only to those who possess estates near the bank on that side.
§41.1.7.4Quod si uno latere perruperit flumen et alia parte nouo riuo fluere coeperit, deinde infra nouus iste riuus in ueterem se conuerterit, ager, qui a duobus riuis comprehensus in formam insulae redactus est, eius est scilicet, cuius et fuit.
But if a river has broken through on one side and has begun to flow in a new channel on another part, and then further down this new stream turns back into the old one, the land which, enclosed by the two streams, is reduced to the form of an island, clearly remains the property of him to whom it belonged.
§41.1.7.5Quod si toto naturali alueo relicto flumen alias fluere coeperit, prior quidem alueus eorum est, qui prope ripam praedia possident, pro modo scilicet latitudinis cuiusque praedii, quae latitudo prope ripam sit: nouus autem alueus eius iuris esse incipit, cuius et ipsum flumen, id est publicus iuris gentium.
But if, having abandoned its entire natural bed, the river has begun to flow elsewhere, the former bed indeed belongs to those who possess estates near the bank, of course in proportion to the width of each estate, which width is near the bank; the new bed, however, begins to be of the same legal status as the river itself, that is, public by the law of nations.
quod si post aliquod temporis ad priorem alueum reuersum fuerit flumen, rursus nouus alueus eorum esse incipit, qui prope ripam eius praedia possident.
But if after some time the river has returned to its former bed, the new bed again begins to belong to those who possess estates near its bank.
cuius tamen totum agrum nouus alueus occupauerit, licet ad priorem alueum reuersum fuerit flumen, non tamen is, cuius is ager fuerat, stricta ratione quicquam in eo alueo habere potest, quia et ille ager qui fuerat desiit esse amissa propria forma et, quia uicinum praedium nullum habet, non potest ratione uicinitatis ullam partem in eo alueo habere: sed uix est, ut id optineat.
However, if the new bed has occupied the whole land of someone, even if the river has returned to its former bed, he whose land it had been cannot by strict law have anything in that bed, because that land which had been ceased to exist, its own form being lost, and, because he has no adjacent estate, he cannot by reason of adjacency have any part in that bed; but it is hardly the case that this view prevails.
§41.1.7.6Aliud sane est, si cuius ager totus inundatus fuerit: namque inundatio speciem fundi non mutat et ob id, cum recesserit aqua, palam est eiusdem esse, cuius et fuit.
It is indeed otherwise if someone's land has been completely flooded; for a flood does not change the character of the land, and for this reason, when the water has receded, it is clear that it belongs to the same person to whom it belonged before.
§41.1.7.7Cum quis ex aliena materia speciem aliquam suo nomine fecerit, Nerua et Proculus putant hunc dominum esse qui fecerit, quia quod factum est, antea nullius fuerat.
When anyone has made a new article out of another's material in his own name, Nerva and Proculus think that the person who made it is the owner, because what has been made had previously belonged to no one.
Sabinus et Cassius magis naturalem rationem efficere putant, ut qui materiae dominus fuerit, idem eius quoque, quod ex eadem materia factum sit, dominus esset, quia sine materia nulla species effici possit: ueluti si ex auro uel argento uel aere uas aliquod fecero, uel ex tabulis tuis nauem aut armarium aut subsellia fecero, uel ex lana tua uestimentum, uel ex uino et melle tuo mulsum, uel ex medicamentis tuis emplastrum aut collyrium, uel ex uuis aut oliuis aut spicis tuis uinum uel oleum uel frumentum.
Sabinus and Cassius think that a more natural reason makes it that he who was the owner of the material should also be the owner of that which was made out of the same material, because without material no article can be made; as for instance, if I make some vessel out of gold, silver, or bronze, or if I make a ship, a chest, or benches out of your planks, or a garment out of your wool, or mead out of your wine and honey, or a plaster or eye-salve out of your drugs, or wine, oil, or grain out of your grapes, olives, or ears of corn.
est tamen etiam media sententia recte existimantium, si species ad materiam reuerti possit, uerius esse, quod et Sabinus et Cassius senserunt, si non possit reuerti, uerius esse, quod Neruae et Proculo placuit.
There is, however, also a middle opinion of those who correctly think that if the article can be reduced to its material, that is more correct which Sabinus and Cassius thought, but if it cannot be reduced, that is more correct which pleased Nerva and Proculus.
ut ecce uas conflatum ad rudem massam auri uel argenti uel aeris reuerti potest, uinum uero uel oleum uel frumentum ad uuas et oliuas et spicas reuerti non potest: ac ne mulsum quidem ad mel et uinum uel emplastrum aut collyria ad medicamenta reuerti possunt.
As, for example, a cast vessel can be reduced to a rude mass of gold, silver, or bronze, but wine, oil, or grain cannot be reduced to grapes, olives, and ears of corn; nor indeed can mead be reduced to honey and wine, or plaster or eye-salves to drugs.
uidentur tamen mihi recte quidam dixisse non debere dubitari, quin alienis spicis excussum frumentum eius sit, cuius et spicae fuerunt: cum enim grana, quae spicis continentur, perfectam habeant suam speciem, qui excussit spicas, non nouam speciem facit, sed eam quae est detegit.
Nevertheless, some seem to me to have correctly said that there ought to be no doubt that grain threshed out of another's ears of corn belongs to him to whom the ears belonged; for since the grains contained in the ears have their own perfect form, he who threshed the ears did not make a new article, but uncovered that which already existed.