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Justinian I · The Digest of Justinian §45.1.108.pr-45.1.108.1

Condition of Marriage to Anyone and Potestative Conditions

Passage 7455 of 9271 · Latin

Summary

The text demonstrates the validity of a dowry agreement conditioned on marriage to an unspecified woman and declares the invalidity of any promise that depends solely on the promisor's will.

[IDEM libro decimo epistularum. ] §45.1.108.prA Titio ita stipulatus sum: 'si qua mihi nupserit, decem dotis eius nomine dare spondes?' quaerebatur, an consistat talis stipulatio.
[THE SAME, book ten of Letters.] I stipulated thus from Titius: 'If any woman marries me, do you promise to give ten in the name of her dowry?' It was asked whether such a stipulation is valid.
respondit: si stipulanti mihi dos ita promissa est: 'quamcumque uxorem duxero, dotis eius nomine decem dare spondes?', nihil in causa est, quare ea pecunia condicione expleta non debeatur: nam cum condicio etiam ex incertae personae facto parere obligationem possit, ueluti 'si quis in Capitolium ascenderit, decem dare spondes?' 'si quis a me decem petierit, tot dare spondes?', cur non idem et in dote promissa respondeatur, ratio reddi non potest.
He answered: If a dowry is promised to me when stipulating in this way: 'Whomever I take as wife, do you promise to give ten in the name of her dowry?', there is no reason why that money should not be owed once the condition is fulfilled. For since a condition can produce an obligation even from the act of an uncertain person, such as: 'If anyone goes up to the Capitol, do you promise to give ten?' or 'If anyone demands ten from me, do you promise to give that amount?', no reason can be given why the same should not be answered also in the case of a promised dowry.
§45.1.108.1Nulla promissio potest consistere, quae ex uoluntate promittentis statum capit.
No promise can be valid which takes its force from the will of the promisor.

Notes

  1. §45.1.108.prsi qua — The phrase si qua ('if any [woman]') uses the feminine singular nominative indefinite pronoun qua (shortened from aliqua after si), with a noun like mulier (woman) or uxor (wife) understood from the context.
  2. §45.1.108.prcur non idem et in dote promissa respondeatur, ratio reddi non potest — The main clause ratio reddi non potest ('no reason can be given') governs the preceding indirect question clause introduced by cur non ('why the same should not be answered...'). The double negation functions as a strong affirmation that the same answer must indeed be given.
  3. §45.1.108.1ex uoluntate promittentis statum capit — The phrase refers to an obligation dependent entirely on the sole discretion of the debtor (e.g., 'if I so wish', a purely potestative condition). Such an agreement fails to create a legal bond and is thus void (nulla promissio potest consistere).

Cite this passage

Justinian I, The Digest of Justinian §45.1.108.pr-45.1.108.1. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi2806.phi002.humanitext-lat1:45.1.108.pr-45.1.108.1

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