Humanitext Reader

Justinian I · The Digest of Justinian §7.1.3.pr-7.1.3.3

Creation of Usufruct and Its Reversion to Ownership

Passage 1174 of 9271 · Latin

Summary

Gaius explains that usufruct can be established over land and other property by legacy or agreements, and that it must eventually terminate and revert to the owner to prevent ownership from becoming useless, noting that the same rules apply to bare use.

[GAIUS libro secundo rerum cottidianarum uel aureorum. ] §7.1.3.prOmnium praediorum iure legati potest constitui usus fructus, ut heres iubeatur dare alicui usum fructum.
[GAIUS, Everyday Matters or Golden Words, book 2] A usufruct can be established by the law of legacy over all estates, so that the heir is ordered to give the usufruct to someone.
dare autem intellegitur, si induxerit in fundum legatarium eumue patiatur uti frui.
And he is understood to "give" it, if he introduces the legatee into the land or allows him to use and enjoy it.
et sine testamento autem si quis uelit usum fructum constituere, pactionibus et stipulationibus id efficere potest.
Moreover, even without a will, if anyone wishes to establish a usufruct, he can effect this by pacts and stipulations.
§7.1.3.1Constitit autem usus fructus non tantum in fundo et aedibus, uerum etiam in seruis et iumentis ceterisque rebus.
Now, usufruct is established not only in land and buildings, but also in slaves, beasts of burden, and other things.
§7.1.3.2Ne tamen in uniuersum inutiles essent proprietates semper abscedente usu fructu, placuit certis modis extingui usum fructum et ad proprietatem reuerti.
Lest, however, ownerships should be rendered entirely useless by the usufruct being permanently separated, it was resolved that the usufruct should be extinguished in certain ways and revert to the ownership.
§7.1.3.3Quibus autem modis usus fructus et constitit et finitur, isdem modis etiam nudus usus solet et constitui et finiri.
Moreover, by the same ways in which usufruct is both established and ended, bare use also is accustomed to be both established and ended.

Notes

  1. 7.1.3.prdare autem intellegitur — The present infinitive `dare` functions as the subject (nominative use of the infinitive) of the passive verb `intellegitur`. The meaning is "giving is understood to take place if...".
  2. 7.1.3.2semper abscedente usu fructu — An ablative absolute construction consisting of the present participle `abscedente` and the noun `usu fructu`. Here, it expresses a condition or cause ("by the usufruct being permanently separated" or "if the usufruct were always separated").
  3. 7.1.3.2placuit — An impersonal verb meaning "it was resolved/agreed that...". Its grammatical subject is the subsequent accusative with infinitive (A.C.I.) clauses: `extingui usum fructum` and `[usum fructum] ad proprietatem reuerti`.

Cite this passage

Justinian I, The Digest of Justinian §7.1.3.pr-7.1.3.3. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi2806.phi002.humanitext-lat1:7.1.3.pr-7.1.3.3

Please note the AI-draft status of the translation and the date accessed.

Translation, notes and summary are AI-generated drafts, revised through reader feedback.