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Justinian I · The Digest of Justinian §7.1.9.pr-7.1.9.7

Scope of Fruits and Exploitation of Mines in Land Usufruct

Passage 1180 of 9271 · Latin

Summary

The text discusses the scope of fruits included in the ususfructus of land (such as quarries, alluvion, nurseries, and instruments) and the rights and duties of the usufructuary in using and maintaining them, citing various jurists.

[IDEM libro septimo decimo ad Sabinum. ] §7.1.9.prItem si fundi usus fructus sit legatus, quidquid in fundo nascitur, quidquid inde percipi potest, ipsius fructus est, sic tamen ut boni uiri arbitratu fruatur.
[THE SAME, On Sabinus, book 17] Likewise, if the ususfructus of land has been bequeathed, whatever is born on the land, and whatever can be gathered from it, is his fruit, on the condition, however, that he enjoys it by the judgment of an upright man.
nam et Celsus libro octauo decimo digestorum scribit cogi eum posse recte colere.
For Celsus also writes in the eighteenth book of the Digests that he can be compelled to cultivate properly.
§7.1.9.1Et si apes in eo fundo sint, earum quoque usus fructus ad eum pertinet.
And if there are bees on that land, their ususfructus also belongs to him.
§7.1.9.2Sed si lapidicinas habeat et lapidem caedere uelit uel cretifodinas habeat uel harenas, omnibus his usurum Sabinus ait quasi bonum patrem familias: quam sententiam puto ueram.
But if it has stone quarries and he wishes to cut stone, or if it has chalk-pits or sand-pits, Sabinus says that he will use all these like a good head of a household; which opinion I think is true.
§7.1.9.3Sed si haec metalla post usum fructum legatum sint inuenta, cum totius agri relinquatur usus fructus, non partium, continentur legato.
But if these mines are discovered after the ususfructus has been bequeathed, since the ususfructus of the whole land is left, not of its parts, they are included in the legacy.
§7.1.9.4Huic uicinus tractatus est, qui solet in eo quod accessit tractari: et placuit alluuionis quoque usum fructum ad fructuarium pertinere.
Close to this is the discussion which is usually treated in relation to what has acceded: and it has been decided that the ususfructus of alluvion also belongs to the usufructuary.
sed si insula iuxta fundum in flumine nata sit, eius usum fructum ad fructuarium non pertinere Pegasus scribit, licet proprietati accedat: esse enim ueluti proprium fundum, cuius usus fructus ad te non pertineat.
But if an island is formed in a river next to the land, Pegasus writes that its ususfructus does not belong to the usufructuary, even though it accedes to the ownership; for it is, as it were, a separate estate, the ususfructus of which does not belong to you.
quae sententia non est sine ratione: nam ubi latitet incrementum, et usus fructus augetur, ubi autem apparet separatum, fructuario non accedit.
This opinion is not without reason: for where the increment is imperceptible, the ususfructus also increases, but where it appears as separate, it does not accrue to the usufructuary.
§7.1.9.5Aucupiorum quoque et uenationum reditum Cassius ait libro octauo iuris ciuilis ad fructuarium pertinere: ergo et piscationum.
Cassius also says in the eighth book of the Civil Law that the profits of fowling and hunting belong to the usufructuary; therefore, also those of fishing.
§7.1.9.6Seminarii autem fructum puto ad fructuarium pertinere ita tamen, ut et uendere ei et seminare liceat: debet tamen conserendi agri causa seminarium paratum semper renouare quasi instrumentum agri, ut finito usu fructu domino restituatur.
Moreover, I think the yield of a nursery belongs to the usufructuary, on the condition, however, that he is permitted both to sell and to plant; he must, however, for the purpose of planting the field, always renew the prepared nursery, as if it were an instrument of the field, so that, when the ususfructus is ended, it may be restored to the owner.
§7.1.9.7Instrumenti autem fructum habere debet: uendendi tamen facultatem non habet.
He ought also to have the fruit of the instrument; however, he does not have the power of selling.
nam et si fundi usus fructus fuerit legatus et sit ager, unde palo in fundum, cuius usus fructus legatus est, solebat pater familias uti, uel salice uel harundine, puto fructuarium hactenus uti posse, ne ex eo uendat, nisi forte salicti ei uel siluae palaris uel harundineti usus fructus sit legatus: tunc enim et uendere potest.
For even if the ususfructus of land has been bequeathed, and there is a field from which the head of a household was accustomed to use stakes, or willow, or reed, for the land of which the ususfructus has been bequeathed, I think that the usufructuary can use them only to the extent that he does not sell anything from them, unless by chance the ususfructus of a willow-copse, or of a pole-wood, or of a reed-bed, has been bequeathed to him; for then he can also sell.
nam et Trebatius scribit siluam caeduam et harundinetum posse fructuarium caedere, sicut pater familias caedebat, et uendere, licet pater familias non solebat uendere, sed ipse uti: ad modum enim referendum est, non ad qualitatem utendi.
For Trebatius also writes that the usufructuary can cut a coppice-wood and a reed-bed, just as the head of a household used to cut them, and sell them, even though the head of a household was not accustomed to sell, but to use them himself; for reference must be made to the measure, not to the character of the use.

Notes

  1. §7.1.9.prsic tamen ut boni uiri arbitratu fruatur — "sic tamen ut" introduces a restrictive or conditional clause with the subjunctive "fruatur" ("on the condition, however, that he enjoys"). "boni uiri arbitratu" ("by the judgment of an upright man") functions as an ablative of manner, providing an objective standard for the usufructuary's conduct.
  2. §7.1.9.2quasi bonum patrem familias — The accusative "bonum patrem familias" is used after "quasi" instead of the nominative because it agrees with the omitted subject accusative "eum" (the usufructuary) of the infinitive construction dependent on "Sabinus ait".
  3. §7.1.9.7hactenus uti posse, ne ex eo uendat — "hactenus... ne" is a construction indicating a limitation ("only to the extent that he does not..."). It defines the boundary within which the usufructuary may use resources for self-consumption, which he otherwise cannot sell.
  4. §7.1.9.7ad modum enim referendum est, non ad qualitatem utendi — "referendum est" is an impersonal use of the gerundive, meaning "reference must be made." It contrasts "modus" (measure or quantity) with "qualitas utendi" (character or manner of use), explaining that as long as the quantity of use is not exceeded, the usufructuary may sell the yield even if the head of household used it only for himself.

Cite this passage

Justinian I, The Digest of Justinian §7.1.9.pr-7.1.9.7. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi2806.phi002.humanitext-lat1:7.1.9.pr-7.1.9.7

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