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Justinian I · The Digest of Justinian §7.4.28.pr

Usufruct Bequeathed for Alternate Years and Non-Use

Passage 1286 of 9271 · Latin

Summary

Explains that a usufruct bequeathed for alternate years cannot be lost by non-use, because each year's right is considered a distinct legacy.

[IDEM libro tertio decimo ad Plautium. ] §7.4.28.prSi usus fructus alternis annis legetur, non posse non utendo eum amitti, quia plura sunt legata.
[THE SAME AUTHOR in the thirteenth book on Plautius.] If a usufruct is bequeathed for alternate years, it cannot be lost by non-use, because they are multiple legacies.

Notes

  1. §7.4.28.prnon posse — This is an accusative with infinitive (accusativus cum infinitivo) construction in indirect speech (oratio obliqua), where the governing verb (such as "respondit" or "placuit") is omitted. It conveys the meaning 'it is held that it cannot...'
  2. §7.4.28.prnon utendo — A gerund in the ablative case, expressing means or cause ('by not using', 'by non-use'). It refers to the loss of a usufruct through non-use ("non usus").
  3. §7.4.28.prplura sunt legata — The subject is the neuter plural "legata". It provides the legal rationale that the bequest of a usufruct for alternate years is not considered a single continuous bequest, but rather multiple ("plura") distinct legacies, meaning that non-use in one year does not cause the loss of the right for other years.

Cite this passage

Justinian I, The Digest of Justinian §7.4.28.pr. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi2806.phi002.humanitext-lat1:7.4.28.pr

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