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Justinian I · The Digest of Justinian §7.8.23.pr

Prohibition on Owner Altering Property Subject to Use

Passage 1336 of 9271 · Latin

Summary

Neratius states that the owner cannot change the character of the thing subject to use, and Paulus adds that even a change for the better is impermissible because it worsens the legal position of the user.

[PAULUS libro primo ad Neratium. ] §7.8.23.prNERATIUS: usuariae rei speciem is cuius proprietas est nullo modo commutare potest.
[PAULUS, in the first book on Neratius.] NERATIUS: The person to whom the ownership belongs can in no way change the character of the thing subject to use.
PAULUS: deteriorem enim causam usuarii facere non potest: facit autem deteriorem etiam in meliorem statum commutata.
PAULUS: For he cannot make the position of the user worse; moreover, even if changed into a better state, it (the change) makes it worse.

Notes

  1. §7.8.23.prusuariae rei — A genitive phrase consisting of the adjective `usuarius` and the noun `res`, referring to "the thing subject to the right of use (usus)." It modifies `speciem` (character, form).
  2. §7.8.23.prcommutata — A perfect participle in the nominative feminine singular, referring to the implied subject `res` (thing) or `species` (character). It has a concessive force ("even if changed..."). It functions as the subject of `facit`, which takes the implied object `causam` (position) and makes it `deteriorem` (worse).

Cite this passage

Justinian I, The Digest of Justinian §7.8.23.pr. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi2806.phi002.humanitext-lat1:7.8.23.pr

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