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Justinian I · The Digest of Justinian §8.3.13.pr-8.3.13.3

Persistence of Servitude and Determination of Undefined Way

Passage 1422 of 9271 · Latin

Summary

This passage discusses the persistence of servitudes based on the nature of the land (such as vineyards) and prescribes the legal remedies and the role of an arbiter when the path or width of a right of way is not specified.

[IAUOLENUS libro decimo ex Cassio. ] §8.3.13.prCerto generi agrorum adquiri seruitus potest, uelut uineis, quod ea ad solum magis quam ad superficiem pertinet.
[JAVOLENUS, From Cassius, Book 10] A servitude can be acquired for a specific kind of land, such as vineyards, because it pertains to the soil rather than to the surface.
ideo sublates uineis seruitus manebit: sed si in contrahenda seruitute aliud actum erit, doli mali exceptio erit necessaria.
Therefore, even if the vines are removed, the servitude will remain; but if something else was agreed upon in contracting the servitude, the defense of fraud (exceptio doli mali) will be necessary.
§8.3.13.1Si totus ager itineri aut actui seruit, dominus in eo agro nihil facere potest, quo seruitus impediatur, quae ita diffusa est, ut omnes glaebae seruiant, aut si iter actusue sine ulla determinatione legatus est: modo determinabitur et qua primum iter determinatum est, ea seruitus constitit, ceterae partes agri liberae sunt: igitur arbiter dandus est, qui utroque casu uiam determinare debet.
If an entire estate is subject to a right of way on foot (iter) or of driving cattle (actus), the owner can do nothing in that estate by which the servitude is obstructed, which is so diffused that every clod of earth is subject to it; or if the right of way on foot or of driving cattle is bequeathed without any determination: it shall be defined presently, and where the way is first determined, there the servitude is established, and the other parts of the estate are free; therefore, an arbiter must be appointed, who in either case ought to determine the way.
§8.3.13.2Latitudo actus itinerisque ea est, quae demonstrata est: quod si nihil dictum est, hoc ab arbitro statuendum est.
The width of a way for driving cattle (actus) and a way on foot (iter) is that which has been pointed out; but if nothing has been said, this must be determined by an arbiter.
in uia aliud iuris est: nam si dicta latitudo non est, legitima debetur.
In the case of a road (uia), the law is different: for if the width has not been stated, the statutory width is due.
§8.3.13.3Si locus non adiecta latitudine nominatus est, per eum qualibet iri poterit: sin autem praetermissus est aeque latitudine non adiecta, per totum fundum una poterit eligi uia dumtaxat eius latitudinis, quae lege compraehensa est: pro quo ipso, si dubitabitur, arbitri officium inuocandum est.
If a place has been named without the width being added, it will be permitted to pass through it anywhere; but if the place has been omitted and likewise the width has not been added, one path may be chosen through the entire estate, provided it is only of the width that is prescribed by law; regarding which very matter, if there is doubt, the office of an arbiter must be invoked.

Notes

  1. 8.3.13.prsublates — The word sublates in the text is a scribal error for sublatis (perfect passive participle of tollere, feminine plural ablative). It agrees with uineis to form an ablative absolute meaning 'even if the vineyards are removed'.
  2. 8.3.13.praliud actum erit — The phrase aliud agere is an idiomatic expression in legal contexts meaning 'to make a different agreement' or 'to intend something else'. Here, it refers to a case where a special agreement was made that the servitude would terminate if the vineyard ceased to exist.
  3. 8.3.13.1modo determinabitur — The adverb modo here means 'presently' or 'soon' modifying the future verb determinabitur, indicating that although the path was not specified at the time of the bequest, it will be defined shortly (by an arbiter).
  4. 8.3.13.3per eum qualibet iri poterit — The phrase iri poterit is the impersonal passive third-person singular future of the intransitive verb ire (to go, pass). In Latin, making an intransitive verb impersonal passive focuses on the action itself, meaning 'it will be possible for people to pass through it'.

Cite this passage

Justinian I, The Digest of Justinian §8.3.13.pr-8.3.13.3. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi2806.phi002.humanitext-lat1:8.3.13.pr-8.3.13.3

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