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Justinian I · The Digest of Justinian §8.4.2.pr

Protection for Possessors of Irregular Water Servitudes

Passage 1449 of 9271 · Latin

Summary

Ulpian presents a rescript of the Emperor Antoninus stating that, regarding water drawing by wheels or servitudes on water-towers, even if they are invalid under civil law, anyone who acquired and possessed such a right lawfully should be protected.

[IDEM libro septimo decimo ad edictum. ] §8.4.2.prDe aqua per rotam tollenda ex flumine uel haurienda, uel si quis seruitutem castello imposuerit, quidam dubitauerunt, ne hae seruitutes non essent: sed rescripto imperatoris Antonini ad Tullianum adicitur, licet seruitus iure non ualuit, si tamen hac lege comparauit seu alio quocumque legitimo modo sibi hoc ius adquisiuit, tuendum esse eum, qui hoc ius possedit.
[THE SAME, On the Edict, Book 17] Concerning the drawing of water from a river by means of a wheel, or the ladling of it, or if anyone has imposed a servitude on a water-tower, some have doubted whether these might not be servitudes; but in a rescript of the Emperor Antoninus to Tullianus it is added that, even if the servitude was not valid by law, yet if he acquired it under this terms or by any other lawful method for himself, he who has possessed this right is to be protected.

Notes

  1. 8.4.2.prne hae seruitutes non essent — The clause introduced by `ne` with `non` following the verb of doubt `dubitauerunt` expresses a negative apprehension: "lest these might not be servitudes" (i.e., doubting whether they qualify as servitudes).
  2. 8.4.2.prcastello — In this hydrological context, `castellum` refers to a "water-tower" or "distribution reservoir" (castellum aquae) rather than a military fortress.
  3. 8.4.2.prtuendum esse — A gerundive of obligation in indirect speech introduced by `adicitur`, with `eum` as its subject ("that he ought to be protected"). It refers to the praetorian protection (`tueri`) granted to the de facto possessor (`qui hoc ius possedit`), even if the servitude was invalid under civil law (`iure`).

Cite this passage

Justinian I, The Digest of Justinian §8.4.2.pr. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi2806.phi002.humanitext-lat1:8.4.2.pr

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