1.
Ulpianus, On the Edict, Book II.
Either birth, manumission, or
adoption, creates a citizen of a municipality.
(1) Properly speaking, indeed,
those only are designated citizens of a municipal town who have the
right of citizenship, and share the municipal duties with us. Now,
however, we improperly call those citizens of a municipal town who
are the residents of any town, as, for instance, those who live in
Campania, or in Puteola.
(2) Therefore, anyone born of
parents dwelling in Campania is styled a citizen of Campania. If,
however, his father came from Campania, and his mother from Puteola,
he is likewise considered a citizen of Campania, unless his mother
enjoys some special privilege of birth; for then he will be a citizen
of the town where his mother was born. Thus, for instance, it is conceded
as a privilege to the people of Troy that when the mother was born
at Troy, her son will become a citizen of that city. This same privilege
is also granted to the people of Delphi. Celsus states that the inheritants
of Pontus also enjoy this advantage, through the favor of the Great
Pompey, that is to say, that anyone whose mother was born in Pontus
will be a citizen of that country. Certain authorities, however, hold
that this privilege was only granted to children born in lawful marriage,
but Celsus does not adopt this opinion. For it would not have been
provided that a child born out of wedlock should follow the condition
of its mother (as it has the same
origin that she has), but the rule could only apply to children born
of parents whose birthplaces were in different cities.
2. The Same, Disputations,
Book I.
Whenever a son under paternal
control is created a decurion, with the consent of his father, the
latter is required, as surety for his son, to be responsible for the
performance of all the duties pertaining to the office of decurion.
The father is considered to have given his consent for his son to
become a decurion if, having been present at his nomination, he did
not oppose it. Hence, anything that his son does while in office,
his father will be responsible for as his surety.
(1) We should understand the
transaction of the business of an office to be the handling of the
public funds, or decisions with reference to their expenditure.
(2) The incumbent will also
be liable for any supervisors of work, or of anything else in which
the State is interested.
(3) The father will be liable
if the son is appointed his successor.
(4) He will also be liable if
he has farmed out the public taxes.
(5) If the son has not taken
care to appoint guardians, when requested to do so, or if he selects
such as are not suitable, or if he does not require security, or accepts
a guardian who is not solvent, there is no doubt that he himself will
be responsible. The father, however, will still be liable, when sureties
are accustomed to be bound under these circumstances. This, however,
is not customary, as has been stated in a Rescript; because the sureties
only promise that the estate shall be secure, but, so far as pecuniary
matters are concerned, the estate is not interested in the appointment
of wards.
(6) He who remains absent a
longer time than is authorized by his furlough, or contrary to the
terms of the same, can still hold office.
3. The Same, On Sabinus,
Book XXV.
It has been established that
a son under paternal control can have a domicile.
4. The Same, On the Edict,
Book XXXIX.
He can not only establish his
domicile where his father has his, but anywhere else.
5. Paulus, On the Edict,
Book XLV.
Labeo says that he who carries
on business to the same extent in several places has no domicile in
any of them. It is, however, stated that certain authorities hold
that he can be a resident of, and have a domicile in several places.
This is true.
6. Ulpianus, Opinions, Book
II.
The statement of one's birthplace,
which is not correct, does not alter the fact of a person's origin;
for a man's actual birthplace is not lost by mistake, nor by his falsely,
giving a different place from the
true one. Nor can anyone, by rejecting the country where he was born,
nor by misrepresentation on this point, change the truth.
(1) A son derived his origin
from the town in which his father was born, but he does not follow
the domicile of the latter.
(2) It was decided by men learned
in the law that anyone can have his domicile in two different places,
that is where he builds in two different places, and is not considered
to reside in one more than in the other.
(3) Freedmen follow the place
of birth or domicile of their patrons, which is also the case with
their children.
7. The Same, On the Duties
of Proconsul, Book V.
When anyone is manumitted by
several masters, he follows the birthplaces of all his patrons.
8. Marcianus, On Public Prosecutions,
Book I.
The Divine Brothers stated in
a Rescript that decurions should not be forced to furnish grain to
the people at a lower price than the supply of provisions demands;
and this is also provided by other Imperial Constitutions.
9. Neratius, Parchments,
Book III.
He who has not a legitimate
father derives his origin from his mother, which should be reckoned
from the day on which he was born.
10. Marcianus, On Informers.
No city has the same privilege
as the Treasury with reference to the property of a debtor, unless
it has been expressly conceded by the Emperor.
11. Papinianus, Questions,
Book II.
The Emperor, Titus Antoninus,
stated in a Rescript addressed to Lentulus Verus that the duties of
magistrates were individual, but that their responsibility was common.
This should be understood to mean that the responsibility only attaches
to the entire body, if the property could not have been preserved
by the one who transacted the business, nor by those who were his
sureties, if he, at the time that he relinquished his office, was
not solvent; but, on the other hand, if the person or the security
was suitable or solvent when suit could have been brought, each one
will be liable for whatever he administered.
(1) Where, however, he who appointed
the magistrate on his own responsibility is solvent, should the action
first be brought against him as a surety; or, indeed, will it be the
same as if the business was improperly transacted by his colleague
? It was decided that he should first be sued who appointed the magistrate,
as in the case of a surety, since
his colleague is proceeded against on account of his negligence, and
to collect the penalty; but he who nominated the magistrate is sued
because of his guarantee.
12. Tine Same, Opinions,
Book I.
It is not necessary to grant
a praetorian action against the colleague of the appointed magistrate.
13. The Same, Questions,
Book II.
What, then, would be the rule,
if one of the magistrates was absent for the entire year; or if, while
present, he did not transact the public business through either obstinacy,
ignorance, or ill health, and his colleague alone attended to it all,
and it was not properly done? The following order shall be followed:
first, he who conducted the public business, and those who were sureties
for him, shall be sued for the entire amount, and after all these
have been exhausted, he who appointed an insolvent person will be
liable; and finally, the other magistrate, who did not attend to any
public affairs, should be called to account. Nor can he who appointed
the magistrate properly decline general liability, as he should have
known that he whom he appointed took the office as an individual,
and assumed common responsibility. For when two magistrates transact
business, and money which is due can not be collected from one of
them, he who nominated him can be sued for the entire amount when
this is necessary.
14. The Same, Questions,
Book XV.
Municipal magistrates are understood
to know what those to whom the highest interests of the State are
entrusted are cognizant of.
15. The Same, Opinions, Book
I.
He who has been removed from
the Order of Decurions for a certain time, and afterwards restored,
cannot be admitted to new honors as a person who has been relegated
for the time that he was deprived of his rank. It has been decided
in both these instances that it must be ascertained whether the parties
who have been convicted of an offence deserved a sentence of this
kind; for if they received a more severe one than they should have
done, or have been branded with infamy, they ought afterwards to be
liberated, and the matter be considered as disposed of. When, however,
they have been subjected to a less severe penalty than that legally
prescribed, they will, nevertheless, be included among persons who
are infamous; as a question of fact depends upon the decision of the
judge, but the authority of the law does not.
(1) When anyone appoints a successor
to himself, and the latter is solvent when his term of office expires,
it is not necessary for an action to be granted.
(2) Where lands are transferred
by means of a secret trust, for the purpose of defrauding public claims,
they can be demanded by the Treasury; and the purchaser of the property
fraudulently sold will be forced to pay as much again out of his own
pocket.
(3) The right of birth is not
altered by adoption, so far as the discharge of official duties and
the acceptance of public employment are concerned, for a son can be
compelled by his adoptive father to accept a new employment.
16. Hermogenianus, Epitomes
of Law, Book I.
Where, however, he has been
emancipated by his adoptive father, he not only ceases to be his son,
but also is no longer a citizen of the town of him whose son he becomes
by adoption.
17. Papinianus, Opinions,
Book I.
A freedman is not excused from
civil employment on account of services due to his patron, for it
makes no difference whether he renders his services or performs his
duties to his patron, or not.
(1) The freedmen of Senators,
however, who transact the business of their patrons, are excused from
guardianship by a Decree of the Senate.
(2) A father consented for his
son to be appointed decurion. The government should sue the son personally
rather than that the father should have an action brought against
him as security for his son; for it does not make any difference whether
the son had a castrense peculium before he served in the army
or afterwards.
(3) The prescription of time
required in order again to seek office, or to obtain other public
employment, applies to some municipalities, but not to others.
(4) Public employments cannot
be administered by the same person at the same time in two different
cities. Therefore, where two offices are tendered at the same time,
the place of one's birth should be preferred.
(5) The sole ground of possession
is not sufficient to impose civil duties upon the possessor, unless
this privilege was especially granted to the city.
(6) Persons who have returned
to their country under the right of postliminium are obliged
to accept public employment, even though they reside in another town.
(7) The collection of taxes
is not included among base employments, and it is therefore committed
to decurions.
(8) He who has been manumitted
under the terms of a trust, in the matter of civil employments, follows
the origin of the person who manumitted him, and not that of him who
left him his freedom.
(9) It was decided by the Divine
Pius that a child born in an adopted family followed the origin of
his natural grandfather in the discharge of civil employments; just
as where a son was given in adoption, unless there was some suspicion
of fraud attaching to the proceeding.
(10) The mistake of him who,
thinking that he is a citizen of a town, or the inhabitant of a colony,
agrees to accept civil employment, does not exclude him from making
a legal defence.
(11) The removal of the domicile
of a father to another town does not compel his son to accept public
employment in that town, when the cause for the change of the father's
domicile is temporary.
(12) Where accusations of a
capital crime are brought against persons nominated for office, they
cannot be admitted to any new employments before their cases have
been disposed of, but, in the meantime, they will retain their former
rank.
(13) The mere possession of
a house in another town does not create a domicile.
(14) The responsibility entailed
by the nomination of a successor does not bind the surety of the person
who makes it.
(15) Sureties who have become
responsible for public property, and who nominate magistrates at their
own risk, are not liable to any penal actions which may be brought
against those for whom they have become bound; for it is enough that
they should have promised to make good any damage sustained by the
government.
18. Paulus, Questions, Book
I.
The Divine Severus stated in
a Rescript that the intervals of time prescribed with reference to
continuance in office, are granted to such as are unwilling, but not
to those who desire to remain, for no one should remain constantly
in office.
19. Scaevola, Questions,
Book I.
What is done by the majority
of an assembly is considered to be the same as if it had been done
by all.
20. Paulus, Questions, Book
XXIV.
A domicile is transferred
when this is actually done, and not when a mere statement to that
effect is made, as is required in the case of those who deny that
they, as inhabitants, can be summoned to discharge public duties.
21. The Same, Opinions, Book
I.
Lucius Titius, while under the
control of his father, was appointed by the magistrates, along with
certain others, a curator for the purchase of grain, against the consent
of his father. Lucius Titius did not agree to accept the office, and
did not receive any money on this acount, nor did he, in any way,
take part with the other officials in making the purchase; and, after
the death of his father, he was called to account for a balance due
from his colleagues. The question arose, could he be held liable on
this account? Paulus answered that, although he refused to accept
the office to which he had been appointed by the magistrates, he could
be sued on account of the damage sustained by the State, even if at
the time when he was appointed he was subject to the authority of
another.
(1) Paulus gave it as his opinion
that those against whom an action is brought, not by reason of a contract
but on account of some public employment which they have discharged
for others, are usually liable for loss of any of the principal, but are not liable
for interest.
(2) He also held that the heirs
of a father cannot legally be sued on account of an office which his
son accepted after the death of his father. This opinion has reference
to one who was appointed decurion by his father, and after the death
of the latter continued to perform the duties of the office.
(3) He also gave it as his opinion
that one who had adopted a decurion was considered to have assumed
all the responsibilities of the decurionate, as in the case of a father
whose son was appointed decurion with his consent.
(4) He also gave it as his opinion
that a dowry was included in the property of the husband during the
marriage. If, however, he should be called to undertake municipal
duties, in proportion to his means, the dowry should not be considered
part of his property.
(5) He also gave it as his opinion
that if the accuser of a capital offence was not to blame because
the charge was not prosecuted within the time prescribed by law, the
defendant should not, in the meantime, solicit any public employment.
(6) "The Emperors Severus
and Antoninus, to Septimius Zeno. While you have consented for your
son, who is still under legal age, to become a decurion, and although
you have afterwards pledged your faith for him, still, in the meantime,
you cannot be compelled to assume any responsibility, as you do not
appear to have given your consent to an appointment which can legally
be made."
(7) He also gave it as his opinion
that if a State did not enjoy any special privilege with reference
to receiving additions to its territory, it could not withdraw from
a lease or a sale of public lands which already had been perfected;
for the time regulating such additions is prescribed by the Treasury.
22. The Same, Sentences,
Book I.
The children of freedmen and
freedwomen follow either the domicile or the origin of their paternal
ancestors, and of their patrons who manumitted them.
(1) A widow retains the domicile
of her deceased husband, as in the case of a woman rendered illustrious
by her husband, but it will be changed if she should contract a second
marriage.
(2) Freedmen become citizens
of the place where they have voluntarily fixed their domicile; but,
by doing so, they do not prejudice the birthright of their patron,
and are required to discharge public employments in both places.
(3) He who was relegated to
a certain locality, in the meantime, necessarily has his domicile
in the place to which he was relegated.
(4) A Senator deprived of his
rank is not restored to his original country, unless he obtains this
as a special favor.
(5) Senators, with their sons
and daughters born while their father held the office, as well as
their grandsons, great-grandsons, and great-granddaughters by their
sons, are deprived of the benefit of their birthright, although they
still retain the municipal dignity.
(6) Senators who have obtained
free leave of absence, that is, the power of residing where they please,
retain their domicile in the City of Rome.
(7) Those who lend money at
interest should discharge all liabilities attaching to their patrimony,
even though they may not have possession.
23. Hermogenianus, Epitomes
of Law, Book I.
Anyone who has attained to the
Senatorial dignity ceases to be a citizen, so far as holding other
public employment is concerned; but he is understood to retain his
birthright with reference to municipal honors. Hence slaves who have
been manumitted by him become citizens of the town in which he was
born.
(1) A soldier has his domicile
in the place where he serves if he has no property in his own country.
24. Scaevola, Digest, Book
II.
It is set forth in the Imperial
Constitutions that money which is paid to the detriment of anyone,
does not bear interest. This was stated by the Emperors Antoninus
and Verus in a Rescript as follows: "It is no more than equitable
that interest should not be required on a balance due at the end of
the term of an office, which the incumbent did not himself administer,
nor should it be exacted from his surety, and "still less ought
it to be collected from magistrates who have received security."
The result of which is that this rule should not be departed from
in the future.
25. Ulpianus, On the Edict
of the Praetor, Book I.
When two municipal magistrates
discharge the duties of a single office, they are regarded as only
a single individual, and this privilege is generally granted them
by municipal law; but even if it is not, it is customary for this
rule to be observed, provided there is no enactment to the contrary.
26. Paulus, On the Edict,
Book I.
A municipal magistrate cannot
perform acts which rather belong to the Imperial jurisdiction than
to his own.
(1) Municipal magistrates are
not permitted to grant complete restitution, or to order the possession
of property to be taken for the purpose of preserving it, or for the
maintenance of a dowry intact, or to insure the safety of legacies.
27. Ulpianus, On the Edict,
Book II.
Anyone who is manumitted becomes
a citizen of the town to which the person who manumitted him belongs;
still, he does not follow his domicile, but his country; and if his
patron is a citizen of two different towns, by his manumission he
will become the citizen of the same towns.
(1) Where anyone always conducts
his business, not in a colony, but in a town, and sells, purchases,
and makes contracts there, or uses the markets, or the baths, or attends
exhibitions, and celebrates festivals there, and, in short, enjoys
all the advantages of the town, and none of those of the colony, he
is understood to have his domicile in the said town rather than where
he sojourns for the purpose of cultivating land.
(2) Celsus, in the First Book
of the Digest, discusses the point that, if anyone should furnish
two houses alike, which are situated in two different places, and
does not live in one any less than in the other, he must be considered
to have his domicile where he himself thinks that it is. I doubt whether
by changing his mind from one place to another anyone can be considerd
to have his domicile in two places. Still, this may be true, although
it is a difficult thing to decide, just as it is difficult to decide
that anyone can be without a domicile. I think, however (and this
can be maintained as correct), that if a man having left his domicile,
takes a sea voyage, or travels by land, seeking some place to sojourn
for a time, he will be without any domicile.
(3) He who has been relegated
can have his domicile, as Marcellus says, in the place to which he
has been restricted.
28. Paulus, On the Edict,
Book I.
A matter of the greatest
importance can be brought before municipal magistrates by consent
of the parties interested.
29. Gaius, On the Provincial
Edict, Book I.
A man must obey the magistrates
of the town in which he lives, as well as those of the one of which
he is a citizen; for not only is he subject to the municipal jurisdiction
of both places, but he should also discharge the duties. of any public
office in either of them.
30. Ulpianus, On the Edict,
Book LXI.
Anyone born in a village which
is a dependency of a city is understood to have his residence there,
just as if it was in the city itself.
31. Marcellus, Digest, Book
I.
There is nothing to prevent
anyone from having his domicile wherever he wishes, for the reason
that he is not forbidden to do so.
32. Modestinus, Differences,
Book IV.
A woman who has been
betrothed does not change her domicile before her marriage has been
contracted.
33. The Same, On Manumissions.
Rome is our common country.
34. The Same, Rules, Book
III.
A citizen who has already
been appointed to a public employment cannot abandon his residence
until he has discharged the duties of his office.
35. The Same, Excuses, Book
I.
It must be remembered that when
anyone continues to dwell upon a tract of land he is not considered
to be the resident of a municipality; for he who does not enjoy the
privileges of a town is not held to be a citizen of it.
36. The Same, Opinions, Book
II.
While Titius was at Rome for
the purpose of pursuing his studies, a letter was despatched to him
by the magistrates of his native village, in order that he might deliver
to the Emperor an ordinance of the said village which was transmitted
along with the letter. But the person who had undertaken to deliver
the letter, through collusion, delivered it to Lucius Titius, who
himself was residing at Rome, for the same reason as Titius. After
having erased the name of Titius, to whom the ordinance was directed,
he inserted his own name, and then delivered it to the Emperor, according
to the order of the municipality. I ask whether the messenger could
demand his travelling expenses, and what offence he should be considered
to have committed in not delivering the letter to the person to whom
he had undertaken to give it, as well as what he was guilty of, who,
having erased the name of another, and written in his own, delivered
the ordinance to the Emperor, just as if he had been ordered to do
so by his native town? Herennius Modestinus answered that Titius could
not demand the travelling expenses, but that he could have recourse
to the person who made the substitution in his own name.
(1) Titius accepted a pledge
for public money which he himself had lent, and made an agreement
with the debtor that, if the debt should not be paid, the pledge should
be sold without any guarantee. The magistrates who succeeded to the
place of Titius approved the claim as well as the pledge, as far as
Maevius. Enough money was not realized by the sale of the pledge to
pay the debt, on account of the guarantee made by the magistrate to
the purchasers with reference to the amount of the land. The question
arose, who was responsible to the municipality? Herrenius Modestinus
answered that Titius was not liable on this account, as his successors
had assumed responsibility for the debt, nor would the magistrates
who made the sale, as they sold it as containing more than was shown
by actual measurement of the land; and for the reason that they sold
it for more, they should be ordered to make up the deficiency. Therefore,
he who was the last to approve the claim should indemnify the municipality
for the loss, if the claim should not be proved to have been transferred
to a solvent successor.
37. Callistratus, On Judicial
Inquiries, Book I.
The Governors of provinces have
jurisdiction over all the inhabitants which any towns claim as their
own; but still, where anyone denies that he is a resident, he must
bring suit before the Governor of the province in whose jurisdiction
the town, by which he is called to discharge a public employment,
is situated, and not before the Governor of the one where he himself
alleges that he was born. This the Divine Hadrian stated in a Rescript
with reference to a woman who married in another place than the one
in which she was born.
(1) It has been decided that
freedmen can hold public office where their patron is, or where they
themselves have their domicile.
(2) It should be remembered
that women who form an illegal connection with men can only discharge
public duties where they themselves have been born, and not where
their husbands are. This the Divine Brothers stated in a Rescript.
38. Papirius Justus, On The
Constitutions, Book II.
The Emperors Antoninus and Verus
stated in a Rescript that a man should be released from his oath who
swore that he would not again be present at the meetings of his order,
in case he should afterwards be created a duumvir.
(1) They also stated in a Rescript
that the tenants of land belonging to the Treasury must discharge
municipal duties without any loss to the Treasury. The Governor, with
the assistance of the Procurator of the Treasury, should see to this.
(2) The Emperors Antoninus and
Verus stated in a Rescript that it was the duty of magistrates to
collect legacies belonging to their towns, and if they failed to do
so, that they, or their heirs, could be sued; and if they were not
solvent, their sureties would become responsible for them.
(3) They also stated in a Rescript
that a woman, while married, is a resident of the same town as her
husband, and that she could not be compelled to perform any public
duties in the place where she was born.
(4) They also stated in a Rescript
that the property of a father who had deliberately emancipated his
son in order to avoid being responsible for him as a magistrate would
be liable, just as if he had become surety for him.
(5) They also stated in a Rescript,
that when inquiry was made whether someone was a citizen of a certain
town, evidence should first be obtained as to any property which he
might have there; for the mere resemblance of a name is not sufficient
to establish anyone's birthplace.
(6) The Emperors Antoninus and
Verus stated in a Rescript that those who perform the duties of magistrates
under compulsion should give adequate security, just as one who voluntarily
accepted the office.
Tit. 2. Concerning decurions
and their sons.
1. Ulpianus, Opinions, Book
II.
It is established that decurions
who have left the towns to which they belonged, and gone to other
places, can be recalled to their country by the Governor of the province;
and he must take care that they are given suitable employments.
2. The Same, Disputations,
Book I.
A decurion who is relegated
for a certain time ceases to be one. When he returns, he will not
obtain his former position, but he will not always be prohibited from
becoming a decurion. He will not be restored to his former position,
but another can be chosen in his place; and if the number of his order
is complete, he must wait until a vacancy occurs. The case is different
with one who is temporarily removed from his order, for he becomes
a decurion as soon as the time has expired; still, another can be
elected in his place. If he finds that it is occupied, he must wait
until there is a vacancy.
(1) But when he has been restored
to his order, the question may arise whether he will have the place
which he first had, or the one which he has now obtained, if the duty
of rendering decisions as a presiding officer is involved. I think
he will have the same position which he formerly occupied. The same
rule does not apply to one who was relegated for a certain time, for
he enters as the last one in order.
(2) The question arises as to
the children of decurions, whether he only is considered to be the
son of a decurion who was conceived and born while his father held
the.office, or whether he also is to be considered a son who was born
before his father became a decurion. And, indeed, so far as the latter
is concerned, he cannot be whipped with rods, or sentenced to the
mines; nor will he be prejudiced because he was born of a plebeian
father, if the honor of the decurionate should afterwards be obtained
by the latter. Papinianus rendered the same opinion with reference
to a grandfather, and held that a son was not affected if his father
was branded with infamy.
(3) Where, however, a father
is expelled from the Order of Decurions, and this was done before
the conception of the child, I think that the latter should be considered
as the son of a plebeian, so far as any honors are concerned. But
if the father should lose his rank after the conception of the child,
it would be more indulgent to hold that he should be regarded as the
son of the decurion.
(4) Hence, he who was born after
the relegation of his father, provided he was conceived before this
took place, is considered to resemble the son of a Senator; however,
if it occurred afterwards, the relegation will prejudice him.
(5) Where the child was born
while his father was temporarily excluded from his order, and it had
been both conceived and brought forth in the meantime; would he be
born the son of a decurion, even though his father should die before
being restored to his rank? The benevolent construction is that this
would be the case.
(6) Moreover, if a child was
conceived by a plebeian, and afterwards, before its birth, the father
obtained the office of decurion, but lost it before the child came
into the world, it would be more generous to hold that the intermediate
time will be an advantage to him, and that he will be considered as
having already been born.
(7) No crime committed by a
father can bring punishment upon an innocent child, and therefore
a son will not, for this reason, be excluded from the Order of Decurions,
or from any other honor.
(8) Persons over twenty-five
years of age are forbidden by the Imperial Constitutions to be called
to the decurionate, without their consent; but if they do consent,
they should perform the duties of the office, even if they are more
than seventy; although in this instance they cannot be compelled to
discharge public employments.
3. The Same, On the Duties
of Proconsul, Book III.
Generally speaking, it should
be maintained that where a decurion, having received a lighter sentence
than he deserved, has been relegated for a certain time, he should,
in accordance with the dictates of humanity, be permitted to retain
his property, but he cannot afterwards obtain the office of decurion.
(1) If, however, a decurion,
either on account of some crime involving deceit, or one which is
even more serious, has not been relegated for a certain time, but
has temporarily been excluded from his order, he is in such a position
that he can be reinstated. For the Emperor Antoninus decided by an
Edict that when anyone had, for any cause whatsoever, been excluded
from his order, or forbidden to be present at its meetings, or to
comply with any other of its requirements, for a certain time, after
the time had expired, he could still resume the discharge of his official
functions or duties. And this is no more than just, for the sentence
which merely imposed a certain prohibition should not be increased.
(2) There is no doubt that illegitimate
children can be chosen decurions, but the Divine Brothers stated in
a Rescript to Lollianus Avitus, Governor of Bithynia, that if such
a son had a competitor who was legitimate, the latter must have the
preference. Still, if the legitimate children should neglect to perform
their duties, those who are illegitimate ought to be admitted to the
office of decurion, after it has been ascertained that their conduct
and life are honorable; because, as it is for the public welfare that
the Order of Decurions should always be full, ignoble persons should
not be admitted to it.
(3) The Divine Sever us and
Antoninus permitted those who adhered to the Jewish superstition to
obtain civil honors, but they imposed upon them the requirement not
to violate the precepts of their religion.
4. Marcianus, On Public Prosecutions,
Book I.
A decurion is forbidden to lease
any property; if, however, he should succeed to a lease by inheritance,
he can retain possession of it; and this rule should be observed in
all similar cases.
5. Papinianus, Questions,
Book II.
It has been decided that those
who temporarily have been removed from the Order of Decurions, for
a crime which implies ignominy, are perpetually excluded. Those, however,
who have been temporarily exiled for some trifling offence, as, for
instance, one which grew out of some business transaction, should
not be considered infamous.
6. The Same, Opinions, Book
I.
Illegitimate children, as well
as those sprung from incestuous marriages, can become decurions; for
he should not be excluded from office who has committed no crime.
(1) Minors under the age of
twenty-five years, who have been created decurions, receive the salary
attached to the office, but they cannot vote with the others.
(2) A decurion is forbidden
to hold the office of farmer of the revenue, even in his own city.
(3) Those who abandon a public
prosecution, without obtaining permission to do so, cannot be decorated
with the honor of decurion; for, in accordance with the Turpillian
Decree of the Senate, they are branded with infamy as persons who
have been convicted of malicious prosecution in a criminal case.
(4) A son, having been created
decurion, his father appealed, and although his appeal was dismissed
because it had not been filed within the prescribed time, if the son
assumed the office, and the father did not ratify his acts, he would
not be liable for his son.
(5) When other questions relating
to privilege are to be decided, those who have obtained the most votes
at the same time for the office of decurion shall be entitled to the
preference; but he who has the largest number of children shall be
first asked for his opinion in the assembly, and precede the others
in point of honor.
7. Paulus, Opinions, Book
I.
Honors and offices have no reference
to the order of election, but should be conferred upon those who are
more worthy.
(1) A deaf person, who cannot
hear at all, and one who is dumb and cannot speak, are excused from
municipal offices but not from other public duties.
(2) He who is not a decurion
cannot discharge the functions of a duumvir, or those pertaining to
other offices, for the reason that plebeians are forbidden to perform
the duties of decurions.
(3) A father is not considered
to have consented to his son being made decurion, if he manifests
opposition in the presence of the Governor, or before the Order itself,
or in any other way.
8. Hermogenianus, Epitomes,
Book I.
It is permitted to furnish provisions
to decurions who have lost their property; especially if they have
exhausted their patrimony through generosity to their country.
9. Paulus, Decrees, Book
I.
The Emperor Severus said: "Even
if Titius should be proved to have been born to a father who was in
slavery, but of a mother who was free, he is not thereby prevented
from becoming a decurion in the city of his birth."
(1) There is no doubt that sailors
cannot become decurions.
10. Modestinus, Opinions,
Book I.
Herennius Modestinus gave it
as his opinion that a man did not become a decurion merely by an order
for the payment of his salary, when he not been legally created.
11. Callistratus, Judicial
Inquiries, Book I.
Not only those who are of tender
years but also aged persons are forbidden to become decurions. The
former are, as it were, unable to protect the interests of the State,
and are temporarily excused, but the latter are perpetually excluded;
still, persons of advanced age should not be excused except for good
reasons, lest those who are younger, through their elders not having
been chosen, will be left alone to sustain all the public responsibilities
of government; for minors under twenty-five years of age cannot be
created decurions unless for some good cause, nor are those eligible
who have passed their fifty-fifth year. Sometimes, long-established
custom should be considered in this matter; for our Emperors, having
been consulted by the people of Nicomedia as to whether persons of
that age could be elected to the order, stated in a Rescript that
this could be done.
12. The Same, Judicial Inquiries,
Book VI.
Those who trade in and sell
the necessaries of life should not be despised as degraded persons,
although they are subject to chastisement by the Aediles. For men
of this kind are not prohibited from seeking the office of decurion,
or any other honor in their own country, as they are not infamous;
and they are not excluded from public employments, even after they
have been scourged by the Aediles, who are only discharging their
lawful duty in doing so. I do not, however, think that it is honorable
to receive persons of this kind, who have been subjected to blows
with a scourge, into the order; and especially in towns which contain
a number of honest men, but the scarcity of those who should discharge
the duties of a public office necessarily calls such persons to municipal
honors, if they possess the requisite qualifications.
13. Papirius Justus, On the
Constitutions, Book II.
The Emperors Antoninus and Verus
stated in a Rescript that persons who have been relegated for a time,
and have returned, can not be reinstated in the Order of Decurions
without the consent of the Emperor.
(1) They also stated in a Rescript
that those who had been relegated after their time had expired could
not be restored to their rank as decurions, unless they were of such
an age that they could be created decurions, and their position afforded
them the hope of obtaining the honor, or gave them the assurance that
the Emperor would show them special indulgence.
(2) They also stated in a Rescript
that a son who was born during relegation is not prohibited from discharging
the duties of a decurion.
(3) They also stated in a Rescript
that anyone who had consented to the appointment of another as decurion
should not afterwards oppose the appointment on the ground that the
party was not legally created a decurion, as he ought to have objected
in the beginning.
14. Paulus, Questions, Book
I.
The Divine Pius stated in a
Rescript that a decurion who had been convicted should not be subjected
to torture. Wherefore, when anyone ceases to be a decurion, and afterwards
is convicted, it is decided that he must not be tortured, on account
of the memory of his former dignity.
Tit. 3.
Concerning the register of decurions.
1. Ulpianus, On the Duties
of Proconsul, Book III.
The names of decurions should
be entered upon a register, as is prescribed by the municipal law.
Where, however, there is no law on this point, the rank of each should
be considered, so that they may be registered in the order in which
each one of them enjoys the highest distinction in the city; as, for
instance, those who have held the office of duumvir, if this is the
highest, and among the duumvirs, the one who first held office, shall
take precedence; and after him those who have performed the duties
of duumvirs in the municipal government; and, after them, those who
come third, and the others in succession, and then those who previously
have held no office shall be registered, so that each one shall appear
in his proper place.
(1) In casting their votes,
the same order shall be considered which we have stated should be
observed in registering their names.
2. The Same, Opinions, Book
II.
The names of the recipients
of honors at the hands of the Emperor should first be entered upon
the register of the decurions in a city; and afterwards the names
of those who only have discharged the duties of municipal offices.
Tit. 4.
Concerning public employments and honors.
1. Hermogenianus, Epitomes,
Book I.
Some municipal employments are
derived from estates, and others from persons.
(1) Employments derived from
estates refer to transportation of goods by sea or land, and engage
the attention of the first in rank among the decurions, for he is
responsible for any collections made by him in the performance of
his official duties.
(2) Personal employments are
such as relate to the defence of a city, that is to say, such as may
be made by the civil magistrate, for example,
the collection of taxes, or as has been stated with reference to patrimonial
employments, supervision of beasts of burden with a view to the supply
of provisions and other things of this kind; as well as care of the
public lands, aqueducts, horses, and chariot-races; repairs of highways
and warehouses; the heating of baths, the distribution of food, and
all duties of this description. For from what we have stated, any
other matters which, by long-continued custom, have been established
in the different cities, can be readily understood.
(3) A personal employment is
generally understood to be one which is accompanied with manual labor,
care, and diligence. A patrimonial employment, however, is one in
which expense is especially requisite.
(4) Among personal employments
are included the guardianship and curatorship of a minor or an insane
person, as well as that of a spendthrift, one who is dumb, and an
unborn child, to whom it is also necessary to furnish food, drink,
lodging, and other things of this kind. With reference, however, to
the property of the minor or the insane person, care must be taken
by the person charged with the duty that it shall not be acquired
by usucaption, or any debtors be released from liability. Likewise,
where possession of property is demanded under the terms of the Carbonian
Edict, if security is not furnished, the curator who has been appointed
discharges a personal employment in taking care of the property. The
same rule applies to curators who have been appointed to take charge
of the property of persons who have been captured by the enemy, and
expect to return. Again, curators are appointed for an estate left
to one who cannot yet succeed to it by either Civil or Praetorian
Law.
2. Ulpianus, On Sabinus,
Book XXI.
If a son who is under the control
of his father should himself have a son, he will be considered to
be under his control, so far as municipal honors are concerned.
3. The Same, Opinions, Book
II.
Persons who were born in the
City of Rome, and who have established their domicile elsewhere, must
accept public employment at Rome.
(1) No municipal employment
can be imposed upon soldiers who are serving in camp. Other private
persons, however, even though they are the relatives of soldiers,
must obey the laws of their country and their province.
(2) When anyone is sentenced
to the mines, and afterwards obtains complete restitution, he may
be called to public employments and honors just as if he had never
been convicted; and his misfortune and sad experience cannot be advanced
to show that he is not a good citizen of his country.
(3) Their sex denies to women
corporeal employments, and prevents them from obtaining municipal
honors or offices.
(4) A father has no right to
prevent a son, who is under his control, from obtaining municipal
honors, if he has no good excuse for doing so.
(5) A father is not required
to undertake the defence of his son, if he does not consent for him
to obtain municipal honors, or employments, for fear his estate may
be subjected to a burden; but he can not prevent him from being liable
to his country to the extent of his means.
(6) Although anyone who is over
seventy years of age, or has five children living, is, for either
of these reasons, excused from holding civil employments; still, his
sons ought to accept offices for which they are qualified, for the
immunity granted to fathers on account of their children they themselves
do not enjoy.
(7) A stepfather can, by no
rule of law, be compelled to undertake the burdens of civil employment,
in the name of his stepson.
(8) Freedmen should discharge
the duties of public employment at the birthplace of their patron,
if their pecuniary resources are sufficient to enable them to do so;
as the property of their patrons is not liable on account of offices
administered by their freedmen.
(9) When a father has been guilty
of some crime, this should be no impediment to the acquisition of
municipal honors by his sons.
(10) It has long since been
settled that minors under twenty-five years of age can become decurions;
not, however, when they are in military service, because this burden
is considered as rather attaching to a patrimonial employment.
(11) The collection of taxes
is considered to be a patrimonial employment.
(12) The duty of collecting
provisions is a personal employment, and the age of seventy years,
or the number of five living children, exempts a person from it.
(13) Persons who are obliged
to furnish lodgings to soldiers coming to a city should discharge
this duty by turns.
(14) The duty of furnishing
lodgings to soldiers is not a personal, but a patrimonial one.
(15) The Governor of a province
should see that employments and honors are equally distributed among
the citizens in turn, according to their age and rank; so that the
order of the various degrees of said employments and honors, which
have been established of old, shall be followed, to prevent the same
person from being indiscriminately and frequently oppressed by their
imposition, and the State from being deprived at the same time of
men and of power.
(16) Where there are two sons
under the control of their father, he cannot be compelled to be responsible
for the employment of both of them at the same time.
(17) If a man, who left two
sons, did not, by his last will, provide out of their common patrimony,
for the discharge of the duties of public office by one of them, the
latter should not, at his own expense, assume responsibility for any
duties or honors which may be enjoined upon him, although the father, while living, might have
assumed liability of this kind for one of his sons.
4. The Same, Opinions, Book
III.
The care of the construction
or repair of public buildings in a city is a public employment from
which a father who has five living children is exempt; but if he should
be compelled by force to discharge such an employment, this will not
deprive him of any excuse which he may have for not accepting others.
(1) The excuse of a want of
means for not accepting municipal employments or duties which persons
are required to undertake is not perpetual but temporary; for, where
anyone's patrimony has been increased by honorable means this will
be taken into consideration, when inquiry as to his solvency at the
time when he was appointed to the
office is made.
(2) Persons who are poor cannot,
through destitution, be compelled to accept patrimonial employments,
but they are forced to discharge the duties of corporeal ones to which
they have been appointed.
(3) Anyone who is obliged to
discharge a public employment in his city, and represents himself
as a soldier for the purpose of avoiding a municipal burden, cannot
render the condition of the municipality any worse.
5. Scaevola, Rules, Book
I.
Masters of vessels and oil merchants,
who have invested the greater part of their patrimony in occupations
of this kind, are entitled to exemption from public office for the
term of five years.
6. Ulpianus, On the Duties
of Proconsul, Book IV.
The following was stated in
a Rescript of the Divine Brothers addressed to Rutilius Luppus: "The
Constitution by which it is provided that anyone who has been created
a decurion can obtain the office of magistrate should be observed,
whenever the parties concerned are solvent and properly qualified.
Where, however, they are of such inferior rank and slender resources
that they are not only unsuited to the enjoyment of public honors,
but are also scarcely able to support themselves, it is both useless
and dishonorable for such persons to be charged with the office of
magistrate, especially when there are others who can be appointed,
and who, by their fortunes and their rank, are suited to the position.
Therefore, let all who are wealthy know that they should not avail
themselves of this provision of the law, and that when anyone is to
be chosen in an assembly, inquiry should be made among those who are
present for persons who, by reason of their means, are capable of
assuming the dignity of the office."
(1) It is certain that public
debtors cannot be raised to municipal honors, unless they first pay
what they owe to the city. We should understand such debtors to be
those in whose hands a balance remains from the administration of
public business. When, however, they are not debtors of this description,
but have borrowed money from the city
they are not in a position to be excluded from municipal honors. It
is evident that it will be sufficient if, instead of payment, they
make provision for it by means of pledges or solvent sureties. This
was stated by the Divine Brothers in a Rescript addressed to Aufidius
Herennianus. Where they are indebted merely under a promise which
cannot be refused, they are in such a position that they must be excluded
from municipal honors.
(2) Where anyone, though guilty
of an offence, has not been accused, he should not be excluded from
public office any more than if he had an accuser who withdrew from
the prosecution; for Our Emperor with his Divine Father stated this
in a Rescript.
(3) It must be noted that certain
employments are either personal or patrimonial, just as certain honors
are.
(4) Employments which have reference
to patrimonies, or the payment of taxes, are of such a nature that
neither age nor the number of children, nor any other privilege which
usually exempts persons from personal employments, will be a valid
excuse for declining them.
(5) These employments which
have reference to patrimonies are of a double nature, for some of
them are enjoined upon possessors, whether they are citizens or not;
and others are enjoined upon the residents or citizens of a town.
Taxes imposed upon lands or buildings have reference to the possessors
of the same, but patrimonial employments only concern municipalities
or their inhabitants.
7. Marcianus, Public Prosecutions,
Book II.
A person who has been accused
of crime is forbidden by the Imperial Constitutions to aspire to municipal
honors before his case has been decided. It makes no difference whether
he is a plebeian or a decurion. He cannot, however, be prevented from
accepting such an office after a year has elapsed from the time when
he was accused, unless he is to blame for the case not having been
heard during the year. The Divine Severus stated in a Rescript that
when a man is elected a magistrate, and his opponent appeals, and
while the appeal is pending he takes possession of the office, he
should be punished. Therefore, if anyone who is prevented by a decision
from obtaining municipal honors takes an appeal, he should, in the
meantime, refrain from demanding the office.
8. Ulpianus, On the Edict,
Book XI.
Minors should not be admitted
to the administration of public affairs, either in such employments
as are not patrimonial, or in such as are magisterial, before reaching
their twenty-fifth year; nor should they be made decurions, for, if
they are, they cannot cast their votes in the assembly. After the
beginning of their twenty-fifth year, however, it is held as having
elapsed, for it has been decided as a matter of favor in cases of
this kind, that we must consider what has been begun as completed;
but the administration of no public office shall be entrusted to them,
lest some damage may be committed against the government, or some
injury caused to the minor himself.
9. The Same, On the Duties
of Consul, Book III.
When anyone who has been created
a municipal magistrate refuses to perform the duties of his office,
he can be compelled to do so by the Governor in the same manner as
guardians can be forced to discharge the duties of the trust imposed
upon them.
10. Modestinus, Differences,
Book V.
An additional employment cannot
be imposed upon a magistrate; but the office of magistrate can be
conferred upon one who already has another public employment.
11. The Same, Pandects, Book
XI.
Under the Praetorian Edict,
offices should be conferred by degrees, and, as is stated by a letter
of the Divine Pius to Titianus, this should be done from the less
important to the more important ones.
(1) Although it is provided
by the municipal law, that men of a certain condition should be preferred
in making appointments to the magistracy, still it must be remembered
that this rule ought only to be observed when the candidates are solvent.
This is set forth in a Rescript of the Divine Marcus.
(2) The Divine Brothers stated
in a Rescript that whenever there is a scarcity of citizens eligible
to the magistracy, immunity can be, to some extent, infringed.
(3) The Divine Antoninus and
his Father stated in a Rescript that although a physician may already
have been approved, he can be rejected by the municipality.
(4) The Divine Antoninus stated
in a Rescript that those who instructed children in the rudiments
of learning were not exempt from the duties of public office.
12. Javolenus, On Cassius,
Book VI.
Anyone who has been granted
exemption from the performance of municipal duties is not excused
from becoming a magistrate, because the functions of the latter are
more honorable than those attaching to other public employments; but
all other extraordinary duties required from anyone temporarily, as,
for instance, the repair of highways, should not be demanded of a
person of this kind.
13. The Same, On Cassius,
Book XV.
Exemption and immunity from
public employments conceded to the children and descendants of anyone
only have reference to persons belonging to his family.
14. Callistratus, Judicial
Inquiries, Book I.
Municipal honor is the administration
of public affairs, with the title of the office, whether the payment
of expenses is required or not.
(1) An employment is either
public or private. A public employment is one in which we undertake
to administer public affairs, with the payment of expenses, and without
the title of dignity.
(2) The collection of expenses
for repairing the highways and of taxes on land are not personal,
but local employments.
(3) When a question arises with
reference to municipal honors and the administration of public employments,
the person upon whom the honor or the employment is conferred must
be taken into consideration, together with the origin of his birth,
and whether his means are sufficient to enable him to administer the
employment entrusted to him; and also the law, in accordance with
which every one should discharge his official duties.
(4) A plebeian son under paternal
control holds his office at the risk of the person who nominated him.
Our Emperor, Severus, stated the following on this point in a Rescript:
"If your son is a plebeian, you should not be compelled, against
your will, to be responsible for his administration of the magistracy,
because you cannot exercise your right of paternal authority to resist
his appointment, but his administration will be at the risk of him
who nominated him."
(5) The power of administering
a public office is not a promiscuous one, but a certain order should
be observed; for no one can discharge the higher functions of the
magistracy before having discharged those of a lower degree, nor can
anyone continue to perform the duties of a public office at any age.
(6) It is provided by many Imperial
Constitutions that, where there are no others to hold the office,
those who had it previously can be compelled to continue to administer
it. The Divine Hadrian stated in a Rescript with reference to continuance
in office: "If there are no others who are competent to perform
the duties of the office, I consent that they shall be chosen from
those who already have performed them."
15. Papinianus, Opinions,
Book V.
If a father consents for his
son to become a decurion, and after his death his son obtains the
office, his co-heirs cannot be held responsible for his maladministration,
if the father left his son, the decurion, sufficient means to discharge
his liabilities.
16. Paulus, Sentences, Book
I.
Those who offer a sum of money
in order to obtain exemption from the administration of a municipal
office or employment should not be heard.
(1) Anyone who promises a sum
of money for a municipal honor, and has begun to pay it shall be compelled
to pay the entire amount, just as in the case of an unfinished public
work.
(2) A son cannot, against his
will, be compelled to become responsible for any public employment
administered by his father.
(3) No one can be forced to
undertake the defence of a municipality more than once, unless necessity
requires this to be done.
17. Hermogenianus, Epitomes,
Book I.
No one is prohibited from voluntarily
repeating the performance of the sacerdotal ceremonies of a province.
(1) When a father who is exempt
from the civil employments and duties of the magistracy consents to
have his son, who is under his control, created decurion, he will
be compelled to assume responsibility for the proper discharge of
all the functions and obligations undertaken by his son.
18. Arcadius Charisius, On
Civil Employments.
There are three kinds of civil
employments, for some are called personal, others are styled patrimonial,
and others are mixed.
(1) Personal employments are
those which are carried on by the application of the mind, and the
exertion of corporeal labor, without resulting in any detriment to
the person who administers them; as, for instance, guardianship or
curatorship.
(2) The keeping of accounts
and the collection of money in any town is not considered an honorable
employment but a personal one.
(3) The conducting of recruits,
or horses, or any other animals necessary for the transportation or
pursuit of public property, or of money belonging to the Treasury,
or of provisions or clothing, is a personal employment.
(4) The supervision of posts
and couriers is a personal employment.
(5) The care of purchasing grain
and oil (as it is customary to appoint persons for duties of this
kind, who are called purveyors of grain and oil), is, in some towns,
included among personal employments, as well as the duty of heating
the public baths, when the money provided by the official in charge
is obtained from the revenues of any municipality.
(6) The preservation of aqueducts
is included in personal employments.
(7) Irenarchs are officials
who are appointed to maintain public discipline and the preservation
of morals. Those who are selected for the construction of highways,
when they can contribute nothing out of their own property for this
purpose, along with those who are appointed to supervise the sale
of bread and other provisions necessary to the daily sustenance of
the people of towns, administer personal employments.
(8) Persons who have charge
of either the collection or distribution of public provisions, and
collectors of individual taxes administer personal employments.
(9) Officials who are usually
chosen for the collection of the public revenues of towns exercise
a personal employment.
(10) Those also who are the
guardians of temples, or who have charge of the archives; writers
of orations and book-keepers; those who furnish entertainment to strangers,
as in certain cities; those who have superintendence of harbors; officials
charged with the construction or repair of public buildings, whether
palaces, or naval arsenals, or
such as are destined for military quarters, who expend the public
money in the erection of buildings, or for the construction or repair
of ships, when this is necessary, administer personal employments.
(11) The driving of camels is
also a personal employment, for a certain amount should be given to
the camel-drivers for the support of themselves and their camels,
and an account kept of the same, so that they will only be compelled
to furnish manual labor. These should be called according to the order
in which they are registered, and should not be released by any excuse,
unless it is expressly shown that they are suffering from some corporeal
injury, or weakness.
(12) Messengers who are despatched
to the Emperor sometimes receive their necessary travelling expenses,
but the officers of the night-watch and the superintendents of mills
administer personal employments.
(13) The defenders also, whom
the Greeks call syndics, and who are selected for the prosecution
or defence of some case, exercise personal employment.
(14) The duty of rendering decisions
is also classed among personal employments.
(15) When anyone is chosen to
compel persons to construct pavements in front of the public highways,
this employment is personal.
(16) In like manner, those who
are appointed for the collection of taxes perform the functions relating
to a personal employment.
(17) The officials who accompany
the contestants in games, and the clerks of magistrates, also discharge
the functions of personal employments.
(18) Patrimonial employments
are those which are administered at the expense of the estate, and
to the loss of the person who exercises them.
(19) Among the people of Alexandria,
officials who purchase oil and vegetables are considered to exercise
a patrimonial employment.
(20) Those who collect wine
throughout the province of Africa administer a patrimonial employment.
(21) Again, patrimonial employments
are of a twofold, nature, for some of them have reference to either
possession or to patrimonies, for instance, those who furnish horses,
or mules for the transporation of military supplies, or for the post.
(22) Therefore, persons who
are neither citizens nor inhabitants of municipal towns are required
to perform services of this description.
(23) It has been stated in a
Rescript that those who lend money at interest, even if they are veterans,
must pay taxes for the privilege of doing so.
(24) Neither veterans, nor soldiers,
nor any other persons, no matter what privileges they may enjoy, and
not even the pontiff himself, is exempt from employments of this kind.
(25) Moreover, some towns have
the privilege of permitting those who own land within their territory
to furnish each year a certain amount
of corn, in proportion to the real property which they possess; which
contribution is an employment attaching to possession.
(26) Mixed employments are those
in which personal and patrimonial ones are combined, as Herennius
Modestinus, with the best of reasons, stated in his notes and arguments;
for collectors of taxes and grain, who also perform manual labor,
exercise personal employments, and make good Treasury losses from
the property of deceased persons ; so that there is good reason for
considering this employment as being mixed in its character.
(27) We have, however, stated
above that those who exercise personal employments, according to the
laws or customs of their city, are also obliged to pay the expenses
out of their own property; or if those who collect provisions should
sustain any loss on account of land which remains uncultivated, these
employments will also be included under the denomination of mixed.
(28) All these employments,
which we have divided into three classes, are included under a single
signification; for personal, patrimonial, and mixed employments are
designated as civil or public.
(29) Where, however, exemption
from merely personal or civil employments is granted to anyone, they
cannot be excused from those relating to provisions, posts, couriers,
the furnishing of lodgings, the construction of ships, or the collection
of personal taxes, with the exception of soldiers and veterans.
(30) The Divine Vespasian and
the Divine Hadrian stated in a Rescript that exemption from furnishing
lodgings was granted by the Emperor to teachers who were not liable
to civil employment, as well as to grammarians, instructors in rhetoric,
and philosophers.
Tit. 5.
Concerning exemption and excuses from employments.
1. Ulpianus, Opinions, Book
II.
Every excuse should be based
upon justice. But if confidence should be placed in persons claiming
exemption, without a hearing in court, or indiscriminately, without
any limitation of time, as each one may choose, and if each one should
be permitted to excuse himself, there would not be enough persons
to discharge the duties of public office. Therefore, when any persons
claim exemption from a public office on account of the number of their
children, they should take an appeal, and those who do not observe
the time prescribed for the prosecution of an appeal of this kind
are with good reason excluded from the benefit of an exception.
(1) Those who avail themselves
of an excuse, and are discharged in consequence, must appeal every
time that they are appointed afterwards. When, however, this adversary
is proved to have acted through malice, and for the purpose of subjecting
them to frequent annoyance, although
he is aware that they are entitled to perpetual exemption, the Governor
shall order him who is responsible for this annoyance to pay the expenses
of litigation, as in the case of the Imperial Decrees.
(2) Persons eligible to the
highest honors, and included among the citizens of a town who, with
the design of defrauding their order, betake themselves to the country
for the purpose of avoiding the responsibilities of the higher offices,
and still remain liable to those attaching to inferior ones, cannot
avail themselves of this excuse.
(3) Although a man may be sixty-five
years of age, and have three living children, he cannot, for these
reasons, be released from performing the duties of civil employment.
2. The Same, Opinions, Book
III.
A minor of sixteen years
of age cannot be charged with the duty of the purchase of grain, if
this is not customary in the place of his birth. The same rule applies
to minors under twenty-five years of age, if they are appointed to
municipal employments or honors.
(1) Neither the number of children,
nor the age of seventy years, is a good excuse where honors or offices
are united, but only exempts a person from civil employments.
(2) Adopted children are not
included in the number of those who ordinarily excuse fathers from
public duties.
(3) Those who are called to
perform the functions of public officials must prove that they have
the prescribed number of children at the time when they wish to be
excused on this account; for if the number of children should afterwards
be completed, it will not release them, if they have previously undertaken
the employment.
(4) Where patrimonial employments
exist, the number of children is no excuse.
(5) Children, even if they have
ceased to be under the control of their father, afford a valid excuse
for exemption from civil employments.
(6) A person who hears with
difficulty is not entitled to exemption from civil employments.
(7) When the Governor of a province
perceives that anyone is oppressed with age and bodily infirmity,
or has not sufficient money to administer the office, he can discharge
him and appoint another. Infirmity of body is a valid excuse from
public employment, where only corporeal labor is concerned. Those,
however, who can assist with their advice as well-informed men, or
who are competent to discharge the duties of the office, should not
be excused, except for good and sufficient reasons.
(8) Those who teach children
the first rudiments of learning are not entitled to exemption from
civil employments. It is, however, a part of the duty of a Governor
to see that an office is not assigned to anyone which is beyond his
capacity, whether such a person is teaching the primary branches of
knowledge in a city or in a village.
3. Scaevola, Rules, Book
III.
Exemption from public employments
is granted to those who have constructed ships destined for the transport
of provisions for the Roman people, which have a capacity of not less
than fifty thousand measures of grain, or several, each of which has
a capacity of not less than ten thousand measures, as long as the
said ships are suitable for navigation, or where they provide others
in their stead. Senators, however, are not entitled to this exemption.
According to the Julian Law on Extortions, they have no right to have
ships.
4. Neratius, Parchments,
Book I.
The term of exemption which
is conceded to those who are absent on business for the State should
not be calculated from the day on which the person ceased to be absent,
but some time should be allowed him to rest after his journey; and
he is still understood to be absent in the public service if he transacts
any business either while going or returning. But if anyone delays
longer than is proper while on his way, or in any place, in this instance,
the time of exemption should be understood to begin from the date
when he could have conveniently concluded his journey.
5. Macer, On the Duties of
Governor, Book II.
Ulpianus gave it as his opinion
that no exemption should be granted to any other office while anyone
was called to it from the decurionate.
6. Papinianus, Questions,
Book II.
He who is entitled to exemption
from public employments cannot be compelled to assume the duties of
one which is extraordinary, and which he has been commanded to exercise.
7. The Same, Questions, Book
XXXVI.
According to the Decrees of
our most Excellent Emperor Severus, veterans are excused for life
from the exercise of public employments which are not imposed as patrimonial.
8. The Same, Opinions, Book
I.
When a person is appointed to
municipal honors, neither the age of seventy years, nor the fact that
he is the father of five children, can be advanced as an excuse. Our
Great Emperor Severus decreed that in Asia, men who had five children
could not be compelled to assume the sacerdotal duties of the province,
and he afterwards decided that this rule should be observed in the
other provinces.
(1) It is settled that no other
farmers of the revenue except those who are engaged in that occupation
at the time can be excused from civil employments and guardianships.
(2) The privileges of exemption
do not apply to the children of veterans.
(3) Those who have obtained
exemption from public employments are not compelled to pay contributions
unexpectedly imposed upon them
by magistrates, but they cannot avoid paying those which are imposed
by law.
(4) It has been decided that
philosophers, who frequently and usefully employ their time for the
benefit of those who are pursuing the studies of their school, are
excused from guardianships and other employments requiring corporeal
exertion, but they are not excused from those which involve the payment
of expenses; for true philosophers despise money, and expose the false
statements of the philosophical impostors who are desirous of having
it.
(5) Anyone who has appealed
to the Emperor, and goes to Rome with the intention of conducting
his own lawsuit, is excused from municipal honors and employments
until his case has been decided.
9. Paulus, Opinions, Book
I.
Those who teach at Rome must
be excused from public employments in their own country, just as if
they taught there.
(1) Paulus gave it as his opinion
that where a privilege was granted to persons dealing in grain, it
would also avail to excuse them from public office.
10. The Same, Sentences,
Book I.
No privilege is available as
an excuse to exempt persons from those employments which arise from
possession, or which are patrimonial.
(1) Those who are charged with
the measurement of grain, with a view to supplying the City of Rome,
are entitled to exemption; but the same rule does not apply to the
provinces.
(2) The furnishing of horses
for posts, and the necessity of receiving strangers as guests, are
requirements not imposed upon soldiers and professors of the liberal
arts.
(3) The excuse of poverty cannot
be alleged by anyone after an appeal, if, in the meantime, his property
has increased in value.
(4) Public defenders are entitled
to exemption from offices and employments for the same length of time.
11. Hermogenianus, Epitomes
of Law, Book I.
There are public duties which
attach to property, and with reference to which neither children,
slaves, the merits of military service, nor any other privilege affords
a legal excuse. As, for instance, those relating to the contribution
of land, the paving of highways, the provision of horses and vehicles
for posts, and the requirement to contribute to the lodging of strangers;
for no one has a right to an excuse of this kind except those to whom
it has been especially conceded by the favor of the Emperor; and this
applies to any other exemptions of this kind.
12. Paulus, Sentences, Book
I.
The defence in the same case
cannot, a second time, be committed to the representative of the government
who previously appeared, before the prescribed time of exemption has
elapsed.
(1) The attendants of Governors,
Proconsuls, and agents of the Emperor are excused from offices or
honors, and guardianships.
13. Ulpianus, On the Edict,
Book XXII.
When the Praetor ascertains
that anyone is unable to act as judge, he promises to excuse him;
for instance, where he cannot serve on account of bad health, and
it is certain that he is incapable of discharging the duties appertaining
to a civil office; or when he is suffering under some disease which
prevents him from transacting his own business; or if he is performing
sacerdotal duties, and cannot conscientiously relinquish them; for
such persons are excused for life.
(1) There are two ways of granting
exemption from public employment: one, which is permanent, such as
is granted to a soldier; another, which is for a short time, as when
anyone obtains the mere exemption from an employment.
(2) Moreover, anyone who has
no excuse can even be compelled to act as judge against his will.
(3) If a judge desires to excuse
himself on account of the privilege to which he was entitled before
he accepted the office, and this is done after he has begun to take
cognizance of a case, he should not be heard; for by once accepting
the office he renounces all right to an excuse. If, however, some
just cause should afterwards arise so that he can temporarily be excused,
the case should not be submitted to another magistrate, if there is
any danger of either of the parties suffering injustice; for it is
sometimes better to wait until the judge who has once taken cognizance
of the case can return than to commit it to another to be decided.
14. Modestinus, Rules, Book
VII.
The death of a son is no advantage
to his father as an excuse from public employment, unless he was killed
in battle.
(1) The same person shall not
supervise the construction of two public works at the same time.
Tit. 6.
On the right of immunity.
1. Ulpianus, Opinions, Book
III.
Those who are only on board
ships for the purpose of navigating them are not entitled to immunity
from civil employments, by the terms of any Imperial Constitution.
(1) Immunity granted to anyone
does not descend to his heirs.
(2) Where it is given to and
acquired by a family and its descendants, it does not pass to those
born of the women of this family.
2. The Same, On the Duties
of Proconsul, Book IV.
Where persons are obliged to
discharge the duties of public employment or office, under a certain
condition, when they could not otherwise
be compelled to do so against their consent, good faith must be observed
by them, and the condition under which they agreed to devote themselves
to the exercise of the said employments or office must be complied
with. It was stated in a Rescript addressed to Benidius Rufus, Governor
of Cilicia, that minors under the age of puberty should not be admitted
to hold office, even if the scarcity of eligible persons appeared
to render this necessary.
3. The Same, Book V.
Men over seventy years of age
are exempt from guardianships and personal employments. Anyone, however,
who has entered his seventieth year, but not yet completed it, cannot
avail himself of this excuse, because he who is in his seventieth
year is not considered to be over seventy years of age.
4. Modestinus, Rules, Book
VI.
Immunities, generally speaking,
are granted to a person in such a way that they can be transmitted
to his descendants, and are perpetual, so far as his male successors
are concerned.
5. Callistratus, On Judicial
Inquiries, Book I.
Old age has always been greatly
venerated in our City. For our ancestors treated old men with almost
the same reverence as magistrates, and the same honor was granted
to old age with reference to municipal obligations which were required
to be performed. Anyone, however, who became rich in his old age,
and had not previously exercised the functions of any public employment,
cannot be said to be exempt from such a charge by the privilege of
his years, and especially if the administration of the office imposed
upon him does not require corporeal exertion as much as the payment
of money, because it is not easy to find men enough properly qualified
in the City to discharge public duties.
(1) It is also necessary to
take into consideration the custom of every place, and see whether
any immunities are expressly granted, and also whether anything is
mentioned with reference to the number of years required to obtain
them. This can also be ascertained from the Rescripts of the Divine
Pius, which he sent to Ennius, Proconsul of the Province of Africa.
(2) It is clearly and plainly
stated, according to Rescripts of the Divine Aelius Pertinax, that
the number of children affords a valid excuse from municipal employments;
for he stated the following in a Rescript addressed to Julius Candidus:
"Although the number of children does not exempt a father from
all public employments, still because you have notified me in your
petition that you have sixteen, it is not unreasonable for us to grant
you exemption from public office, to enable you to bring up your children."
(3) Traders, who assist in furnishing
provisions to a city, as well as sailors who also provide for its
necessities, will obtain exemption from public office, as long as
they continue to do this; for it very properly has been decided that
the risks which they incur should be suitably recompensed, so that
those who perform such public duties outside of their own country
with risk and labor should be exempt from annoyances and expenses
at home; as it may not incorrectly be said that even they are absent
on business for the government when they are employed in collecting
provisions for a city.
(4) A certain specific character
is given to the immunity bestowed upon the owners of vessels, which
immunity they alone are entitled to; for it is not conferred either
upon their children or their freedmen. This is set forth in the Imperial
Constitutions.
(5) The Divine Hadrian stated
in a Rescript that only those ship owners should be entitled to immunity
who provided subsistence for the City.
(6) Although anyone may belong
to the association of ship owners, if he has neither a ship nor vessels,
nor anything else which is provided for by the Imperial Constitutions,
he cannot avail himself of the privilege granted to ship owners; and
the Divine Brothers stated the following in a Rescript: "Where
there are any persons who claim that they are immune from public employments,
under the pretext of transporting grain and oil by sea, for the benefit
of the Roman people, and they are not engaged in maritime traffic,
and have not the greater portion of their property invested in maritime
business and commodities, they shall be deprived of the immunity which
they enjoy."
(7) It must be said with reference
to the. following exemptions that where anyone was called to municipal
employments before he engaged in commerce, and before he was admitted
to an association formed by those engaged in the same pursuit (for
the reason that he obtained immunity), whether before he became seventy
years of age and publicly stated the fact, or had the requisite number
of children, he should be compelled to assume the duties of the office
to which he was appointed.
(8) Maritime commerce is prosecuted
for the purpose of increasing one's property, otherwise, if anyone
should carry it on with the greater part of his money, and he, having
become still more wealthy, should continue to transact the same volume
of business, he will be liable to public service, just as wealthy
persons who having purchased ships for a small sum attempt to evade
the duties of municipal office. It is stated in a Rescript of the
Divine Hadrian that this rule should be observed.
(9) The Divine Pius stated in
a Rescript that, whenever a question arose as to whether anyone belonged
to the association of ship owners, it should be ascertained whether
he had assumed the character of one for the purpose of avoiding public
employment.
(10) Farmers of the revenue,
also, are not reduced to the necessity of exercising municipal employments.
The Divine Brothers stated in a Rescript that this rule should be
observed. From this Imperial Rescript it can be understood that it
is not granted as a privilege to farmers
of the revenue, that they should not be compelled to exercise municipal
employments; but to prevent their property, which is already bound
to the Treasury, from being subjected to further liability. Wherefore,
it may be doubted if they should voluntarily offer to accept public
office, whether they should be prevented from doing so by the Governor
of the province, or by the Manager of the Imperial Revenues. The latter
opinion is the more easy to maintain, unless they are said to be ready
to settle their accounts with the Treasury.
(11) Farmers of the Imperial
demesnes are exempt from municipal employments in order that they
may be better adapted to the cultivation of the land belonging to
the Treasury.
(12) Immunity is conceded to
certain associations or corporate bodies, to which the right of assembly
has been granted by law; that is to say, to associations or corporate
bodies to which each person is admitted on account of his occupation,
as, for instance, the Society of Artisans, provided they have the
same origin; for instance, if they have been organized in order to
perform labor necessary for the public welfare. Immunity is not indiscriminately
granted to all those who are admitted to these associations, but only
to artisans, for it was decided by the Divine Pius that persons of
every age could not be chosen; and he disapproved of the admission
of those of an advanced or decrepit age. And, in order that individuals
who had become wealthy might not avoid the responsibility attaching
to civil office, it was decided in many places that persons could
avail themselves of the privileges which had been granted by such
associations to anyone in reduced circumstances.
(13) I have been informed that
when persons who have been elected to membership in corporate bodies,
which afford immunity to their members, as, for instance, that of
ship owners, obtain the honor of the decurionate, they should be compelled
to exercise public employments. This seems to be confirmed by a Rescript
of the Divine Pertinax.
6. Taruntenus Paternus, Military
Affairs, Book I.
The condition of certain persons
affords them exemption from more onerous employments, as, for instance,
measurers of grain and their assistants, chronic invalids, physicians,
slaves who carry the books of scholars, artisans, laborers who dig
ditches, veterinaries, architects, pilots, ship carpenters, makers
of ballistas, makers of glass, mechanics, manufacturers of arrows,
workers in bronze, chariot-builders, tile-makers, gladiators, makers
of pipes, trumpet makers, makers of musical instruments, makers of
bows, workers in lead and iron, lapidaries, burners of lime, wood
cutters and charcoal burners. Under the same category are also included
butchers, hunters, those who deal in animals for sacrifice, the assistants
of factory superintendents, those who attend the sick, weighers, not
only those in warehouses and depositories, but also such as are charged
with the distribution of supplies to the army, aids of military tribunes,
couriers, the guards of arms, common criers, and trumpeters. All these
persons are considered to be exempt from public office.
Tit. 7. Concerning embassies.
1. Ulpianus, On Massurius
Sabinus, Book VIII.
When a municipal envoy abandons
his office, he is generally subjected to an ordinary penalty, and
dismissed from his order.
2. The Same, Opinions, Book
II.
An envoy appointed to proceed
against a municipality can present his claim to the Emperor through
another.
(1) When an envoy abandons his
charge, or delays results for some good reason, he must prove this
fact before the Order of the town where he resides.
(2) The neglect of an envoy
to perform his duty does not prejudice his colleague.
(3) Salaries, in proportion
to their rank, are paid to envoys who do not undertake their mission
gratuitously.
3. Africanus, Questions,
Book III.
When the question is asked whether
an action should be granted against a person who is the member of
a embassy, it is not so important to ascertain where the claimant
either lent him money, or stipulated that something should be given,
as to know where suit can be brought, so that payment may be made
during the time of his mission.
4. Marcianus, Institutes,
Book XII.
It should be noted that a debtor
to the government cannot perform the duties devolving on an embassy.
This the Divine Pius stated in a Rescript addressed to Claudius Saturninus
and Faustinus.
(1) Persons who have not the
right to prosecute cannot exercise the function of an envoy; and the
Divine Severus and Antoninus stated in a Rescript that anyone who
had been appointed to contend in the arena could not legally be one.
(2) Debtors of the Treasury,
however, are not forbidden to perform the duties of an envoy.
(3) Where a charge has been
publicly brought against anyone the accuser should not be compelled
to undertake the duties of an envoy to one who alleges that he is
a friend, or belongs to the family of the accused party. This was
stated by the Divine Brothers in a Rescript to Aemilius Rufus.
(4) Envoys cannot appoint others
their substitutes, with the exception of their sons.
(5) Everyone is compelled to
perform the functions of an envoy in his turn, but is not obliged
to do so until those who have been chosen before him in an assembly
have performed theirs. If, however, the embassy requires men of the
first rank, and those who are called in their order are of inferior
degree, the regular order should not be observed, as the Divine Hadrian
stated in a Rescript addressed to the Clazomenians.
(6) It is provided by an Edict
of the Divine Vespasian addressed to all cities that one municipality
shall not send more than three envoys.
5. Scaevola, Rules, Book
I.
The time which may profit an
envoy dates from his appointment, and not from the day when he arrives
at Rome.
(1) But if it is not satisfactorily
established whether he is an envoy or not, the Praetor of Rome shall
investigate the matter.
6. Ulpianus, On the Duties
of Proconsul, Book IV.
Exemption from serving as an
envoy is not granted to a son on account of the service of his father
as one, as our Emperor, with his Father, stated to Claudius Callistus,
as follows: "You petition to be exempted from acting as an envoy
on account of the service of your father, but this can properly take
place only so far as an office which requires the payment of expense
is concerned; the rule, however, is different with reference to the
expenses of an embassy which demands the service of a single person."
7. Papinianus, Opinions,
Book I.
A son, who was a decurion, assumed
the duties of a envoy in behalf of his father. This will not excuse
him from another embassy, unless he has already departed; the father,
however, can claim exemption for two years, for the reason that he
is considered to have discharged the duties of his mission by his
son.
8. Paulus, Rules, Book I.
Paulus gave it as his opinion
that when anyone has once performed the duties of an envoy he cannot,
during the time prescribed for exemption, be compelled to again undertake
the defence of any public case, even if the same question was in controversy.
(1) "The Emperors Antoninus
and Severus to Germanus Silvanus: An exemption for the term of two
years is granted to persons who have discharged the duties of envoy,
and it makes no difference whether the embassy was despatched to us
at Rome or in a province."
(2) Paulus held that anyone
who performed the functions of an envoy should not attend to his own
affairs nor to those of others; but anyone who gratuitously gives
his advice to a Praetor, who is his friend, is not considered in this
instance to violate this rule.
9. The Same, Opinions, Book
III.
Paulus gave it as his opinion
that where an envoy sustained any damage during the term of his service
he could, even during that time, bring an action.
10. The Same, Sentences,
Book I.
An envoy cannot bring an action
relating to his own property before he has performed his official
duties, except in those cases which relate to the reparation of injury
or the payment of damages.
(1) When anyone dies during
his service as envoy, and before he returns to his home, the expenses
which have been advanced to him at the time of his departure shall
not be returned.
11. The Same, On the Right
of Petition.
Where anyone is appointed an
envoy during his absence, and voluntarily accepts the office, he can
send another to discharge its duties in his place.
(1) Although anyone who performs
the duties of an envoy cannot transact his own business, still, the
Great Antoninus permitted him to prosecute and defend cases in the
name of a female ward; although he had not yet attended to the affairs
of the embassy which he had undertaken, and especially when he alleged
that the guardian for whom he acted was absent.
12. Scaevola, Digest, Book
I.
An envoy who was appointed by
his native town, having accepted the office, came to Rome; and, before
he had discharged his duties, purchased a house in Nicopolis, his
own city. The question arose whether he was liable to the Decree of
the Senate by which an envoy is prohibited from attending to his private
business or affairs before the duties of his office have been performed.
The answer was that he did not appear to be liable.
13. Papinianus, Opinions,
Book I.
A substitute, appointed with
his own consent to discharge the duties of another, is not entitled
to the privilege of exemption for two years, and is compelled to accept
the office of envoy.
14. Ulpianus, On the Edict
of the Praetor, Book LXXIV.
Anyone who is still absent,
after having exercised the functions of an envoy, and been discharged,
is not considered to be away on business for the State, for he is
not absent for the public benefit, but for his own.
15. Modestinus, Rules, Book
VII.
Anyone who performs the duties
of an envoy cannot present a petition relating to his own affairs,
or those of others, without permission of the Emperor.
16. The Same, Rules, Book
VIII.
The same person is not forbidden
to undertake several embassies; above all, where he pays his travelling
expenses himself.
(1) Where suit has been brought
against anyone before he assumed the duties of an envoy, he ought
to defend it, even if he is absent, but where he has once undertaken
such duties, he is not required to do so, unless in the performance
of his official functions.
17. Pomponius, On Quintus,Mucius,
Book XXXVII.
When anyone strikes the envoy
of our enemy, he is considered to be guilty of an act against the
Law of Nations, because envoys are considered
sacred. Therefore, if any ambassadors of a nation with whom we are
at war are with us, it has been established that they are free to
remain; for this is in conformity with the Law of Nations. Hence,
Quintus Mucius held that anyone who struck an ambassador is usually
surrendered to the enemy of whom he was the representative. The question
arose, if the enemy did not receive the offender when he was sent
to them, whether he would remain a Roman citizen. Some authorities
think that he would remain such, and others are of the contrary opinion,
because where a people have once ordered anyone to be surrendered
he is considered to have been deprived of citizenship, just as is
the case where anyone is forbidden fire and water. It seems that Publius
Mucius was also of this opinion. This question was thoroughly discussed
in the case of Hostilius Mancinus, whom the Numantians would not receive
when he was surrendered to them; and, on this account, a law was subsequently
enacted to enable him to remain a Roman citizen, and he is said to
have even held the office of Praetor.
Tit. 8.
Concerning the administration of property belonging to cities.
1. Ulpianus, Disputations,
Book X.
Anything which has been left
to a city for a special purpose cannot be converted to other uses.
2. The Same, Opinions, Book
III.
Conditions imposed in former
leases cannot be considered to apply to subsequent ones.
(1) What anyone is forbidden
to do in his own name he should not do through the agency of anyone
else. Therefore, if a decurion rents public land (which decurions
are not permitted.to do), by substituting the names of others, his
act shall be revoked, as being in violation of law.
(2) Where anyone converts money
intended for the purchase of grain to some other use, he will be required
to refund the amount with interest; and a judgment rendered against
him will be valid, even if he is absent; but in this case it is presumed
that he has given security to render an account of his administration.
(3) Anyone who owes a sum of
money intended for the purchase of grain must pay it at once. For,
in all matters relating to the public purchase of grain, which is
necessary, the payment of the money does not admit of delay; and all
persons who are indebted under such circumstances can be compelled
to pay by the Governor of the province.
(4) Funds given for the purchase
of grain must be returned to the city, and cannot be expended for
other purposes. If, however, money destined for the purchase of grain
is converted to some other use, as, for instance, to work upon the
public baths, even though it may be proved that it has been expended
in good faith, still, as it can only be disbursed for the purchase
of grain, he who has charge of it shall be ordered to refund it to
the city.
(5) If money intended for the
purchase of grain should be refunded to the city with interest, an
unreasonable and an unlawful rate of interest ought not to be exacted,
that is to say, compound interest should not be paid.
(6) Where, after the purchase
of grain, for which the price has been paid and entered upon the public
registers, it is unjustly taken from the purchaser; the Governor of
the province can order the amount to be refunded to him who purchased
it.
(7) When a man who was solvent
at the time when he was appointed to office afterwards becomes insolvent,
any loss sustained must be borne by the State; for no human prudence
can provide against accidents, and the person who appointed him should
not be liable for anything on this account.
(8) The rights of a city cannot
be changed by an agreement entered into by magistrates and their colleagues
to prevent themselves from being sued by one another, with reference
to matters in which this is permitted to be done by law.
(9) The action, however, which
can be brought against one of them for maladministration will, in
accordance with equity, lie in favor of another who has become responsible
for him.
(10) What is proved to have
been expended in behalf of a colleague holding the office of magistrate,
the Governor of a province shall order to be paid by the party in
question, or his heirs.
(11) The Same in the Same Book.
Where anyone has been punished for fraud in the construction of some
work, and the surety who was responsible for him contracted with another
for the construction of the same work, and it still was not done,
the heir of the surety cannot refuse the payment of interest; as,
in the first place, the contract bound the surety in good faith for
the entire amount, and under the subsequent contract, because he acknowledged
his responsibility, he will be liable for the payment of any loss
which may be sustained by the city.
(12) Persons who have become
sureties for the entire amount for which a farmer of the revenue may
become liable can legally be sued for the interest as well as the
principal, unless something to the contrary with reference to them
is set forth in the terms of the obligation.
(13) But where, in the leasing
of lands, it was agreed that if on account of an unfavorable season,
the rent need not be paid for any year during which, according to
the judgment of a reliable citizen, this might be considered a proper
excuse, good faith must be observed in complying with the condition
of the lease.
3. Papinianus, Opinions,
Book I.
Where certain officials, who
held office together, divided money among themselves which had been
paid to them all in a single sum, it was decided that they could not
be released from responsibility by paying the amount which each had
respectively received. Ulpianus, however, who transacted the business,
should be first sued, as in the case of guardians.
(1) In the Same Book. The magistrate
of a city leased public land for five years without requiring good
security. The tenant, having remained a longer time than the five
years, left a balance due to the Treasury, and as the proceeds of
the crops of the land could not be obtained, the successor of the
person who leased the land was held responsible. The same rule was
long since decided not to apply to taxes, as those who farm them are
only liable during their term of office.
(2) An action should not be
refused against anyone after his retirement from office who, during
his term, became responsible through novation to the creditors of
the State. The case of one who agreed to pay is, however, different,
for he is considered to resemble a person who either publicly sold
or leased property.
(3) A son cannot be required
to be responsible for his father, who has been created a magistrate,
even if his father emancipated him before he was appointed to office,
or where he has transferred to him a portion of his property as a
donation.
(4) When a surety who appeared
for a magistrate has also given pledges, the pledges are considered
to have been furnished in order that suit may properly be brought;
that is to say, after nothing can be recovered from him for whom he
became liable.
4. Valens, Trusts, Book II.
Where a bequest has been left
to a town, it cannot be converted to any other use than that intended
by the deceased, without the authority of the Emperor; and therefore,
if the deceased directed a work to be constructed with it, which cannot
be done after the reservation of the fourth authorized by the Falcidian
Law, it is permitted for the sum of money to be employed for whatever
may appear most necessary for the benefit of the town. The rule is
the same where several sums of money are bequeathed for the construction
of several works, and, after the deduction under the Falcidian Law,
the remainder is not sufficient for the construction of them all,
for the money is allowed to be expended for any single work which
the State may wish to have constructed. Where, however, money was
bequeathed in order that its income may be used for hunting, or for
exhibitions, the Senate forbade it to be used for such purposes, and
permitted the legacy to be expended upon what was most needed by the
city, and to recognize the munificence of the person who made the
bequest, authorized that the fact should be commemorated by an inscription.
5. Paulus, Sentences, Book
I.
Decurions are not compelled
to furnish grain to their city at a lower price than that which it
is sold at the time,
(1) Unless the money was expressly
bequeathed for the construction of a new work, or the repair of an
old one.
6. Ulpianus, On the Edict
of the Praetor, Book I.
The magistrates of a city are
not only liable for fraud, but also for gross negligence; and this
is especially the case where diligence is required.
7. Paulus, On the Edict of
the Praetor, Book I.
When a son under paternal control
administers the office of magistrate, with the consent of his father,
Julianus held that the latter would be liable in full for whatever
was lost by the city under his son's administration.
8. Modestinus, Rules, Book
VIII.
The correction of an error in
calculation can be made even after ten or twenty years.
(1) When, however, accounts
are proved to have been examined and accepted, mistakes in them cannot
be corrected.
9. Papirius Justus, On the
Constitutions, Book II.
The Emperors Antoninus and Verus
stated in a Rescript that interest should be collected on money remaining
in the hands of public officials; but that it could not be collected
from contractors of public works, and that when the latter were not
solvent, officials would only be liable for the principal.
(1) They also stated in a Rescript
that even the heirs of public officials were responsible for any loss
sustained with reference to public works.
(2) They also stated in a Rescript
that it was the duty of the magistrate of a city to recover lands
belonging to it, even though they were in the possession of bona
fide purchasers; above all, when the latter could have recourse
to the persons from whom they had obtained them.
(3) The Same in the Same Book.
The Emperors Antoninus and Verus stated in a Rescript that contracts
for the construction of public works should not be made without security
being furnished.
(4) They also stated in a Rescript
that if public officials were negligent in the sale of property, they
would be liable for simple damages, but if they had been guilty of
fraud, they would be liable for double damages; and that no penalty
would pass to their heirs.
(5) They also stated in a Rescript
that a magistrate, after property had been sold, should collect money
intended for the purchase of provisions for the people.
(6) They also stated in a Rescript
that officers charged with the purchase of grain would, according
to an Epistle of Hadrian, be exempt from liability where they had
properly discharged the duties of their office.
(7) They also stated in a Rescript
that security should not be required of the official having charge
of the accounts of a municipality, as he had been selected by the
Governor after investigation.
(8) They also stated in. a Rescript
that a magistrate will be liable on account of his colleague, if he
could have prevented him from acts of maladministration and did not
do so.
(9) They also stated in a Rescript
that a magistrate would be liable when the indebtedness of his city
was increased during the time of his administration. But if, before
he obtained his office, the city was not able to pay its debts, it
seems to be just that no responsibility should attach to him.
(10) The Same in the Same Book.
The Emperors Antoninus and Verus stated in a Rescript that a magistrate
who, during his term of office, and for a long time afterwards, had
retained any of the public money in his possession, would be obliged
to refund it with the interest, unless he could allege some good reason
for not doing so.
Tit. 9.
Concerning decrees which should be rendered by the order of decurions.
1. Ulpianus, Opinions, Book
III.
It is not in the discretion
of the Governor of a province to determine the number of physicians
to be appointed for each town, but this is the duty of the Order of
Decurions and those who possess property therein, in order that, in
cases of bodily illness, they may commit themselves and their children
to the care of persons selected by themselves, and of whose probity
and skill in their profession they are assured.
2. Marcianus, Public Prosecutions,
Book I.
Decrees that are enacted without
the lawful number of decurions being present are not valid.
3. Ulpianus, On Appeals,
Book III.
It is provided by municipal
law that the Order of Decurions shall not be considered to have assembled,
unless two-thirds of the members are present.
4. The Same, On the Duties
of the Principal Magistrate of the City.
The decrees of decurions granted
for the sake of popularity should be set aside, whether they have
discharged debtors, or have authorized donations.
(1) Hence if, as is customary,
they have disposed of any lands, houses, or sums of money belonging
to the public in this way, such a decree will be void. But if the
decurions have ordered money to be paid to anyone by way of compensation,
the decree will not always be of no force or effect; as, for example,
where a grant has been made on account of some of the liberal arts,
or for medicine, as appropriations can legally be made for this purpose.
5. Callistratus, On Judicial
Inquiries, Book II.
The Divine Hadrian stated in
a Rescript addressed to the people of Nicomedia that where the Order
of Decurions had once issued a decree it should not be rescinded,
except for some good reason; that is to say, where the annulment of
the decree had reference to the public welfare.
6. Scaevola, Digest, Book
I.
The following was provided by
municipal law: "When anyone renders judgment outside of the council,
he shall be expelled from the council, or order, and shall pay a thousand
drachmas." The question arose whether he should be subjected
to the penalty if he was ignorant that he had violated the law. The
answer was that penalties of this kind were only intended for those
who knew that they were acting illegally.
Tit. 10.
Concerning public works.
1. Ulpianus, Opinions, Book
II.
A certain man, having been appointed
supervisor of public works, and desiring to be excused, did not succeed,
but remained in office until he died. He left his heirs liable, but
imposed no responsibility upon them from the time when his death occurred.
(1) A person who was already
exercising the functions of a public office afterwards undertook the
construction of an aqueduct. It seemed to be absurd for him to ask
to be released from his former employment, when he was already charged
with both; because if he had only intended to assume responsibility
for one, it is more probable that he would have obtained exemption
from the other, on account of that in which he was already engaged.
2. The Same, Opinions, Book
III.
Anyone who, through liberality
and not because of indebtedness, has devoted his income for a time
to the purpose of completing public works, is not forbidden to obtain
the reward of his generosity by having his name inscribed upon them.
(1) The supervisors of public
works transact business with the contractors, but the State is only
concerned with those appointed for that purpose. Therefore, the Governor
of the province will repose confidence in the person who has charge of the work, as
well as in the contractor who is liable to him.
(2) The Governor of a province
should interpose his authority to prevent the name of him through
whose generosity a public work has been constructed from being erased,
and the names of others inscribed in its place; and also see that
the evidence of similar liberalities bestowed by citizens upon their
country shall not be removed.
3. Macer, On the Duties of
Governor, Book II.
A private individual can construct
a new work even without the authority of the Emperor, unless this
is done through rivalry with another city, or may furnish material
for sedition, or is a circus, a theatre, or an amphitheatre.
(1) It is stated by the Imperial
Constitutions that it is not lawful for a new work to be constructed
at the public expense without the authority of the Emperor.
(2) It is not lawful for any
other name than that of the Emperor, or of him by whose money it was
constructed, to be inscribed upon any public work.
4. Modestinus, Pandects,
Book XI.
It is not lawful to inscribe
even the name of the Governor upon a public work.
5. Ulpianus, On the Duties
of the Principal Magistrate of a City.
When anyone bequeaths a legacy
or property in trust for the construction of a public work, the interest
on the same and the time when it begins to run are established by
a Rescript of the Divine Pius in the following terms: "If the
person leaving the legacy does not state the time when the statues
or images shall be placed in position, it should be fixed by the Governor
of the province; and if the heirs of the deceased do not do this within
the prescribed time, they will, in six months, be liable to the payment
of moderate interest, but if the said statues and images are not placed
in position by that date they must pay interest at the rate of six
per cent to the State. "When, however, a time was appointed,
they must pay the money within that time; or, if they should allege
that they have not found the statues, or cause any dispute to arise
with reference to the place, they must immediately begin to pay interest
at the rate of six per cent."
(1) The boundaries of public
lands must not be retained by private individuals. Therefore, the
Governor of the province shall see that public lands are separated
from those belonging to private persons, and endeavor to increase
the public revenues. If he finds that any public places or buildings
are occupied by private persons, he must estimate whether they should
be demanded for the benefit of the public, or whether it would be
better to lease them for a sufficient rent; and he must always pursue
the course which he thinks will be of the greatest advantage to the
State.
6. Modestinus, Pandects,
Book XI.
The Divine Marcus stated in
a Rescript that the Governor of a province should consult the Emperor
with reference to works which have been constructed on the walls or
gates of cities, or other public property, and also where walls have
been built.
7. Callistratus, On Judicial
Inquiries, Book II.
The Divine Pius stated in a
Rescript that where money had been bequeathed for the construction
of a new work, it was better for it to be employed for the preservation
of works already existing than to be expended in the construction
of new ones; that is to say, if the city had enough public works,
and money was not easily obtained for their repair.
(1) When anyone wishes to adorn
with marble, or in any other manner a work constructed by another,
and he promises to do so according to the will of the people, the
Senate decreed that this could be done if he inscribed his own name
upon the work, but that he should allow the name of the person who
built it in the first place to remain. Where, however, private individuals
expend a sum of money of their own to the embellishment of a work
already constructed with the public funds, it is provided by the same
Imperial Mandates that they can have their names inscribed upon the
work and state the amount of money which they had contributed to it.
Tit. 11. Concerning
markets.
1. Modestinus, Rules, Book
III.
Where permission to hold a market
has been obtained from the Emperor, and the person accorded the privilege
does not make use of it for ten years, he will lose it.
2. Callistratus, Judicial
Inquiries, Book III.
When anyone orders the cultivators
of land and fishermen to bring provisions into a city, in order that
they themselves may dispose of them, for the reason that the supply
of provisions will be diminished when the farmers are called away
from their work, those who bring in the merchandise must deliver it
immediately after doing so, and return to their labors. Hence, Plato
displayed the highest wisdom and authority who while he was teaching
among the Greeks, stated that in order for a city to be prosperous,
and its people to be happy, it must, in the first place, attract all
such merchants as were necessary; for, in the First Book on Civil
Intercourse, he said: "A city is in need of many farmers, and
other laborers and artisans, as well as of those who bring in and
carry away articles of commerce, for these are traders. Where, however,
a farmer brings to market anything which he produced, or any other
laborer does so, and he does not immediately encounter someone who
desires to exchange wares with him, will it be necessary for him to
remain sitting in his place in the market until he disposes of his
commodities? By no means, for there are those who, seeing this, may
offer their services for the disposal of the merchandise."
Tit. 12. Concerning promises.
1. Ulpianus, On the Duties
of the Chief Magistrate of a City.
If anyone should promise to
construct a public work, or donate money for that purpose, he cannot
be sued for interest. If, however, he delays, interest will accrue,
as our Emperor with his Divine Father stated in a Rescript.
(1) It must be noted that anyone
who makes a promise is not always obliged to carry it into effect.
Where, however, he promises in consideration of an honor already granted
to him by a decree, or which is to be granted hereafter, or for some
other good reason, he will be bound by his promise. But if he made
the promise without any cause, he will not be liable, as is stated
in many Constitutions both old and new.
(2) Likewise, when anyone makes
a promise without any consideration, and begins to carry it out, he
will be liable.
(3) We understand a person to
begin to carry out his promise in the case of the construction of
a building, where he lays the foundation, or clears the ground. Where,
however, the land has been transferred to him for this purpose at
his request, the better opinion is that he should be held to have
begun the work. The same rule will apply if he has made preparations,
or spent money in a public place.
(4) If, however, he himself
did not begin the work, but promised a certain sum of money for its
construction, he commences the undertaking by the payment of the money,
and he will be liable just as if the work had been begun.
(5) Finally, when anyone promises
columns for a public work, our Emperor, with his Divine Father, made
the following statement in a Rescript: "Anyone who promises a
sum of money to the State without any reason is not compelled to perfect
his liberality. Where, however, you promised some columns to the people
of Citium, and on this account, the work was begun at the expense
of the city, or of private persons, what has been done cannot be abandoned."
(6) Our Emperor stated in a
Rescript that when anyone entrusts another to complete a work, and
any damage then results to it through accident, the person who constructed
it will be responsible.
2. The Same, Disputations,
Book I.
Where a person vows anything,
he is bound by his vow, but the obligation attaches to him who makes
the vow, and not to the property; for where anything is vowed and
delivered, it releases the person, but the property does not become
sacred.
(1) Sons who have arrived at
puberty, and are their own masters, are bound by the vows of their
father, for a son under paternal control or a slave cannot bind himself
by a vow, without the authority of his father or his master.
(2) If anyone should vow the
tenth of his property, the tenth will not cease to belong to his estate
until it has been separated from it; and if the person who vowed the
tenth should die before the separation takes place, his heir will
be liable for the tenth in the name of the estate. For it is established
that an obligation of this kind passes to the heir.
3. The Same, Disputations,
Book IV.
An agreement arises from the
consent of two persons, in the same manner as a contract. A promise,
however, only requires the consent of the individual making the offer;
and therefore it has been established that if a promise is made in
consideration of some honor to be conferred, it can be collected as
a debt. When, however, the work has been begun, it has been decided
that the promisor will be compelled to complete it, even if he did
not promise it in consideration of some honor to be conferred.
(1) If anyone who has delivered
property to a city in compliance with his promise desires to reclaim
it, his request should be barred; for it is perfectly just that voluntary
gifts of this kind bestowed upon cities should not be revoked by merely
changing one's mind. Where, however, a municipality has ceased to
possess property obtained under such circumstances, an action should
be granted to it.
4. Marcianus, Institutes,
Book III.
If anyone should make a promise
on account of loss by fire, or an earthquake, or any other damage
sustained by a city, he will be liable.
5. Ulpianus, Opinions, Book
I.
Answered Charidemus as follows:
"Anyone who, while absent, promises by letter that something
shall be done for a city, will be compelled to comply with his promise."
6. The Same, On the Duties
of Proconsul, Book V.
Whenever the value of a promise
is diminished on account of an heir, this can only occur where it
was not made in consideration of an honor to be bestowed. Where, however,
it is made in consideration of some honor, it is deemed to be a debt,
and is not diminished, so far as the heir, personally, is concerned.
(1) If anyone promises a sum
of money in consideration of the bestowal of an honor, and begins
to pay it, Our Emperor Antoninus stated in a Rescript that he owed
the entire amount just as if the work had been begun.
(2) It must be remembered that
not only males, but also females, must fulfill their promises when
they agree to give or do anything in consideration of honors to be
conferred. This is included in the Rescript of Our Emperor and his
Divine Father.
(3) If the City should require
anyone who has not promised to do so to erect statues of the Emperor
in some public place, he will not be compelled to obey, as is stated
in a Rescript of Our Emperor and his Divine Father.
7. Paulus, On the Duties
of Proconsul, Book I.
Where anyone has promised to
do something for a city on account of some accident which has happened
to it, the Divine Severus stated in a Rescript to Dio that even if
he did not begin it, he would still be liable.
8. The Same, On the Duties
of Proconsul, Book III.
The Divine Brothers made the
following statement in a Rescript with reference to promises made
to cities of which judges should take cognizance: "Statius Rufinus
promised that he would finish a theatre in the City of Gabinia, which
he already had begun. For although he had suffered misfortune, and
had been relegated by the Urban Prefect for the term of three years;
still he should not diminish the favor of the gift which he had voluntarily
offered, as, even though he was absent, the work could be completed
by a friend. If, however, he should fail to do so, the regular authorities
who had the legal right to act in behalf of the city could bring suit
against him in its name. The judges must examine the case as soon
as possible, before Statius Rufinus went into exile, and if they should
determine that the work ought to be completed by him, they shall order
him to fulfil the promise made to the city, or forbid the land which
he has in the territory of the City of Gabinia to be sold."
9. Modestinus, Differences,
Book IV.
When anyone has made a promise
to a city, in consideration of some honor to be conferred upon him,
he will be liable under all circumstances for the entire amount, and
his heir as well, on account of the promise which was made. This,
indeed, applies to a work begun on account of a promise, and where
the property of the party in question was not sufficient to comply
with it, the Divine Severus and Antoninus stated in a Rescript that,
in this instance, a foreign heir would be liable to a fifth part of
the estate of the deceased, or his children to one-tenth. The Divine
Pius, however, decided that where the donor was impoverished by the
promise which he had made, and the work had been begun, a fifth part
of his property would be liable.
10. The Same, Opinions, Book
I.
Septicia promised a certain
sum of money to her native city for the celebration of public games,
under the condition that the principal should
remain in her hands, and that she herself should give half of the
interest as reward to the contestants, in the following terms: "I
give and set apart thirty thousand aurei as principal to be
devoted to the games every four years, I myself retaining the said
amount in my hands, and furnishing security to the decurions to pay
the interest, at the ordinary rate, on said principal of thirty thousand
aurei; under the condition that the games shall be presided
over by my future husband and the children who may be born to me.
The said interest shall be expended in prizes to be awarded to the
competitors whom the judges may decide to have excelled in each contest."
I ask whether the children of Septicia would suffer any injustice
if they should not preside at these contests, in accordance with the
terms and the condition of the promise. Herennius Modestinus answered
that in case the institution of the public games was permitted, the
condition imposed by the promise must be complied with.
11. The Same, Pandects, Book
IX.
When anyone promises a sum of
money in consideration of obtaining a magisterial honor or a sacerdotal
office, and, before he obtains the honor or enters upon the duties
of the office, he dies, his heirs should not be sued for the money
which he promised in consideration of the said honor or magistracy.
This was provided by the Imperial Constitutions, unless, during his
lifetime, the work had been begun either by the person himself, or
by the city.
12. The $ame, Pandects, Book
XI.
It is stated in a Rescript of
the Divine Severus that we cannot erect statues to others upon public
works constructed by private individuals, against the consent of the
latter.
(1) The Divine Antoninus stated
in a Rescript that where anyone has promised a work in order to avoid
performing the duties of an office, he can be compelled to perform
its duties instead of constructing the work.
13. Papirius Justus, On the
Constitutions, Book II.
The Emperors Antoninus and Verus
stated in a Rescript that those who had promised to construct public
works in consideration of honors to be conferred could be compelled
to construct them, but not to furnish the money for that purpose.
(1) They also stated in a Rescript
that conditions imposed upon donations to be made to a city, should
only be complied with when the public welfare demanded it, and that
they should not be observed if they were injurious. Therefore, where
a deceased person bequeathed a certain sum of money, and, in doing
so, forbade the levy of a certain tax, this condition should not be
observed, for what ancient custom has established is preferable.
14. Pomponius, Epistles and
Various Passages, Book VI.
When anyone, in consideration
of an honor to be conferred upon him, or upon someone else, promises
that he will construct a public work
in a certain city, he, as well as his heir, will be bound by a Constitution
of the Divine Trajan to complete it. If anyone, in consideration of
an honor to be conferred, should promise that he will construct some
work, and begins it and dies before completing it, and leaves a foreign
heir, the latter will either be compelled to complete the work, or,
if he prefers to do so, he can set aside the fifth part of the estate
which was left to him, for the purpose of furnishing it, and transfer
it to the city in which the work has been begun. Where, however, the
heir is one of the children, he will be required to contribute, not
the fifth, but the tenth part of the estate. This was decided by the
Divine Antoninus.
15. Ulpianus, On the Duties
of the Chief Magistrate of a City.
The Divine Pius stated in a
Rescript that a grandson by a daughter of the testator was also included
among his children.
Tit. 13.
Concerning extraordinary judicial inquiries, and where a judge is alleged to have rendered a case his own.
1. Ulpianus, On All Tribunals,
Book VIII.
The Governor of a province usually
decided with reference to salaries, but only concerning those to which
instructors in liberal studies are entitled. We understand liberal
studies to be those which the Greeks designate eleuveria, and
they include such as are taught by professors of rhetoric, grammar,
and geometry.
(1) For the same reason, nothing
is more just than also to include professors of medicine, for the
latter give their attention to the health of men, and the former to
their studies; and therefore with reference to them also, the Governor
of the province should expound the law arbitrarily.
(2) Governors hear midwives,
who are also considered to practice medicine.
(3) Anyone understands a physician
to be one who promises a cure for any part of the body, or relief
from pain, as, for example, an affection of the ear, a fistula, or
a toothache; provided he does not employ incantations, imprecations,
or exorcisms (to make use of the ordinary term applied to charlatans),
for such things as this do not properly belong to the practice of
medicine, although there are persons who commend such expedients,
and affirm that they have been benefited by them.
(4) Are philosophers to be included
in the number of professors? 1 do not think that they are, not because
philosophy is irreligious, but because those who practice it should,
first of all, scorn any mercenary labor.
(5) Hence, the Governor of a
province does not decide with reference to the remuneration of professors
of the Civil Law, for their wisdom
is considered to be something extremely sacred; but it should not
be estimated by its value in money, or be dishonored where compensation
is claimed by a person who ought to promise under oath to dispense
instruction gratuitously. Still, contributions when tendered may honorably
be accepted, which, however, would be dishonorable if demanded.
(6) Governors of provinces have
also assumed the right to decide with reference to school teachers,
although they are not classed as professors, as well as in the case
of copyists, makers of notes, accountants, and notaries.
(7) The Governor should, by
no means, arbitrarily decide with reference to the master-workmen
of other arts, or artisans who are not included in the literary professions,
or are not mentioned above.
(8) When assistants demand their
salaries, it has been decided that the same rule applies as in the
case of professors.
(9) The Governor should take
cognizance of all claims against these persons, for the Divine Brothers
stated in a Rescript that this could even be done against advocates.
(10) With reference to the fees
of advocates, the judge should decide according to the importance
of the case, the skill of the advocate, and the custom of the bar,
and should make an estimate of the fees to which the advocate was
entitled, provided the amount does not exceed the compensation fixed
by law; for this was set forth in a Rescript of Our Emperor and his
Father in the following terms: "If Julius Maternus, who has wished
you to appear in his case, is ready to pay you what he agreed to do,
you can only claim an amount which does not exceed that prescribed
by law."
(11) We should understand advocates
to be all those who devote their energies to the purpose of conducting
litigation. Those, however, are not included in the number of advocates
who ordinarily appear in court to conduct cases in behalf of parties
who are absent.
(12) If a fee has been agreed
upon with an advocate, or if anyone has made a contract with him,
having reference to the conduct of a case, let us see whether he can
demand it. And, indeed, the following was stated by our Emperor and
his Divine Father with reference to agreements of this kind, namely:
"It is the observance of a bad custom where you exact from your
client a promise for the payment of money for conducting his case.
It is the law that if, while the case is pending, an agreement is
made for future remuneration it will be void; but if it is made after the case has been tried,
the sum promised as a fee can be collected up to a reasonable amount,
even though the agreement was made with reference to what might be
recovered, provided what has been paid shall be reckoned with what
is due, and the entire amount does not exceed the legal fee."
The proper fee is understood to be no more than a hundred aurei
in any one case.
(13) The Divine Severus prohibited
a fee from being recovered from the heirs of an advocate after his
death, because it was not his fault that he did not conduct the suit.
(14) It is also the duty of
a Governor or a Praetor to take cognizance of the claims of nurses
for the support of children to which they are entitled, when brought
before their magistrates. Such claims, however, should only be considered
where infants are nourished by the breast, but when this is not the
case, neither the Praetor nor the Governor will have jurisdiction.
(15) If all these things should
be demanded before the Governors of provinces, let us see whether
they can have jurisdiction of reciprocal claims. I think that they
should be permitted to do so.
2. The Same, Opinions, Book
I.
It has been decided that the
Governor of a province has jurisdiction of disputes arising with reference
to the use of water distributed by new conduits, constructed contrary
to law; as well as of those relating to horses possessed by persons
who know that they belong to others, as well as to their increase;
and to injuries caused by parties, placed in possession of the land
of others, when the said land should be divided among several individuals;
provided this has been done by the authority of someone who had no
right to order it; so that the Governor may render his decision in
these cases according to justice and his right of jurisdiction, and
place matters in a suitable condition.
3. The Same, Opinions, Book
V.
When a physician, who has been
entrusted with the treatment of anyone's eyes, administers drugs which
may cause him to lose his eyesight, in order by doing so to force
him to sell him his property, while he is ill, contrary to good faith,
the Governor of the province must punish the unlawful act, and order
the property to be restored.
4. Paulus, On.Plautius, Book
IV.
The Divine Antoninus Pius stated
in a Rescript that persons learned in the law, who demanded their
fees, could collect them.
5. Callistratus, On Judicial
Inquiries, Book I.
The number of judicial inquiries
is derived from various sources, and cannot easily be divided into
different kinds, unless this is done cursorily. Hence the number of
judicial inquiries is generally divided into four kinds; for they
usually have reference to the administration of offices or employments;
or to disputes concerning pecuniary matters ; or inquiry is made concerning
someone's reputation; or a capital crime is investigated.
(1) Reputation is the condition
of unimpaired dignity approved by law and custom, which is either
diminished or destroyed by legal authority on account of some offence
which we have committed.
(2) Reputation is impaired whenever
we, while retaining our liberty, are punished by a penalty affecting
our status; as, for instance, when anyone is relegated or dismissed
from his order; or when he is forbidden to discharge the duties of
a public office; or when a plebeian is whipped, or sentenced to the
public works; or when anyone is in such a condition as to be considered
infamous under the terms of the Perpetual Edict.
(3) Reputation is entirely lost
when a great change of civil condition takes place, that is to say,
when liberty is forfeited; for example, where anyone is prohibited
the use of water and fire, which results when a person is deported,
or when a plebeian is condemned to labor connected with the mines,
or to the mines; for there is no difference between these two sentences,
nor are the penalty of labor connected with the mines and sentence
to the mines dissimilar, except that in the former the penalty of
civil death is not inflicted, but in the second, the offender is liable
to it.
6. Gaius, On Diurnal Occurrences
or Golden Matters, Book III.
When a judge makes case his
own, he is not, properly speaking, guilty of a criminal offence; but,
for the reason that he is not bound by a contract, and certainly can
be understood to be, to some extent, to blame, although this may have
occurred through ignorance, he is considered to be liable to an action
in faetum, as having committed an unlawful act, and he must
submit to any penalty which may appear just to the court having jurisdiction
of the case.
Tit. 14. Concerning brokers.
1. Ulpianus, On Sabinus,
Book XLII.
Brokers have a right to demand
their commissions.
2. The Same, On the Edict,
Book XXXI.
If the services of a broker
are employed for the purpose of making a note, as many persons are
accustomed to do, let us see whether he will be liable as a mandator.
I do not think that he will be liable, for although he may have praised
the person for whom he acts, still, by doing so, he has reference
rather to the debt to be contracted than to an act in the capacity
of mandator. I hold that the same rule will be applicable, even if
he has received something by way of compensation, and that an action
on hiring and leasing will not
lie. It is clear that if he deceives the creditor by means of fraud
and cunning, he will be liable to an action on the ground of fraud.
3. The Same, On All Tribunals,
Book VIII.
Governors are accustomed to
take cognizance of the cases of brokers, and although it is considered
a degrading occupation, still, in order to regulate the amount of
their commissions and the business in which they are engaged, they,
to some extent, supervise their calling. The Greeks designate their
compensation by the term the "fee of an intermediary," and
it can easily be collected by them where, for instance, anyone acts
as an agent for the purpose of contracting a bond of friendship, or
to obtain an assistant for a judge, or anything else of this kind.
For such occupations are pursued by certain men in large cities. The
term "broker" applies to those who give their services and
make themselves useful by negotiating purchases, sales, commercial
matters, and lawful contracts in a way which is not objectionable.
Tit. 15. Concerning taxes.
1. Ulpianus, On Taxes, Book
I.
It should be remembered that
there are certain colonies subject to the Italian Law, as, for example,
the magnificent colony of Tyre, in Phoenician Syria (where I was born),
the most noble of all, most ancient in point of time, warlike, and
most constant in observance of the treaties which it made with the
Romans. The Divine Severus and Our Emperor conferred upon it the privileges
of an Italian city, on account of the extraordinary and distinguished
fidelity which it always manifested in its intercourse with the Roman
government.
(1) The colony of Berytus, in
the same Province, through the favor of Augustus, bears the title
of an Imperial colony (as the Divine Hadrian stated in a certain Address),
and it also is subject to the Italian Law.
(2) The City of Heliopolis also
received the title of an Italian colony from the Divine Severus, on
account of services rendered during the Civil War.
(3) There is also the colony
of Laodicea, in Caele Syria, to which also the Divine Severus granted
the Italian Law on account of its services in the Civil War. The colony
of Ptolomais, which is situated between Phoenicia and Palestine, has
nothing but the name of a colony.
(4) Our Emperor bestowed upon
Emessa, a city of Phoenicia, the title and the rights of an Italian
colony.
(5) The city of Palmyra, situated
in the Province of Phoenicia, and adjoining barbarous peoples and
nations, enjoys the same right.
(6) In Palestine there are two
colonies, those of Caesarea and Aelia Capitolina; but neither of these
enjoy Italian privileges.
(7) The Divine Severus also
conferred the title of Italian colony upon the city of Sebastena.
(8) The privileges of an Italian
city were also conferred by the Divine Trajan upon the colony of Gyrene.
(9) The city of Zarmizegethusa,
together with the towns of Napo, Apulia, and Padua also enjoy the
same privileges bestowed by the Divine Severus.
(10) In Bithynia is the colony
of Apameaa, and in Pontus, that of Sinope.
(11) The colonies of Seleucia
and Trajanopolis are situated in Cilicia.
2. The Same, On Sabinus,
Book XXVIII.
When there is any irregularity
in the collection of taxes, this can be remedied by a new statement
of the party interested.
3. The Same, On Taxes, Book
II.
In making the assessment the
ages of persons must be given, because in certain localities age prevents
it; as, for instance, in Syria, males over fourteen, and females over
twelve are liable to personal taxation until they are sixty-five years
old. Age also must be taken into consideration at the time that the
tax is imposed.
(1) It was very properly stated
in a Rescript of Our Emperor, addressed to Pelignianus, that property
to which exemption had been granted was not liable to taxation; because
when such exemption is granted to persons it is extinguished at their
death, but where it is granted to property, it is never extinguished.
4. The Same, On Taxes, Book
III.
It is provided by the law of
taxation that real property must be declared in such a way that the
name of each tract shall be mentioned, and in what town or district
it is situated; the names of the two nearest neighbors must be given,
and how much land has been tilled or sowed in the last three years;
how many each tract contains; the number of vines in a vineyard; the
number of jugera in an olive orchard, as well as the number
of trees; where there are meadows, the quantity of hay cut from them
within the last ten years, and the number of jugera they contain,
as well as the number devoted to pasturage; and the same rule is applicable
to timber which has been cut. He who makes such a return must give
an estimate of everything.
(1) The tax assessor must be
as just as is consistent with his duty in relieving anyone who, for
some reason or other, has not been able to enjoy a certain part of
his property which is recorded in the Public Registers. Therefore,
where a part of his land has been swallowed up by an earthquake, he
should be relieved from taxation upon it by the assessor. If his vines
have died, or his trees have dried up, it is unjust that, so far as
they are concerned, he should be included among persons liable to
taxation. If, however, he has cut down his trees and vines, this cannot
benefit him in any respect when the tax had been assessed at the time; unless he gives a satisfactory reason
to the assessor for having cut them down.
(2) He who has land in another
country must declare it in the country in which it is situated, for
he should pay the tax in the territory where he holds possession.
(3) Although the benefit of
immunity from taxation granted to certain persons is extinguished
with them; still, generally speaking, where immunity is granted in
this way to places, or to cities, it is transmitted to their successors.
(4) If I, being in possession
of a tract of land which belongs to another, declare it for taxation,
and the owner of it does not, it is decided that he will still be
entitled to an action to recover it.
(5) In making returns of slaves
for taxation, it must be observed that their nationality, ages, services,
and trades must be specifically stated.
(6) The owner of any lakes,
fishponds, or reservoirs must return the same to the assessor.
(7) Where there are any salt-pits
on the land, they also must be returned for taxation.
(8) If anyone does not make
a return for a tenant or a farmer on his land, he will be liable for
his taxes.
(9) Any slaves or animals which
have been born, or any property which has been obtained immediately
after the return was made for taxation, or which subsequently has
been acquired, must also be declared.
(10) When anyone requests permission
to correct his return, and, after he has obtained consent, ascertains
that he should not have made the request, because the matter does
not require correction, it has frequently been stated in Rescripts
that he who has asked permission to correct his return shall not be
at all prejudiced by having done so.
5. Papinianus, Opinions,
Book XIX.
Where one of several possessors
of a tract of land is sued for taxes, and, for the purpose of expediting
matters, pays what is due, rights of action are assigned by the Treasury
in favor of him who was sued against the others who also had possession,
in order that all of them may pay the amount of the tax in proportion
to their respective interests in the land. These rights of action
are not uselessly granted, even though the Treasury may have recovered
its money, because it is understood to have received the amount in
the names of those who owned the property.
(1) Persons who have transferred
land under the terms of a trust, where no account was rendered of
the taxes, have, according to an Epistle of the Divine Pius Antoninus,
a right of action against the beneficiary to compel reimbursement
of the taxes paid.
(2) Where a tax imposed upon
the land is not paid when it is due, the land can be sold by the right
of pledge, in order to collect the tax; and if security is offered
to obtain delay, it shall not be accepted; nor shall the legatee be
heard if he objects on the ground that taxes for the past time remain
unpaid, because the heir, as well as the person ...
6. Celsus, Digest, Book XXV.
The Colony of Philippi enjoys
the privileges of an Italian province.
7. Gaius, On the Lex Julia
et Papia, Book VI.
The following cities enjoy the
privileges of those of Italy, namely Troy, Berytus, and Dyrrachium.
8. Paulus, On Taxation, Book
II.
In Lusitania, the cities of
Pax-Julia and Merida possess the privileges of those of Italy, Valencia,
and Burgos also enjoy the same exemption.
(1) Lyons, and Vienna in Narbonnese
Gaul, also have the privileges of Italian cities.
(2) In lower Germany, the people
of Cologne enjoy the same rights.
(3) Laodicea in Syria, and Berytus
in Phoenicia, together with the territory under their jurisdiction,
also have the privileges of Italian cities.
(4) The same privileges were
conferred by the Divine Severus and Antoninus upon the city of Tyre.
(5) The Divine Antoninus exempted
the people of Antioch from the payment of taxes.
(6) Our Emperor Antoninus constituted
the city of Emesa a colony entitled to the privileges of Italy.
(7) The Divine Vespasian constituted
the people of Caesarea colonists, without conferring upon them the
privileges of Italy, but released them from personal taxation. The
Divine Titus, however, decided that their soil should also be exempt
from taxation, for it was considered that they resembled the inhabitants
of Aelia Capitolina.
(8) In the Province of Macedonia,
the inhabitants of Dyrrachium, Cassandra, Philippi, Dien, and Stone
are entitled to the privileges of Italy.
(9) In the Province of Asia,
the two cities of Troy and Paros enjoy Italian privileges.
(10) In Pisidia, the colony
of Antioch enjoys the same rights.
(11) In Africa, Carthage, Utica,
and Leptis-Magna were granted the privileges of the cities of Italy
by the Divine Severus and Antoninus.
Tit. 16.
Concerning the signification of terms.
1. Ulpianus, On the Edict,
Book I.
The following words, "If
anyone," include males as well as females.
2. Paulus, On the Edict,
Book I.
The term "city" includes
all that is surrounded by its walls; but the city of Rome is terminated
by its buildings, which extend still farther.
(1) The greater part of the
day includes the first, not the last, seven hours.
3. Ulpianus, On the Edict,
Book II.
When twenty thousand paces are
traversed each day in making a journey, this must be understood to
mean that, if, after this enumeration, less than twenty thousand remain,
they are considered an entire day of travel; as, for example, where
a person travels twenty-one thousand paces, this is counted as two
days' journey. This enumeration, however, should only be made where
nothing has been agreed upon as to what constitutes a day's journey.
(1) Anyone who dies in the hands
of the enemy is not held to have left an estate, because he dies a
slave.
4. Paulus, On the Edict,
Book I.
Proculus says that by the term
"obligation" property is meant.
5. The Same, On the Edict,
Book II.
The word "property"
has a broader signification than that of "money," because
it also includes things which are not embraced in our patrimony; and
the term "money" only has reference to what is included
in a patrimonial estate.
(1) Labeo says that by the terms
"hiring and leasing of services" only those services are
meant which are called by the Greeks apotelesma, and not
ergon, that is to say, something which has been perfected by
labor performed.
6. Ulpianus, On the Edict,
Book III.
The terms "claim"
and "property" refer to all contracts and obligations.
(1) The expression, "According
to the laws," must be understood to mean the spirit as well as
the letter of the law.
7. Paulus, On the Edict,
Book II.
By the word "engagement"
is meant not only what a person agrees to after interrogation, but
every stipulation and promise.
8. The Same, On the Edict,
Book III.
The clause, "It will be
necessary," applies to the present, as well as to the future
time.
(1) Exception is not included
in the term action.
9. Ulpianus, On the Edict,
Book V.
Marcellus, in a note on Julianus,
says that anything which has been torn, broken, or taken by force
is included in the term "destroyed."
10. The Same, On the Edict,
Book VI.
It is established that creditors
should be understood to be those to whom something is due and collectible
by any action or prosecution, or under the Civil Law, without the
power of preventing its recovery either by pleading a perpetual exception,
or by taking advantage of Praetorian Law, or of any extraordinary proceeding; whether
the indebtedness is absolute, or is to be discharged within a certain
time, or under some condition. When the debt is due under natural
law, they do not, properly speaking, occupy the place of creditors.
If, however, the claim should not be based upon money lent, but upon
a contract, they are still understood to be creditors.
11. Gaius, On the Provincial
Edict, Book I.
By the appellation of "creditors,"
not only those are understood who have loaned money, but all to whom
anything is due for any reason whatsoever.
12. Ulpianus, On the Edict,
Book VI.
For instance, where anything
is due to a person on account of a purchase, a lease, or any other
transaction, or even because of a crime, it seems to me that he can
be held to be a creditor. When, however, the indebtedness arises from
some public proceeding, he cannot be said to occupy the place of a
creditor before issue has been joined, but he can afterwards.
(1) He who is in default pays
less than he owes, for less is paid when the time of settlement is
deferred.
13. The Same, On the Edict,
Book VII.
A marriageable virgin
is also included in the term "woman."
(1) Property is considered to
have been lost (according to the opinion of Sabinus, which Pedius
adopts), even if the substance of it remains, though the form is changed.
Therefore, if property is returned spoiled or altered, it is considered
to have been lost; as the workmanship is generally of more value than
the article itself.
(2) Property which has been
lost is considered to cease to be in that condition when it comes
under our control in such a way that we cannot again lose possession
of it.
(3) An example of this is where
anything has long since been taken from us by theft. Property is also
considered lost when it is no longer in existence.
14. Paulus, On the Edict,
Book VII.
Labeo and Sabinus think that
if clothing is returned torn, or any article is returned spoiled,
as, for instance, a cup with the edge crushed, or a tablet with a
painting erased, the property is said to be lost; because the value
of such articles does not consist of the materials of which they are
composed, but in the skill expended upon them. Likewise, if an owner
ignorantly purchases property which has been stolen from him, it is
very properly said to have been lost, even if he should afterwards
ascertain the fact; because where the value of anything is lost, the
thing itself is considered to be lost.
(1) A person is considered to
have lost something when he cannot bring an action against anyone
to recover it.
15. Ulpianus, On the Edict,
Book X.
Property belonging to a city
is improperly styled public, for only those things are public which
belong to the Roman people.
16. Gaius, On the Provincial
Edict, Book III.
We style him publican who leases
the collection of the taxes of the Roman people. The term "public"
has in many instances reference to the Roman people, for cities are
in this respect considered as private individuals.
17. Ulpianus, On the Edict,
Book X.
We include among public property
not only such as is sacred and religious, and intended for the use
of the people, but also that of towns, and the peculia of slaves
belonging to the latter are undoubtedly considered public property.
(1) We must understand public
taxes to mean those which the Treasury levies on certain articles,
among which are the tax on merchandise in a harbor, or goods which
are sold, as well as those on salt-pits, mines, and places where pitch
is produced.
18. Paulus, On the Edict,
Book IX.
The word munus is defined
in three different ways: first, as a donation, and hence are derived
the terms to bestow, or send gifts; second, a position which, when
anyone is released from it, affords exemption from military service
and civil employment, whence is derived the term "immunity;"
third, an office, whence are derived military occupations, and certain
soldiers are designated munifices. For this reason persons
who assume civil employments are called municipal officials.
19. Ulpianus, On the Edict,
Book XI.
Labeo, in the First Book On
the Urban Praetor, defines the terms "to act," "to
transact," and "to contract," as follows. He says that
the word act has a general application, and refers to anything which
is done verbally, or with reference to the thing itself; for example,
in stipulation or enumeration. A contract, however, has a broader
meaning than that of an obligation, which the Greeks style an agreement,
as, for instance, purchase, sale, hiring, leasing, partnership. The
term "to transact" signifies to do something without words.
20. The Same, On the Edict,
Book XII.
The expressions, "they
contracted," and "they transacted," do not refer to
the right of making a will.
21. Paulus, On the Edict,
Book XI.
When the Emperor grants the
possession of property, he is also considered to grant any obligations
attaching to it.
22. Gaius, On the Provincial
Edict, Book IV.
There is more included in the
term "restitution" than in that of production; for to produce
means to bring forward corporeal property, and to restore is to place
someone in possession, and surrender the profits. Many other things
are also included in the term "restitution."
23. Ulpianus, On the Edict,
Book XIV.
Under the term "property"
are also included legal action and various rights.
24. Gaius, On the Provincial
Edict, Book VI.
The term "inheritance"
means nothing else than the right to succeed to everything which the
deceased possessed.
25. Paulus, On the Edict,
Book XXI.
We very properly say that a
tract of land entirely belongs to us, even when another is entitled
to the usufruct of the same; for the reason that the usufruct does
not constitute a part of the ownership, but of a servitude, as, for
instance, a right of way, or a right of passage. Nor is it incorrect
to say that something is entirely mine, when no part of it can be
said to belong to another. This was the opinion of Julianus, and it
is correct.
(1) Quintus Mucius states that
by the term "part" an undivided share in something is meant;
for after property has been divided not a part, but all of it is ours.
Servius very properly holds that the term "part" is applicable
to both the above-mentioned cases.
26. Ulpianus, On the Edict,
Book XVI.
Scaevola, in the Eleventh Book
of Questions, says that the child of a slave who has been stolen is
not a part of the stolen property.
27. The Same, On the Edict,
Book XVII.
A field is land on which
there is no building.
(1) The term "stipend"
is derived from stips, that is to say, a copper coin of little
value. Pomponius says that the word "tribute" is also derived
from the same source; and, in fact, tribute comes from intributio;
or because it is paid to soldiers.
28. Paulus, On the Edict,
Book XXI.
The term "alienation"
also includes usucaption, for it is difficult to understand that he
who permits property to be acquired by usucaption should not be considered
to have alienated it. He, also, is said to alienate who loses servitudes
by failing to make use of them. Anyone who does not avail himself
of the opportunity of acquiring property is not understood to alienate
it; as, for instance, one who abandons an estate, or fails to make
a choice within a certain prescribed time.
(1) A proposition which does
not include either a conjunctive or a disjunctive particle should
be determined according to the intention of the party making it.
29. The Same, On the Edict,
Book VI.
Labeo says that a conjunction
should sometimes be understood as a disjunctive particle; as, for
instance, in the following stipulation, "For me and my heir,"
"You and your heir."
30. Gaius, On the Provincial
Edict, Book VII.
Some authorities hold that timber
fit for cutting is such as is set apart for that purpose. Servius
says that this also applies to trees which have once been cut, but
have grown again from sprouts or roots.
(1) Ungathered stalks are heads
of grain thrown down during the reaping, and not afterwards gathered,
which peasants collect after the harvest has been removed.
(2) New ground is that which,
after having been cultivated, is left for a year, and which the Greeks
style neasin.
(3) "Virgin soil"
is that on which the owner has not yet placed cattle for the purpose
of pasturage.
(4) "Fallen acorns"
are such as have themselves dropped from the tree.
(5) "Forest pasture"
is that destined for the grazing of cattle.
31. Ulpianus, On the Edict,
Book XVIII.
A "meadow" is land
for whose harvest nothing is required but a sickle; and it is so called
because it is already prepared for the crop to be gathered.
32. Paulus, On the Edict,
Book XXIV.
Less is understood to have been
paid than is due, even when nothing at all has been paid.
33. Ulpianus, On the Edict,
Book XXI.
The term "publicly"
means in the presence of several persons.
34. Paulus, On the Edict,
Book XXIV.
The recovery of property is
also included in the term "action."
35. The Same, On the Edict,
Book XVII.
He is understood to make restitution
who surrenders the property in dispute to the plaintiff which the
latter would have obtained if it had been delivered to him at the
time judgment was rendered; that is to say, both the right of usucaption,
and the profits.
36. Ulpianus, On the Edict,
Book XXIII.
The term "litigation"
signifies every kind of action, whether real or personal.
37. Paulus, On the Edict,
Book XXVI.
The expression, "is necessary,"
has no reference to the authority of the judge, who can render a decision
for a larger or a smaller amount, but relates to the truth.
38. Ulpianus, On the Edict,
Book XXV.
Labeo defines the term "prodigy"
to mean everything which is born or produced contrary to nature. There
are, however, two kinds of prodigies; one where something is born
contrary to nature, for instance with three hands or feet, or with
some other part of the body deformed; another, where something is
considered to be unusual, and which the Greeks designate fantasmata,
that is to say, apparitions.
39. Paulus, On the Edict,
Book LIII.
The word "signed"
signifies what is subscribed by anyone, for the ancients were accustomed
to use this word instead of signature.
(1) The property of anyone is
understood to be what remains after his debts are paid.
(2) To call someone to witness
is to notify a person who is absent.
(3) An uncertain possessor is
one of whom we have no knowledge.
40. Ulpianus, Book LVI.
An adjuration is the serving
of notice in the presence of witnesses.
(1) The term "slave"
likewise applies to females.
(2) Children are also included
in the expression, "body of slaves."
(3) A single slave is not included
under the term "familia"; nor indeed do two slaves
constitute a familia.
41. Gaius, On the Provincial
Edict, Book XXI.
The word "arms" not
only means shields, swords, and helmets, but also clubs and stones.
42. Ulpianus, On the Edict,
Book LVII.
The terms "disgrace"
and "infamy" have the same signification. Some things are
disgraceful from their very nature, others are made so by the Civil
Law, and, as it were, by national custom; for example, theft and adultery
are by their nature dishonorable. To be condemned to administer a
guardianship is not disgraceful by nature, but is so by the custom
of the State, for that is not of itself disgraceful which may happen
to a man of good repute.
43. The Same, On the Edict,
Book LVIII.
Food, drink, the care of the
body, and everything necessary to human life is embraced in the term
"maintenance." Labeo says that maintenance also includes
clothing.
44. Gaius, On the Provincial
Edict, Book XXII.
Everything else which we make
use of for the protection and care of our bodies is included in this
term.
45. Ulpianus, On the Edict,
Book LVIII.
Labeo says that under the term
"covering," all clothing which anyone puts on is included;
for there is no doubt that the term applies to cloaks and every kind
of garments. Therefore, when we include clothing under the term "maintenance,"
we do not mean bedclothes used at night, but all articles intended
for dress.
46. The Same, On the Edict,
Book LIX.
The words "decreed"
and "decided" have the same meaning, for we are accustomed
to make use of them indiscriminately, when we allude to judges who
have the right of jurisdiction.
(1) We should understand the
expression, "mother of a family," to signify one who does
not live unchastely, for the morals of the mother of a family distinguish
and separate her from other women. Hence, it makes no difference whether
she is married or a widow, freeborn or emancipated, as neither marriage
nor birth, but good morals constitute the mother of a family.
47. Paulus, On the Edict,
Book LVI.
The term "release"
has the same force as payment.
48. Gaius, On the Edict of
the Urban Praetor, Title, "Those who can neither be Summoned
nor Brought into Court."
We do not understand a person
to be released who, although his chains have been removed, is still
held by the hands; just as we do not understand anyone to be released
who is retained in custody without chains.
49. Ulpianus, On the Edict,
Book LIX.
The term "property"
has reference either to the natural or the Civil Law. Property naturally
acquired is understood to be that which renders persons happy; for
to make happy is to benefit. It must, however, be remembered that
among our property should be reckoned not only that which is our own,
but also any possessed by us in good faith, or which has reference
to the surface and the soil. Whatever is acquired by legal actions,
claims, and pursuit, is also included under the term "property,"
for all these things are considered as part of our possessions.
50. The Same, On the Edict,
Book LXI.
The term "daughter-in-law"
applies also to the wife of a grandson, and extends even farther.
51. Gaius, On the Provincial
Edict, Book XXIII.
Under the term "parent"
is not only included the father, but also the grandfather, the great-grandfather,
and others in the male ascending line, as well as the mother, the
grandmother, and the great-grandmother.
52. Ulpianus, On the Edict,
Book LXI.
Patroness is also included under
the term "patron."
53. Paulus, On the Edict,
Book LIX.
It has often been stated that
a conjunctive particle can be understood as a disjunctive one, and
vice versa, and occasionally something which is separate from
them both; for when the ancients said "agnates and cognates"
this was understood to be disjunctive. When, however, it is stated,
"His money or guardianship," it is evident that a guardian
cannot be appointed without control of the property; and when we say,
"Which I have given or donated," we include both. When,
however, we say, "What he must either give or do," it is
sufficient to prove one of these two things. When the Praetor says:
"If he redeems the gift, the present, and the services due from
him," and all these things have been prescribed, it is certain
that all of them should be redeemed. Therefore, these particles are
considered as conjunctive. Where some of these things are imposed,
others cannot be exacted.
(1) Likewise, it may be doubted
in what way the following words, "By aid and advice," should
be understood; that is, whether they ought to be taken conjunctively
or separately. The better opinion is, as Labeo says, that they should
be understood separately, for the reason that it is one thing where
anyone furnishes his aid in a theft, and another where he only gives
his advice; and, indeed, according to the authority of the ancient
jurists, the conclusion is arrived at that no one is considered to
have aided in doing anything unless he gave bad advice; nor to have
given bad advice, unless the illegal act was the result of it.
54. Ulpianus, On the Edict,
Book LXII.
Conditional creditors are those
who are not yet entitled to an action, but who will be entitled to
it; or such as expect that an action will lie in their favor.
55. Paulus, On the Abridgment
of the Edict, Book XVI.
A creditor is one who cannot
be barred by a perpetual exception. He, however, who has reason to
apprehend the pleading of a temporary exception, resembles a conditional
creditor.
56. Ulpianus, On the Edict,
Book LXII.
To scrutinize documents is to
re-read and review them; to balance accounts is to compare the receipts
and disbursements.
(1) Under the term "children"
are included not only those who are under paternal control, but also
all those who are their own masters, whether they are of the male
or female sex, or descendants from females.
57. Paulus, On the Edict,
Book LIX.
Those are called managers who
have particular supervision of affairs, and are, more than others,
required to manifest diligence and solicitude with reference to the
business of which they have charge. And, indeed, the term "magistrate"
is derived from master, and also instructors in any kind of learning
are so called from the fact that they admonish or explain.
(1) Anyone who has received
security is still considered to retain the right of recovery.
58. Gaius, On the Provincial
Edict, Book XXIV.
Although there seems to be some
subtle distinction between the transaction and the conduct of business,
this, however, is incorrect, as no such distinction exists.
(1) We consider paternal freedmen
to be properly called our freedmen; but we do not correctly designate
the children of such freedmen our own freedmen.
59. Ulpianus, On the Edict,
Book LXVIII.
An enclosed place into which
merchandise is taken, and afterwards exported, is called a harbor.
A place of this kind is not only enclosed, but also fortified: and
therefore it is styled a by-way (angi-portus).
60. The Same, On the Edict,
Book LXIX.
A site is not a tract
of land, but a certain part of one. A tract of land includes everything
which belongs to it, and we generally understand a site to mean land
on which there is no building. It is, however, only our opinion and
intention which distinguishes a site from a tract, for a small site
can be called a tract, if we have the intention of considering it
as such. It is not the size which makes the distinction between a
site and a tract, but our intention, and any portion of a tract of
land can be styled a tract, if we wish to call it such, and a tract
can be considered a site, for if we add it to another body of land
it will become a part of the latter.
(1) Labeo says that the term
"site" not only applies to land in the country, but also
to that in a city.
(2} A tract of land, however,
has its limits, but those of a site cannot be ascertained until they
have been determined and defined.
61. Paulus, On the Edict,
Book LXV.
By the term "security"
sometimes a mere promise is meant, by which the person who is entitled
to protection remains satisfied.
62. Gaius, On the Provincial
Edict, Book XXVI.
By the term "beam,"
according to the Law of the Twelve Tables, every kind of material
of which buildings are constructed is meant.
63. Ulpianus, On the Edict,
Book LXXI.
"In your possession"
has a broader meaning than "In your hands," for what you
have in your hands is whatever is held by you under any title whatsoever,
but what is in your possession is, to a certain extent, retained by
you as your own.
64. Paulus, On the Edict,
Book LXVII.
A person who is intestate is
not only one who did not make any will, but also one whose estate
was not entered upon under the will.
65. Ulpianus, On the Edict,
Book LXXVI.
The term "heir" not
only has reference to the next heir, but to all others; for the heir
of an heir, and so on in succession, is included in this appellation.
66. The Same, On the Edict,
Book LXXIV.
The word "merchandise"
only applies to movable property.
67. The Same, On the Edict,
Book LXXVI.
Anything which still remains
under the control of the vendor is not correctly held to have been
alienated, but it still may properly be said to have been sold.
(1) The term "donation,"
generally speaking, is understood to include every kind of a gift,
whether it was made mortis causa or not.
68. The Same, On the Edict,
Book LXXVII.
The following clause, "To
be done according to the judgment of Lucius Titius," refers to
a person who has a right to act, and does not apply to a slave.
69. The Same, On the Edict,
Book LXXVIII.
The following words, "There
is not, and shall not be any fraud in this transaction," generally
include every species of fraud which can be committed in the matter
with reference to which the stipulation was entered into.
70. Paulus, On the Edict,
Book LXXIII.
It must be remembered that,
by the term "heir," several successors are understood. For
the term "heir" only refers to the next heir in very few
instances, for example, in a pupillary substitution made as follows,
"Whoever shall be my heir, let him also be my son's heir,"
for in this case, the heir of the heir is not included, because he
is uncertain. Likewise, according to the Lex Aelia Sentia, the
son who is the next heir can accuse a paternal freedman of being ungrateful,
but he could not do so if he was the heir of the heir. The same rule
applies to the right to exact services from a freedman, as a son who
is the heir can demand them, but not if he has been removed from the
succession.
(1) The following words, "The
person to whom the property belongs," are understood to refer
to an heir who has succeeded to the entire ownership of the estate,
either under the Civil or the Praetorian Law.
71. Ulpianus, On the Edict,
Book LXX.
It is one thing to take property,
and another to receive it. Anything is taken when it is acquired as
the result of some act which has been performed. To receive something
is for a person to obtain it, but not in order to hold it; and, therefore,
no one is considered to take an article which he must surrender; as
the expression "comes into his hands" is correctly said
of property which will remain in his possession.
(1) The following words, "To
legally indemnify me with reference to these matters," mean that
the stipulator shall not be liable for any risk or damage resulting
from the transaction.
72. Paulus, On the Edict,
Book LXXVI.
A part is also included in the
term "property."
73. Ulpianus, On the Edict,
Book LXXX.
The following clause, "Do
you promise to restore the property in good condition?" when
inserted in a stipulation, includes the crops. The words, "in
good condition," mean according to the judgment of reliable citizens.
74. Paulus, On the Edict
of the Curule Aediles, Book II.
A signet ring is not
embraced in the term "ornament."
75. The Same, On the Edict,
Book L.
He is held to make restitution
who restores that which the plaintiff would have had if no controversy
had arisen with reference to it.
76. The Same, On the Edict,
Book LI.
He is understood to have paid
who has made an exchange or a set-off instead of giving the purchase
money.
77. The Same, On the Edict,
Book XLIX.
By the term "income"
is understood not only the crop of grain and vegetables, but also
whatever is obtained from vines, timber, chalk-pits, and quarries.
Julianus says it is not true that by the term "income" is
meant whatever a man uses for food; as the flesh of animals, birds
or wild beasts, and the fruits of trees cannot be so-called income.
Grain includes everything which is contained in ears, as Gallus has
properly defined it. Beans, and other pulse, can more properly be
called income, for the reason that they are not contained in ears,
but in pods, which Servius, in his Treatise on Alfenus, thinks should
be classed under the head of grain.
78. Paulus, On Plautius,
Book III.
The term "possession"
sometimes means property, as has been held in the case of one who
bequeathed his possession.
79. The Same, On Plautius,
Book VI.
Necessary expenses are those
which must be incurred to prevent the destruction or deterioration
of property.
(1) Fulcinius says that useful
expenses are any that improve the condition of a dowry, and do not
permit the deterioration of anything from which an income is obtained
by the wife; as, for instance, by making a larger plantation of trees
than was necessary. Likewise, a husband cannot provide for the instruction
of slaves if, by so doing, the woman, being ignorant of the fact,
or unwilling, may be put to expense, and be forced to lose either
her land or her slaves. We generally include in expenses of this kind
those incurred by a husband for the construction of a mill or a warehouse,
to be added to the dotal property.
(2) Expenses incurred for pleasure
are such as only adorn property, and do not increase its income; for
example shrubbery, fountains, ornamented stucco-work, hangings, and
paintings.
80. The Same, On Plautius,
Book IX.
Generally speaking, according
to the spirit of the Law of the Twelve Tables, in the repetition of
legacies by a testator in a substitution, the grants of freedom are
also included.
81. The Same, On Plautius,
Book X.
When the Praetor says, "The
work must be restored to its former condition," this means that
the plaintiff can also recover any damages which he may have sustained;
for under the term "restitution" all the interest of the
plaintiff is included.
82. The Same, On Plautius,
Book XIV.
The expression, "In addition,"
has even reference to one to whom nothing is due; as, on the other
hand, is the case where anyone is considered to have paid less than
he owed, when he has not paid anything, even if nothing could be collected
from him.
83. Javolenus, On Plautius,
Book V.
That can not correctly be called
"property" which is productive of more inconvenience than
benefit.
84. Paulus, On Vitellius,
Book II.
By the term "sons"
we understand all children to be meant.
85. Marcellus, Digest, Book
I.
Neratius Priscus held that three
constituted a corporate body; and this rule should be followed.
86. Celsus, Digest, Book
V.
What else is meant by the rights
attaching to land and its nature than the enjoyment of its fertility,
its salubrity, and its extent?
87. Marcellus, Digest, Book
XII.
Alfenus says the City of Rome
includes all that is encircled by its walls; but Rome also consists
of all the buildings which adjoin it, for it should not be considered
to be merely bounded by its walls, for when we say that we are going
to Rome, we do so according to the ordinary acceptation of these words,
even if we live outside of the city itself.
88. Celsus, Digest, Book
XVIII.
A man leaves only as much money
as his estate is worth. Hence we say that the estate of anyone is
worth a hundred aurei if he had that amount in land, or other
property. The same rule does not apply to the devise of land belonging
to another, although it may be bought with the money of the estate;
for anyone who has only money is not considered to have what can be
purchased with it.
89. Pomponius, On Sabinus,
Book VI.
Oxen are rather classed as cattle
than as beasts of burden.
(1) By the expression, "When
she shall be married," the first nuptials are meant.
(2) There is a great deal of
difference between paying a balance and rendering an account; as he
who has been ordered to render an account is not obliged to pay the
balance in his hands. A banker is considered to render his account,
even if he does not pay any balance remaining in his hands.
90. Ulpianus, On Sabinus,
Book XXVII.
He who delivers a house in the
best condition possible does not mention that a servitude is due to
it; but only that the house is free, and that no servitude is imposed
upon it.
91. Paulus, Trusts, Book
II.
In the terms, "My property,"
and "Your property," it must be said that rights of action
are also included.
92. The Same, Questions,
Book VII.
The "next of kin"
is one whom no one precedes, and the most remote relative is one whom
no one follows.
93. Celsus, Digest, Book
XIX.
By the words "movable property"
and "personal property" are meant the same thing, unless
it appears that the deceased, by using the expression "movable"
property, only intended to refer to animals because they moved themselves.
This is correct.
94. The Same, Digest, Book
XX.
The verb "to restore,"
although it means to return, has, nevertheless, itself the signification
of "to give."
95. Marcellus, Digest, Book
XIV.
The term "balance"
means everything that remains due.
96. Celsus, Digest, Book
XXV.
The shore of the sea is reckoned
from the point reached by the greatest flow. It is said that Marcus
Tullius was the first to establish this rule, when he served as arbiter
in a certain case.
(1) When we say that land belongs
to several persons, this does not merely mean that they hold it in
common, but that part of it may be separately held by each one of
them.
97. The Same, Digest, Book
XXXII.
When we stipulate for "As
much money as may come into your hands from the estate of Titius,"
we mean that the property itself which comes into your hands, and
not its value, should be taken into consideration.
98. The Same, Digest, Book
XXXIX.
When anyone is born on the kalends
of a bissextile year, it makes no difference whether his birth
takes place on the preceding or succeeding day, and his birthday is
said to be the sixth of the kalends; for these two days are
only considered as one, and it is the last day, and not the first,
which is intercalated. Therefore, if he should be born on the sixth
of the kalends, in a year which is not intercalated, and when
the intercalary day falls on the kalends, the preceding day
will be that of his birth.
(1) Cato held that an intercalary,
month was an addition to the others; and Quintus Mucius added all
its days from the time when it was computed to the last day of the
month of February.
(2) It is, however, established
that there are twenty-eight days in the intercalary month.
99. Ulpianus, On the Duties
of Consul, Book I.
We understand the word "investigation"
to signify the right of judicial inquiry and jurisdiction.
(1) We should understand the
neighboring, contiguous provinces to mean those which are joined to
Italy, as for instance, Gaul. We should, however, include the Province
of Sicily among them, as it is only separated from Italy by a narrow
arm of the sea.
(2) It would be extremely difficult
to define everything included under the term "instrument."
Instruments, properly speaking, are documents for whose production
a delay should be granted; just as when time is asked for the production
of someone who can conduct a case, for instance, a steward, although
he may be in slavery, or of someone who has been appointed an agent,
I think it may be held that a delay can be requested on account of
the papers, in order to enable him to appear for the above-mentioned
purpose.
100. The Same, On the Duties
of Consul, Book II.
We should understand distinguished
persons to mean those of both sexes who are illustrious, as well as
those who are entitled to Senatorial honors.
101. Modestinus, Differences,
Book VI.
Some authorities think that
a distinction exists between fornication and adultery, because adultery
is committed with a married woman, and fornication with a widow. The
Julian Law on Adultery, however, uses this term indiscriminately.
(1) A divorce is said to take
place between husband and wife, but repudiation is considered to apply
only to the wife, because it not improperly has reference to her personally.
(2) It is true that a disease
means a temporary weakness of the body, but a defect is a perpetual
corporeal hindrance; as, for instance, where one is purblind, and
therefore a one-eyed man is defective.
(3) Some legal authorities hold
that when slaves are bequeathed, female slaves are also included,
as the term is common to both sexes.
102. The Same, Rules, Book
VII.
A law is either derogated or
abrogated. It is derogated when a part of it is stricken out; it is
abrogated when it is entirely repealed.
103. The Same, Rules, Book
VIII.
Although the word "capital"
may appear to all those who speak Latin to have reference to reputation;
still, this term should be understood to apply only to death, or loss
of citizenship.
104. The Same, Excuses, Book
II.
The term "children"
also extends to grandchildren.
105. The Same, Opinions,
Book XI.
Modestinus is of the opinion
that the freedmen of a freedwoman of the testator are not included
in the words, "My freedmen and freedwomen."
106. The Same, On Prescriptions.
Letters of dismissal are those
which are ordinarily styled letters of appeal. They are so called
because by their means a case is sent to the court to which an appeal
is made.
107. The Same, Pandects,
Book III.
To "assign" a freedman
is for a patron to declare to which of his children he desires his
freedman to belong.
108. The Same, Pandects,
Book IV.
A debtor is understood to be
one from whom money can be collected against his will.
109. The Same, Pandects,
Book V.
A purchaser in good faith is
one who was not aware that the property which he bought belonged to
another; or thought that he who sold it had the right to do so; as,
for instance, that he was an agent, or a guardian.
110. The Same, Pandects,
Book VI.
He is called an arbiter in whose
hands several persons have deposited property which is in dispute,
whether he has been appointed by a judge, to whom application had
been made; or whether the property has been submitted to him for arbitration
by those who claim it.
111. Javolenus, On Cassius,
Book VI.
The expression, "To be
of the opinion," means to determine and direct; hence, we are
accustomed to say, "I am of the opinion that you should do this,"
and "The Senate directed that such-and-such a thing should be
done." It is from this verb that the word "censor"
is derived.
112. The Same, On Cassius,
Book XI.
The shore of the sea is public
as far as high-water mark. The same rule of law applies to a lake,
unless it is all private property.
113. The Same, On Cassius,
Book XIV.
A serious illness is
one which interferes with every kind of business.
114. The Same, On Cassius,
Book XV.
No one is understood to be solvent
unless he can pay everything that he owes.
115. The Same, Epistles,
Book IV.
There is a question as to what
difference exists between the possession of a tract of land or of
a field. A tract of land includes everything belonging to the soil;
a field is a kind of a tract which is adapted to the use of man. Possession,
in law, is distinct from the ownership of land; for we call possession
everything which we hold, without the ownership of the property belonging
to us, or where there is no possibility of its becoming ours. Therefore
possession indicates use, and a field means the ownership of the property.
A tract of land is the common name for both the things above mentioned;
for a tract of land and possession are different forms of the same
expression.
116. The Same, Epistles,
Book VII.
Labeo says that the clause,
"Let any son born to my son, be my heir," does not seem
to include a daughter. Proculus is of the opposite opinion. Labeo
appears to me to have followed the form of the words; Proculus the
intention of the testator. I have no doubt that the opinion of Labeo
is not correct.
117. The Same, Epistles,
Book IX.
He is not considered to have
paid less than he owed against whom an action for a larger sum will
not lie.
118. Pomponius, On Quintus
Mucius, Book II.
Those are enemies who declare
war against us, or against whom we publicly declare war; others are
robbers or brigands.
119. The Same, On Quintus
Mucius, Book III.
The term "estate"
undoubtedly includes one which may be onerous; for the name is the
same in law as praetorian possession of property.
120. The Same, On Quintus
Mucius, Book V.
By the following words of the
Law of the Twelve Tables, "Let a man have a right to dispose
of his property by will," the most extensive power is considered
to have been granted to appoint heirs, to bequeath legacies and grants
of freedom, as well as to establish guardianships. This privilege,
however, has been limited either by the interpretation of the laws,
or by the authority of jurists.
121. The Same, On Quintus
Mucius, Book VI.
The interest on money which
we collect is not included in the term "profits," because
it is not derived from the property itself, but from another source,
that is to say, from a new obligation.
122. The Same, On Quintus
Mucius, Book VIII.
Servius says that if it was
written in a will, "I appoint So-and-So guardians for my son,
and for my sons," guardians are only appointed for the male children,
as by alluding to his son in the singular number, and then using the
plural, the testator is considered to have had reference to persons
of the same sex which he had previously mentioned. This, however,
is a question of fact, and not of law; for it might happen that he
only thought of his own at first, and afterwards, when appointing
a guardian, had in mind all his children. This seems to be the more
reasonable opinion.
123. The Same, On Quintus
Mucius, Book XXVI.
The words "shall be"
sometimes indicate past as well as future time; which is necessary
for us to know. When a codicil is confirmed by a will in the following
terms, "Whatever shall be included in my codicil," do they
refer to future, or to past time, if the testator had already drawn
up a codicil? This must be determined by his intention; for as the
word "is" relates not only to present, but to past time;
so the words "shall be" not only indicate future, but sometimes,
also, past time, for when we say "Lucius Titius is released from
his obligation," we refer to both past and present time; just
as when we say, "Lucius Titius is bound." The same rule
applies when we say, "Troy is taken," for this expression
has no reference to the present time, but to something that has already
occurred.
124. Proculus, Epistles,
Book II.
The following words, "So-and-So
or So-and-So," are not only disjunctive, but subdisjunctive in
their signification. They are disjunctive; for example, when we say,
"It is either day or night," for having suggested one of
two things, the other is necessarily impossible, since to suppose
one disposes of the other. Therefore, by a similar form of words,
an expression can be subdisjunctive. There are, however, two kinds
of subdisjunctives; one where in a proposition both things cannot
be true, and neither of them may be; as, for instance, when we say,
"He is either sitting or walking," for as no one can do
both these things at the same time, neither of them may be true, for
example, if the person should be lying down. The other kind of disjunctive
occurs in a statement where of two things neither may be true, but
both of them can happen to be; for instance, when we say "Every
animal either acts or suffers," for there is no animal which neither acts nor suffers, but
an animal may act and suffer at the same time.
125. The Same, Epistles,
Book V.
His grandson to his Uncle Proculus,
Greeting. In the case of a person who promised a dowry as follows,
"When it is convenient, I will give you a hundred aurei as
my daughter's dowry," do you think that the dowry can be demanded
immediately after the marriage takes place ? Where he made the promise
in the following words, "I will give you the dowry when I am
able to do so," if the last obligation is of any force, in what
way do you interpret the words, "am able"? Do they mean
after the debts have been paid, or before? Proculus: When anyone promises
a dowry in the following terms, "I will pay you a hundred aurei,
by way of dowry, when I am able to do so," I think that a
suitable interpretation can be given to them. For when anyone makes
use of ambiguous language, he says what he believes is meant by the
words which he employs. I think, however, that it is better to hold
that he intended to say that he would give the dowry if he could do
so after his debts were paid. The meaning may also be, "If I
can do so consistently with the maintenance of my honor," which
interpretation is preferable. But if he had promised to do this, "When
it will be convenient," this means when I can bestow the dowry
without incommoding myself.
126. The Same, Epistles,
Book VI.
If I transfer to you a tract
of land and say, "It is in the very best possible condition,"
and then add, "It has not become any worse since I have acquired
its ownership," I will not be liable for anything else; for although
it is stated in the first clause, "in the best possible condition,"
this means that the land is free, and if the second part had not been
added, I would be compelled to render it free; still, I think that
I am sufficiently released by the second clause, because, so far as
the rights attaching to the land are concerned, I am not obliged to
guarantee anything more than that the title has not become any worse
during my ownership.
127. Callistratus, Judicial
Inquiries, Book IV.
By the term "clothing"
is meant that ordinarily worn by both men and women, as well as theatrical
costumes, whether used in a tragedy or comedy.
128. Ulpianus, On the Lex
Julia et Papia, Book I.
The term "eunuch"
is one of general application, and under it are included not only
persons who are eunuchs by nature, but also those made such by crushing
or pressure, as well as every other kind of eunuch whatsoever.
129. Paulus, On the Lex Julia
et Papia, Book I.
Still-born infants are not considered
either to have been born or begotten, because they have never been
able to be called children.
130. Ulpianus, On the Lex
Julia et Papia, Book II.
Anyone can very properly say
that an estate which falls to a person as heir at law, or by will,
legally belongs to him, because by the Law of the Twelve Tables testamentary
estates are confirmed.
131. The Same, On the Lex
Julia et Papia, Book III.
Fraud is one thing, and the
penalty for it another; for fraud can exist without a penalty, but
there cannot be a penalty for it without a fraud. A penalty is the
punishment of an offence, a fraud is the offence itself and is, as
it were, a kind of preparation for the penalty.
(1) A great difference exists
between a fine and a penalty, for the term "penalty" is
a general one, and means the punishment of all crimes; but a fine
is imposed for some particular offence, whose punishment is, at present,
a pecuniary one. A penalty, however, is not only pecuniary, but usually
implies the loss of life and reputation. A fine is left to the discretion
of the magistrate who passes sentence; a penalty is not inflicted
unless it is expressly imposed by law, or by some other authority.
And, indeed, a fine is inflicted where a special penalty has not been
prescribed. Moreover, he can impose a penalty upon whom jurisdiction
has been conferred. Magistrates and Governors of provinces alone are
permitted by the Imperial Mandates to impose fines; anyone, however,
who has a right to take judicial cognizance of a crime or a misdemeanor
can inflict the penalty.
132. Paulus, On the Lex Julia
et Papia, Book III.
A child dies at the age
of a year who expires on the last day of the year; and the ordinary
use of language shows this to be the case when it is stated "That
it died before the tenth day of the kalends," or "after
the tenth day of the kalends"; for in both instances eleven
days are understood.
(1) It is improper to say that
a woman has brought forth a child, from whom, while dead, a child
was removed by the Caesarean operation.
133. Ulpianus, On the Lex
Julia et Papia, Book IV.
Where anyone provides that something
shall be done before his death, the very day on which he died is counted.
134. Paulus, On the Lex Julia
et Papia, Book II.
A child is not considered a
year old as soon as it is born, but is said to be of that age after
three hundred and sixty-five days have elapsed, if the last day has
begun, but is not completed; because, according to the Civil Law,
we reckon the year, not by moments, but by days.
135. Ulpianus, On the Lex
Julia et Papia, Book IV.
Where a woman brings forth a
child that is deformed, or a monster, or defective, or which has something
unusual in its appearance or its voice, and which has no resemblance
to a human being, but seems to be rather an animal than a man, someone may ask,
will it be any benefit to her to have brought such a creature into
the world ? The better opinion is, that consideration must be had
for its parents, for they ought not to be censured, as they have done
their duty as far as they could, nor should the mother be prejudiced,
because an unfortunate occurrence has taken place.
136. The Same, On the Lex
Julia et Papia, Book V.
It is evident that, under the
term "son-in-law" are included the husbands of granddaughters,
and great-granddaughters, and their descendants; whether they are
the offspring of a son or a daughter.
137. Paulus, On the Lex Julia
et Papia, Book II.
A woman who has brought forth
three children at a birth is considered to have had three parturitions.
138. The Same, On the Lex
Julia et Papia, Book IV.
Praetorian possession of an
estate is included in the term "inheritance."
139. Ulpianus, On the Lex
Julia et Papia, Book VII.
Houses are considered to be
built at Rome when they are erected contiguous to the city.
(1) He is considered to have
finished a house who has completed it so that it can be occupied.
140. Paulus, On the Lex Julia
et Papia, Book VI.
A man is understood to have
acquired something, even though he may have acquired it for another.
141. Ulpianus, On the Lex
Julia et Papia, Book VIII.
As a woman, when moribund, is
considered to have had a child if it is taken from her by means of
the Caesarean operation; so, under other circumstances, she can be
held to have had a child whom she did not bring forth at the time
of her death; for instance, one who returns from the hands of the
enemy.
142. Paulus, On the Lex Julia
et Papia, Book VI.
A joinder of heirs can
take place in three different ways, for it can either be made by means
of the property itself; or by means of the property and words contained
in the will; or by the words alone. There is no doubt that those are
joined who are connected by both their names and by the property;
for example, "Let Titius and Maevius be heirs to half my estate;"
or "Let Titius and Maevius be my heirs;" or "Let Titius,
with Maevius, be heirs to half of my estate." Let us see, however,
if we omit the particles "and" "and with," whether
the parties can be considered to be joined, for instance: "Let
Lucius Titius, Publius Maevius be heirs to half of my estate,"
or, "Let Publius Maevius, Lucius Titius, be my heirs; let Sempronius
be the heir to half my estate."
As Titius and Maevius are entitled to half of the estate, they are
understood to be joined with reference to the property, and the terms
of the will. "Let Lucius Titius be heir to half of my estate;
let Seius be the heir to the same share to which I have appointed
Lucius Titius; let Sempronius be the heir to half of my estate."
Julianus says that a doubt may arise as to whether the estate was
divided into three parts, or whether Titius was appointed heir to
the same share as Gaius Seius. But, for the reason that Sempronius
was also appointed an heir to half the estate, it is more probable
that the two others were to share the same half and were made heirs
conjointly.
143. Ulpianus, On the Lex
Julia et Papia, Book IX.
Anyone is considered to have
property if he is entitled to an action to recover it, for he has
anything which he has a right to demand.
144. Paulus, On the Lex Julia
et Papia, Book X.
Massurius stated in his Book
on Memorials that a mistress was considered by the ancients to be
a woman who lived with a man without being his wife, and who is now
known by the name of friend, or by the slightly more honorable appellation,
concubine. Granius Flaccus, in his Book on the Papirian Law, says
that the word "mistress" means a woman who cohabits with
a man who has a wife; and others hold one is meant who lives in his
house, as his wife, without being married to him, and whom the Greeks
call pallakyn.
145. Ulpianus, On the Lex
Julia et Papia, Book X.
It must be said that by the
term "individual share" the entire estate sometimes is meant.
146. Terentius Clemens, On
the Lex Julia et Papia, Book III.
It is established that the grandfather
and the grandmother of either a wife or a husband are included under
the terms "father-in-law" and "mother-in-law."
147. The Same, On the Lex
Julia et Papia, Book III.
Persons who are born in the
suburbs of the City are understood to be born at Rome.
148. Gaius, On the Lex Julia
et Papia, Book VIII.
A man who has only one son or
one daughter is not without children ; for the expression, "He
has children," or "he has not children," is always
used in the plural number, just as writing tablets and codicils are.
149. The Same, On the Lex
Julia et Papia, Book X.
For we cannot say of such a
person that he is childless, and we must necessarily say that he has
children.
150. The Same, On the Lex
Julia et Papia, Book IX.
If I stipulate with you as follows:
"Do you promise to pay me whatever I may fail to collect from
Titius?" there is no doubt that if I
should not collect anything from Titius you will be indebted to me
for all that he owed me.
151. Terentius Clemens, On
the Lex Julia et Papia, Book V.
An estate is understood to have
been granted to anyone when he can acquire it by entering upon the
same.
152. Gaius, On the Lex Julia
et Papia, Book X.
There is no doubt that both
males and females are included under the term "man."
153. Terentius Clemens, On
the Lex Julia et Papia, Book XI.
When a child is in its mother's
womb at the time of its father's death, it is understood to be legally
in existence.
154. Macer, On the Law Relating
to the Twentieth.
The thousand paces constituting
a mile are not reckoned from the milestone of the City of Rome, but
from the houses contiguous thereto.
155. Licinius Rufus, Rules,
Book VII.
Where there is only one relative,
he is included in the term "next of kin."
156. The Same, Rules, Book
X.
Anyone is understood to have
had possession of property for the greater part of the year, even
if he has held it only two months, provided his adversary has had
possession of it for a shorter time, or not at all.
157. Aelius Gallus, On the
Meaning of Words Relating to the Law, Book I.
A wall is one which is built
either with or without mortar.
(1) A road is either a path,
or a highway.
158. Celsus, Digest, Book
XXV.
Cascellius states that, in legal
phraseology, we frequently make use of the singular number when we
wish to indicate several things of the same kind; for we say many
a man has arrived at Rome, and also that there are bad fish. Likewise,
in making a stipulation, it is sufficient to refer to the heirs in
the singular number, "If the case is decided in favor of me,
or my heir," and again, "Whatever concerns you or your heir,"
as it is clear that if there are several heirs, they are included
in a stipulation of this kind.
159. Ulpianus, On Sabinus,
Book I.
We also use the term "money"
to denote gold coins.
160. The Same, On Sabinus,
Book II.
Everything is included in the
terms, "the others," and, "the balance," as Marcellus
says with reference to a man to whom the choice of
a slave was bequeathed, the others being left to Sempronius; for he
holds that if he should not make a choice, all the slaves will belong
to Sempronius.
161. The Same, On Sabinus,
Book VII.
An unborn child is not a minor.
162. Pomponius, On Sabinus,
Book II.
An ordinary substitution, by
which an heir is substituted "for him who may die last,"
is understood to have been made legally if there should be only one
heir, in accordance with the Law of the Twelve Tables, by which, when
there is only one heir, he is referred to as the next of kin.
(1) Where a testator makes the
following provision in his will, "If anything should happen to
my son, let my slave Damas be free," and the son should die,
Damas will become free; for although an accident may also happen to
the living, death is understood by this expression, according to the
ordinary signification of the language.
163. Paulus, On Sabinus,
Book II.
The following words, "The
very best and greatest possible," may have reference to a single
person. Likewise, the last will mentioned in the Edict of the Praetor
has reference to the only will.
(1) Under the term "child"
a girl also is included, for women who have recently brought forth
children are called puerperse, and are generally styled by
the Greeks.
164. Ulpianus, On Sabinus,
Book XV.
There is no question that the
word "daughters" includes posthumous children, while it
is certain that the term "posthumous" is not applicable
to a daughter who is already born.
(1) The word "share"
does not always mean the half, but the part which is indicated by
it; for anyone can be directed to have the largest share, or the twentieth,
or the third, or as much as the testator pleases. If nothing is mentioned
but the share, half of the estate will be due.
(2) The expressions "To
have," and "To come into one's hands," should be understood
to mean legal possession.
165. Pomponius, On Sabinus,
Book V.
Nothing is understood to "come
into the hands of the heir" unless all the debts of the estate
have been paid.
166. The Same, On Sabinus,
Book VI.
Urban and rustic slaves are
not distinguished from one another by the place, but by the nature
of their respective occupations. For a steward may not be included
in the number of urban slaves, as, for instance, one who keeps the
accounts of transactions in the country, where he lives, for he does
not differ greatly from a farmer. A slave attached
to a household in a city is included among urban slaves. It should,
however, be considered whether the master himself employs anyone in
their stead, which can be ascertained from the number of the slaves
and their sub-slaves.
(1) He is understood to have
spent the night outside of a city who passed no part of it therein;
for the expression means the entire night.
167. Ulpianus, On Sabinus,
Book XXV.
The material of which it is
composed is not included in the term "charcoal," but is
it included in that of "firewood"? Perhaps someone may say
that it is not, for all wood is not firewood; but shall we include
under the terms "firewood" or "charcoal" firebrands
which have been extinguished, and other burnt wood which does not
make any smoke, or shall we place it in a class of its own ? The better
opinion is that it has a class of its own. Wood which has been treated
with sulphur is included in the term "firewood." Wood which
is prepared for torches does not come under the head of "firewood,"
unless it was specially intended that this should be done. The same
rule applies to olive seeds, acorns, and any other seeds. When pine
cones are entire, they are included in the term "firewood."
168. Paulus, On Sabinus,
Book IV.
Poles and stakes are classed
as building material, and therefore are not included under the term
"firewood."
169. The Same, On Sabinus,
Book V.
The following clause is not
only inserted in contracts for the delivery of property, but also
in purchases, stipulations, and wills, namely, "In the best condition
possible," and means that land is guaranteed to be free from
all encumbrances, but not that servitudes are due to it.
170. Ulpianus, On Sabinus,
Book XXXIII.
It is held that all successors
are meant by the word "heir," although this may not be expressly
stated.
171. Pomponius, On Sabinus,
Book XVI.
Anything is properly said to
have come into your hands where it has passed to another through you,
as was determined in the case of an estate acquired by a freedman
through his patron, who was a son under paternal control, for the
benefit of his adoptive father.
172. Ulpianus, On SoMnus,
Book XXXVIII.
It is established that a freedwoman
is also included under the term "freedman."
173. The Same, On Sabinus,
Book XXXVIII.
Those are included under the
term "colleagues" who possess the same authority.
(1) Anyone who is outside of
the suburbs of a city is considered to be absent; but he is not considered
to be absent while still within the suburbs.
174. The Same, On Sabinus,
Book XLII.
It is one thing to allege that
a slave is not a thief, and another to say that he will not be liable
for theft or damage committed by him. For when a man says that a slave
is not a thief, he has reference to his disposition; but when he says
that he will not be liable for theft or damage committed by him, he
states that he will not be responsible to anyone for his depredations.
175. Pomponius, On Sabinus,
Book XXII.
In the term "To do"
is also included that "To give."
176. Ulpianus, On Sabinus,
Book XLV.
It has been established that
every kind of satisfaction should be understood to be included in
the term "payment." We say that he has paid who has done
what he promised to do.
177. The Same, On Sabinus,
Book XLVII.
The nature of the sophistry
which the Greeks call a concise syllogism is disclosed where, by making
slight changes in something which is absolutely true, a conclusion
is arrived at which is evidently false.
178. The Same, On Sabinus,
Book XLIX.
The term "money" not
only includes coin, but all kinds of property, that is to say, everything
which is corporeal; for there is no one who has any doubt that corporeal
property is also included in the word "money."
(1) Inheritance is a legal term
which has reference to both the increase and the diminution of an
estate, as an inheritance is greatly increased by the profits.
(2) The term "action"
is both special and general; for the same word is used whether a claim
is made against the person or against the property. We are, however,
for the most part, accustomed to call the former personal and the
latter real. I think that extraordinary proceedings are included under
the term "pursuit," as for instance, those arising from
trusts, and any others which do not come within the scope of ordinary
law.
(3) The expression, "He
owes," is understood to include every action whatsoever which
can be brought against anyone; whether it is civil or praetorian,
or involves the execution of a trust.
179. The Same, On Sabinus,
Book LI.
There is no difference between
the expressions, "As much as a thing is worth," and "As
much as a thing appears to be worth," for it has been established
that in both instances a true valuation of the property must be made.
180. Pomponius, On Sabinus,
Book XXX.
By the term "hut,"
every building erected for the purpose of protecting the crops on
a farm, and not a house in town, is meant.
(1) Ofilius says that the word
tugurium is derived from a roof, as a place is said to be covered
with tiles; just as toga is so called because we use it as
a covering.
181. The Same, On Sabinus,
Book XXXV.
The verb, "To belong,"
has an extremely broad signification, for it not only applies to such
things as are included in our ownership, but also to those which we
possess under any title, even if they are not ours; and we say that
articles belong to us to which we have no title at present, but to
which we may subsequently acquire one.
182. Ulpianus, On the Edict,
Book XXVII.
The head of a household who
is free cannot have a peculium, just as a slave cannot have
an estate.
183. The Same, On the Edict,
Book XXVIII.
The term "shop" means
every kind of building which is fit for a habitation; evidently for
the reason that these are generally closed with boards (tabulae).
184. Paulus, On the Edict,
Book XXX.
From it the words "tabernacle"
and "contubernales" are derived.
185. Ulpianus, On the Edict,
Book XXVIII.
We understand a furnished shop
to be one in which the goods and the clerks are ready for business.
186. The Same, On the Edict,
Book XXX.
To entrust something to anyone's
care means nothing more than to deposit it with him.
187. The Same, On the Edict,
Book XXXII.
The expression, "Money
collected," relates not only to payment, but also to the delegation
of the claim.
188. Paulus, On the Edict,
Book XXXIII.
The verb, "To have,"
is understood in two different ways: in one, where the right of ownership
exists; in the other, where property purchased by anyone cannot be
obtained without a contest.
(1) Security means responsibility
assumed either with reference to persons or things.
189. The Same, On the Edict,
Book XXXIV.
The expression, "To be
obliged to do," has the following signification ; namely, that
a person will abstain from doing something which is contrary to an
agreement, or will take care that it is not done.
190. Ulpianus, On the Edict,
Book XXXIV.
We must understand provincials
to be persons who have their domicile in a province, and not those
who are born there.
191. Paulus, On the Edict,
Book XXXV.
The following difference exists
between divorce and repudiation: repudiation may take place even before
marriage; but a woman who is betrothed cannot properly be said to
be divorced, since divorce is so called because the parties who separate
are free to go their different ways.
192. Ulpianus, On the Edict,
Book XXXVII.
The expression, "Or more,"
does not include an unlimited sum of money, but a moderate one; just
as the limiting clause, "Ten or more solidi," has
reference to the smaller sum.
193. The Same, On the Edict,
Book XXXVIII.
These words, "As much as
the property appears to be worth," do not refer to the measure
of damage, but to the estimated value of the property.
194. Ulpianus, On the Edict,
Book XXXIII.
The same difference exists between
a gift and a present as exists between genus and species; for Labeo
says that a gift is a genus, and is derived from the verb "to
give," and that a present is a species, for it is a gift bestowed
for some reason, for instance, on account of a birth, or a marriage.
195. The Same, On the Edict,
Book XLVI.
The term "masculine"
frequently extends to both sexes.
(1) Let us see how the word
"family" should be understood. And indeed, it is understood
in various ways, for it has reference to both property and persons;
to property, as in the Law of the Twelve Tables where it is said,
"Let the next of kin on the father's side have the estate"
(familia). The term "family" also has reference to
persons, as where the same law referring to a patron and his freedman
says, "From this family to that." In this instance, it is
established that the law has reference to individuals.
(2) The term "family"
has reference to every collection of persons which are connected by
their own rights as individuals, or by the common bond of general
relationship. We say that a family is connected by its own rights
where several are either by nature or by law subjected to the authority
of one; for example, the father of a family, the mother of a family,
and a son and a daughter under paternal control, as well as their
descendants; for instance, grandsons, granddaughters, and their successors.
He is designated the father of a family who has authority over the
household, and he is properly so called even if he has no son, for
we do not merely consider his person, but
also his right. Then we also style a minor the father of a family,
when his father dies, and each of the persons who were under his control
begins to have a separate household, and all obtain the title of father
of a family. The same thing happens in the case of a son who is emancipated,
for he also has his own family when he becomes independent. We say
that the family of all the agnates is a common one, because even though
the head of the household may be dead, and each of them has a separate
family, still, all who were under the control of him alone are properly
said to belong to the same family, as they have sprung from the same
house and race.
(3) We are also accustomed to
apply the term "family" to bodies of slaves, as we explained,
according to the Edict of the Praetor, under the Title of Theft, where
the Praetor mentions the family of farmers of the revenue. In this
instance, all slaves are not meant, but only those are designated
who were appointed for this purpose, that is to say, for the collection
of taxes. In another part of the Edict all slaves are included; as
in the case of unlawful assemblies, and property taken by force, and
also where suit for the annulment of a contract can be brought, and
the property is returned in a worse condition through the act of the
purchaser or his family; and finally, in the case of the interdict
Unde vi, the term family embraces not only all the slaves,
but also the children.
(4) The word "family"
also applies to all those persons, who are descended from the last
father, as we say the Julian Family, referring, as it were, to persons
derived from a certain origin within our memory.
(5) The wife is the beginning
and the end of her family.
196. Gaius, On the Provincial
Edict, Book XVI.
The head of the family himself
is included in the term "family."
(1) It is clear that children
do not belong to the family of the wife, because anyone who is born
to a father does not follow the family of his mother.
197. Ulpianus, On the Edict,
Book L.
"To inform" is to
denounce, to impeach, to accuse, and to convict.
198. The Same, On All Tribunals,
Book II.
We understand by the term "urban
estates" not only all buildings which are situated in towns,
but also inns, and such houses as are used for trade in the suburbs,
and in villages, as well as palaces intended only for pleasure; but
the materials, and not the location, are what constitute an urban
estate. Hence, if there are any gardens attached to these buildings,
it must be said that they are included under the term "urban
estates." It is clear that if these gardens afford more revenue
than they do pleasure, that is to say, if they contain vines or olive
trees, they should not be designated "urban estates."
199. The Same, On All Tribunals,
Book VIII.
We should consider a person
to be absent who is not in the place where his presence is demanded;
for we do not require that he be beyond seas, since he is absent if
he happens to be outside the suburbs of the city; but if he is within
the suburbs, he is not held to be absent if he does not conceal himself.
(1) Anyone who has been captured
by the enemy is not considered to be absent, but he who is detained
by robbers is.
200. Julianus, Digest, Book
II.
The following stipulation, "To
furnish a slave free from liability for damage committed," is
not held to apply to such offences as call for public prosecution
and punishment.
201. The Same, Digest, Book
LXXXI.
According to a just interpretation
it should be understood, as we have often said, that as a daughter
under paternal control is included under the term "son,"
a grandson should likewise be included; and a grandfather also be
understood to be designated by the term "father."
202. Alfenus Varus, Digest,
Book II.
When it is stated in a will
that the heir shall only expend a hundred aurei for funeral
expenses, or for the erection of a monument, he cannot spend any less
than that amount; but, if he desires to spend more, he can do so,
and he will not be considered to have done anything contrary to the
terms of the will.
203. The Same, Digest, Book
VII.
It was stated in the law relating
to the collection of duties in the harbors of Sicily: "That no
one should pay any duty on slaves which he was taking to his own house
for private use." The question arose if anyone should send slaves
from Sicily to Rome, for the purpose of cultivating land, whether
or not he would be compelled to pay duty on them. The answer was that
in this law two points were involved: first, what did the words, "Take
to his own house," mean; and second, what was the meaning of
the expression, "For his private use"? Therefore, if the
word "house" meant where someone lived, inquiry should be
made whether this was in a province, or in Italy; or whether his house
could only properly be said to be in his own country. On this point
it was decided that anyone's house should be considered to be where
he had his home, kept his accounts, and transacted his business. There
is, however, great doubt as to the signification of the expression,
"For his private use," and it was decided that this only
had reference to what was prepared for his subsistence. For the same
reason it might also be asked with reference to slaves who are alleged
to be for the use of their master whether stewards, porters, farmers,
overseers, weavers, and farm laborers, who are employed in the cultivation
of the soil, from which the owner obtains his living and supports
himself, are meant; or whether all the slaves which any person
purchased and kept for his own use, as
well as those whom he employed for other purposes, and were not bought
to sell again, are included. It seems to me that only those destined
for the use of the head of the family, who are appointed for his personal
service and support, which class includes valets, domestic, servants,
cooks, attendants, and all others devoted to employments of this kind
are meant.
204. Paulus, Epitomes of
Alfenus, Book II.
The term "boy" has
three significations: first, we call all slaves "boys" ;
second, we speak of a boy in contradistinction to a girl; and third,
we make use of the word to denote the age of childhood.
205. The Same, Epitomes of
Alfenus, Book IV.
When anyone sells a tract of
land, reserving the fruit, he is understood to reserve the nuts, figs,
and grapes whose skins are hard and purple, and are of the kind which
we do not use in making wine, and which the Greeks call suitable for
eating purposes.
206. Julianus, On Minicius,
Book VI.
It is held that the expression
"wine-jars" is properly applied to jars used at the wine
press; for casks and other vessels are only classed as such while
they contain wine; for, when they cease to do so, they have not this
appellation, as they can be put to other uses; for instance, where
grain is placed in them. The same rule applies to other earthen jars,
when they are used for wine, just as it does to the former, for when
they are empty, they are not included in the number of receptacles
for wine, because other things can be kept in them.
207. Africanus, Questions,
Book III.
Mela says that slaves are not
included in the term "merchandise," and for this reason
those who sell them are not designated merchants, but dealers in slaves;
and this is correct.
208. The Same, Questions,
Book IV.
The terms "property"
and "estate" apply to everything taken together, including
the right of succession, but not to individual articles.
209. Florentinus, Institutes,
Book X.
Where anyone is ordered to do
something in the presence of Titius, he is not understood to have
done it in his presence, unless Titius understands that this is the
case; therefore, if he should be insane, or a child, or asleep, he
is not considered to have performed the act in his presence. He must
know that it is done, but it is not necessary that he should be willing,
for what is ordered will be legally done, even against his consent.
210. Marcianus, Institutes,
Book VII.
It has been decided that he
who is born of urban slaves and is sent to the country to be brought
up shall be classed as an urban slave.
211. Florentinus, Institutes,
Book VIII.
By the term "real property"
all buildings and all land are understood; in speaking of buildings
in a city, however, we usually call them sedes, and in the
country villas. A site without a building in a city
is called area, and in the country ager, and the latter,
when a house is erected upon it, is styled fundus.
212. Ulpianus, On Adultery,
Book I.
We call those persons prevaricators
who assist the cause of their adversaries, and while on the side of
the plaintiff favor that of the defendant; for the term "prevaricator"
is derived from the verb "varico," to straddle.
213. The Same, Rules, Book
I.
The expression "cedere
diem" means to begin to owe a sum of money: "venire
diem" means the day has come when the money can be collected.
When anyone makes an absolute stipulation, the money begins to be
due, and the day of payment arrives immediately. When he agrees to
pay it at a certain time, the indebtedness begins at once, but the
time of payment does not; when he agrees to pay it under a condition,
the indebtedness is not incurred, nor is the sum payable, while the
condition is pending.
(1) "Ms alienum"
means what we owe to others: "IBS suum" is what
others owe us.
(2) Gross negligence is extreme
negligence, that is to say, not to know what everybody else knows.
214. Marcianus, Public Prosecutions,
Book I.
An "obligation," properly
speaking, is something which we are obliged to do according to law,
custom, or the command of someone who has the right to order it to
be done. Gifts, however, are, correctly speaking, things which we
voluntarily give without being compelled to do so by either law or
our duty; and if they are not given, no one can be blamed, and if
they are given, the donor is generally entitled to praise. In a word,
it has been decided that the two terms are not interchangeable, but
that a gift may properly give rise to an obligation.
215. Paulus, On the Lex Fufia
Caninia.
The word "power" has
several meanings: with reference to magistrates, it signifies jurisdiction;
with reference to children, it signifies paternal control; with reference
to slaves, it signifies the authority of a master. But when we bring
suit for the surrender of a slave by way of reparation for damage
committed by him, against his master who does not defend him, we mean
the body of the slave and the authority over
him. Sabinus and Cassius say that, under the Atinian Law, stolen property
is considered to have come under the control of the master, if he
should have the power to recover it.
216. Ulpianus, On the Lex
Aelia Sentia, Book I.
It is true that when anyone
is imprisoned, he is not held to be either chained or placed in chains
unless they are attached to his body.
217. Javolenus, On the Last
Works of Labeo, Book I.
There is a great difference
between the conditions, "When he will be able to speak,"
and "After he shall have been able to speak," for it is
established that the latter has a broader signification than the former,
which only has reference to the time when the person can speak for
the first time.
(1) Likewise, when a condition
is stated as follows, "Do this in so many days," if nothing
more should be added, the condition must be complied with within two
days.
218. Papinianus, Questions,
Book XXVII.
The words "to do,"
include everything which can be done; just as "to give,"
"to pay," "to count," "to judge," "to
walk."
219. The Same, Opinions,
Book II.
It has been established, that,
in agreements, the intention of the contracting parties should rather
be considered than the terms of the stipulation. Therefore, when municipal
magistrates lease land belonging to their city, under the condition,
"that the heir of the person who leases it shall enjoy it,"
the right of the heir can also be transferred to his legatee.
220. Callistratus, Questions,
Book II.
By the term "children,"
grandchildren and great-grandchildren, and all their descendants are
understood, for the Law of the Twelve Tables includes all these under
the term "proper heirs." When the laws consider it necessary
to use separate names for different relatives, for instance, sons,
grandsons, great-grandsons, and their descendants, they do not mean
that this shall extend to all who come after them. But when certain
persons or degrees are not specified, but only those are mentioned
who are descended from the same stock, they are included under the
term "children."
(1) Papirius Fronto, however,
in the Third Book of Opinions, says that where land, with a farmer
and his wife and children, is devised, the grandchildren descended
from the sons are also included, unless the intention of the testator
was otherwise; for it has been frequently decided that in the term
"children," grandchildren are also included.
(2) The Divine Marcus stated
in a Rescript that anyone who left a grandson his heir was not considered
to have died without issue.
(3) In addition to all this,
Nature teaches us that affectionate fathers, who marry with the intention
and desire to have children, inelude under the term all who are descended
from them. For we cannot designate our grandchildren by a more loving
name than that of children, since we have, and rear sons and daughters
for the purpose of perpetuating our memory, for all time, by means
of their offspring.
221. Paulus, Opinions, Book
X.
Paulus says that he can properly
be styled a false guardian who is not a guardian at all; or who is
appointed for a minor who already has a guardian, or has none; just
as is the case of a forged will, which is not a will at all, or a
false measure, which in reality is not a measure.
222. Hermogenianus, Epitomes
of Law, Book II.
By the term "money"
not only coin is understood, but all kinds of property, whether it
is attached to the soil, or is movable, and which is corporeal as
well as incorporeal.
223. Paulus, Opinions, Book
II.
The definition of gross negligence
is not to know what all persons know.
(1) We should not call those
persons friends with whom we have only a slight acquaintance; but
those with whom our fathers have entertained honorable and familiar
relations.
224. Venuleius, Stipulations,
Book VII.
The term "chains"
applies to both private or public restraint of liberty; "custody,"
however, only has reference to public imprisonment.
225. Tryphoninus, Disputations,
Book I.
A fugitive slave is not one
who has merely formed the design of escaping from his master, even
though he may have boasted that he intends to do so, but one who actually
has begun his flight; for, as anyone may call a person a thief, an
adulterer, or a gambler, from certain indications solely arising from
his intentions, although he has never stolen anything from the owner,
or corrupted any woman, but has merely resolved to do so, when an
opportunity offered, still, he cannot be understood to have committed
the offence until his design has been executed, and therefore it is
established that a slave shall not be considered a fugitive or a vagabond,
merely because he has had the intention of becoming one, but only
after he has committed the act.
226. The Same, Manuals, Book
I.
Gross negligence is a fault:
a great fault is a fraud.
227. The Same, Manuals, Book
II.
Praetorian possession of an
estate is not conceded to the heirs of the heir, by the following
clause of the Edict: "I will grant possession to him who is the
heir of the deceased." Again, in the following substitution,
"Whosoever shall be my heir," only the next heir is meant,
or the appointed heir, even if he is not the one next in succession.
228. The Same, On Judicial
Inquiries.
By the term "fellow citizens"
is meant those who are born in the same town.
229. The Same, On Implied
Trusts.
We should understand by the
expression "matters transacted or completed," not only such
as are in dispute, but also those with reference to which no controversy
exists.
230. The Same, On the Orphitian
Decree of the Senate.
Among these are questions which
have been judicially decided; are those with reference to which a
compromise has been made; and those prescribed by lapse of time.
231. The Same, On the Tertullian
Decree of the Senate.
When we say that a child, who
is expected to be born, is considered as already in existence, this
is only true where his rights are in question, but no advantage accrues
to others unless they are actually born.
232. Gaius, On Verbal Obligations,
Book I.
The statement, "Which are
worth more than thirty aurei," has reference both to a
sum of money, and the valuation of property.
233. The Same, On the Law
of the Twelve Tables, Book I.
The following expressions, "If
he deceives," "If he is in default," "If he frustrates,"
are the sources from which the term "calumniators" is derived
because they annoy others with lawsuits through fraud and deceit.
(1) On the third day after the
Kalends of January, prayers are offered for the preservation
of the Emperor.
(2) Ordinarily speaking, whatever
is discharged from a bow is called a dart; now, however, it means
anything which is cast by the hand; and it follows that even a stone,
or a piece of wood, or iron, are included in this term. It is so called
because it is sent to a distance, and is what the Greeks designate
something which is thrown to a distance. We can detect this meaning
in the Greek word, for what we call a dart, they style which usually
means something dispatched from a bow, but it also signifies anything
projected by the hand. Xenophon informs us of this fact, for he says,
"They carried darts, spears, arrows, slings, and also stones."
What is sent from a bow is what the Greeks call toceuma, that
is to say, an arrow, but by us it is designated by the common name
of "dart."
234. The Same, On the Law
of the Twelve Tables, Book II.
Those whom we style enemies
the ancients called perduelles, indicating by this term that
they were persons with whom they were at war.
(1) He is considered solvent
who has sufficient property to satisfy any claim which may be brought
against him by a creditor.
(2) Some authorities hold that
the term "subsistence" has reference only to food; but Ofilius
and Atticus say that under this term clothing and covering of every
description are included, for without them no one can subsist.
235. The Same, On the Law
of the Twelve Tables, Book III.
We properly apply the term "to
carry," to what anyone conveys by means of his body; "to
transport," to whatever one conveys by means of a beast of burden;
and "to drive" has reference to animals.
(1) We call workers in wood
not only those who polish lumber, but also all those who build houses.
236. The Same, On the Law
of the Twelve Tables, Book IV.
Those who speak of poison, should
add whether it is good or bad, for medicines are poisons, and they
are so called because they change the natural disposition of those
to whom they are administered. What we call poison the Greeks style
farmakon; and among them noxious drugs as well as medicinal
remedies are included under this term, for which reason they distinguish
them by another name. Homer, the most distinguished of their poets,
informs us of this, for he says: "There are many kinds of poisons,
some of which are good, and some of which are bad."
(1) Javolenus says that fruit
is whatever has a seed, as in the case of the Greeks who call all
kinds of trees akrodrua.
237. The Same, On the Law
of the Twelve Tables, Book V.
A law which contains two negative
statements rather permits than forbids. This is also noted by Servius.
238. The Same, On the Law
of the Twelve Tables, Book VI.
The term "plebeian"
applies to all citizens except Senators.
(1) To "call to witness,"
is to give evidence.
(2) The word "pledge"
is derived from the fist, because everything which is given by way
of pledge is transferred by the hand. Wherefore some authorities hold,
and it may be true, that a pledge, properly speaking, can only consist
of movable property.
(3) All offences are embraced
in the term "noxia."
239. Pomponius, Enchiridion.
A minor is one who has
not yet reached the age of puberty, and has ceased to be under the
control of his father, either by the death of the latter or his own
mancipation.
(1) The term "slaves"
is derived from the fact that the commanders of our armies formerly
were accustomed to sell their captives, and preserved them for this
purpose, in preference to putting them to death.
(2) An inhabitant is one who
has his domicile in some country, and whom the Greeks call paroikon,
that is, "adjoining." Those who dwell in cities are
not called inhabitants, any more than those who have
land near some town, and betake themselves to it, as to a resort.
(3) A public employment is an
office conferred upon some private individual, by means of which extraordinary
benefit results to the citizens individually and collectively, as
well as to their property through his magisterial authority.
(4) A stranger is one whom the
Greeks style apoikon, that is to say, one who has left his
home to become a colonist.
(5) Certain authorities hold
that decurions are so called for the reason that, in the beginning,
when colonies were established, the tenth part of those who founded
them, were usually formed into a body for the purpose of giving public
counsel.
(6) The word "city"
is derived from the verb urbo, which means to mark a boundary
with a plow. Varus says that the curve of a plowshare, which is ordinarily
used for tracing the boundaries of a city about to be built, is called
urbum.
(7) The term "fortified
town" (oppidum), is derived from ops, for the reason
that its walls are constructed to provide for the safety of property.
(8) The word "territory"
means all the land included within the limits of any city. Some authorities
hold that it is so called, because the magistrates have a right to
inspire fear within its boundaries, that is to say, the right to remove
the people.
(9) It is doubtful whether the
term "his" means the whole or a part; and therefore anyone
who swears that something is not his should add that he has no joint-ownership
in it with another.
240. Paulus, On the Six Books
of Imperial Decrees having Reference to Judicial Inquiries, Book I.
The question arose whether the
expression, "The dowry shall be returned in case the marriage
is dissolved," refers not only to divorce, but also to death;
that is to say, whether this was the intention of the contracting
parties in the present instance; and several authorities think that
it was the intention, while the contrary opinion is held by others.
On this account, the Emperor decided that "the agreement was
that, under no circumstances, the dowry should remain in the hands
of the husband.
241. Quintus Mucius Scaevola,
Definitions.
Movable property is such as
is not attached to the soil, that is to say, everything which does
not form part of a building or other structure.
242. Javolenus, On the Last
Works of Labeo, Book II.
Labeo says that a mast forms
part of a ship, but that small sails do not, because many ships would
be useless without masts, and therefore they are considered as belonging
to ships; sails, however, are held to be rather an addition to than
parts of a vessel.
(1) Labeo says that a difference
exists between what projects over, and what is inserted into anything
as a projection, is put forward in such a way that it does not have
a support, as for instance, balconies and roofs; and whatever is inserted
into a building rests upon something, for example, joists and beams.
(2) Labeo says that where lead
is used instead of tile to cover a house, it forms part of it; but
that where it is used for the purpose of covering an open gallery
it does not.
(3) Labeo says that a widow
is not only a woman who has been married at some time, but also one
who has not had a husband; for the term is also applied to a person
who is idiotic or insane, and the word also means without the union
of two persons.
(4) Labeo also says, that a
building composed of boards erected for the purpose of protecting
any place during the winter, and which is removed in the summer, is
a house; as it is designed for perpetual use, although it is not attached
to the soil, for the reason that it is removed for a part of the time.
243. Scaevola, Digest, Book
XVIII.
Scaevola gave it as his opinion
that it was generally accepted that those persons should be understood
to be included in the term "freedmen" who have been manumitted
under a first or a succeeding will, unless he by whom they were claimed
could clearly show that this is contrary to the intention of the deceased.
244. Labeo, Epitomes of Probabilities
by Paulus, Book IV.
A penalty is a fine, and a fine
is a penalty. Paulus: Both of these statements are false; for the
difference between these things is apparent from the fact that an
appeal cannot be taken from a penalty, for where anyone is convicted
of an offence, the penalty for it is fixed, and must be paid at once;
but an appeal can be taken from a fine, for it is not due unless an
appeal is not taken, or the appellant loses his case; and it is the
same as if the judge had passed upon it who was authorized to do so.
Hence, the difference between these things becomes apparent, because
certain penalties are prescribed for certain illegal acts; but this
is not the case with fines, as the judge has power to impose any fine
he pleases, unless the amount which he may impose is fixed by law.
245. Pomponius, Epistles,
Book X.
Statues attached to their pedestals,
pictures hung by chains or fastened to the walls, and lamps similarly
affixed, do not form part of a house; for they are rather placed there
as ornaments than as constituting parts of buildings.
(1) Labeo also says that the
wall usually placed in front of a house constitutes a part of it.
246. The Same, Letters, Book
XVI.
It is stated in the "Probabilities"
of Labeo that the expression "To produce" has reference
to the exhibition in court of the property in dispute. For anyone
who appears in person does not, for that reason, produce
the property in dispute; and he who produces a person who is either
dumb, insane, or an infant, is not considered to produce him at all;
for no one of this kind can, under any circumstances, properly be
said to be present.
(1) The term "restitution"
has reference not only to the body of the thing itself, but also to
every right and condition attaching to it; hence complete restitution
is meant by the law.
Tit. 17.
Concerning different rules of ancient law.
1. Paulus, On Plautius, Book
XVI.
A rule is a statement, in a
few words, of the course to be followed in the matter under discussion.
The law, however, is not derived from the rule, but the rule is established
by the law. Hence, a short decision of the point in question is made
by the rule; or, as Sabinus says, a concise explanation of the case
is given, which, however, in other instances to which it is not applicable
loses its force.
2. Ulpianus, On Sabinus,
Book I.
Women are excluded from all
civil or public employments; therefore they cannot be judges, or perform
the duties of magistrates, or bring suits in court, or become sureties
for others, or act as attorneys.
(1) A minor, also, must abstain
from all civil employments.
3. The Same, On Sabinus,
Book III.
He who can consent openly can
likewise do so by not refusing.
4. The Same, On Sabinus,
Book VI.
He is not considered to give
his full consent who obeys the command of his father or his master.
5. Paulus, On Sabinus, Book
II.
In business transactions, the
condition of an insane person is one thing, and that of a minor beyond
the age of infancy is another, although neither may perfectly understand
what is required of him, for an insane person cannot transact any
business whatever, but a minor can attend to anything of this kind
with the authority of his guardian.
6. Ulpianus, On Sabinus,
Book VII.
A person does not wish to be
an heir who is willing that an estate should be transferred to another.
7. Pomponius, On Sabinus,
Book III.
Our law does not suffer anyone
who is in civil life to die both testate and intestate, for there
is a natural antagonism between the two terms.
8. The Same, On Sabinus,
Book IV.
The rights of blood cannot be
annulled by any Civil Law.
9. Ulpianus, On Sabinus,
Book XV.
In matters which are obscure,
we always follow the one which is the least ambiguous.
10. Paulus, On Sabinus, Book
III.
It is in accordance with nature
that he should enjoy the benefit of anything who pays the expenses
attaching to it.
11. Pomponius, On Sabinus,
Book V.
That which is ours cannot be
transferred to another without our consent.
12. Paulus, On Sabinus, Book
III.
In the interpretation of wills,
the intention of the testator should be liberally construed.
13. Ulpianus, On Sabinus,
Book XIX.
He is not considered to have
acquired anything whose claim is barred by an exception.
14. Pomponius, On Sabinus,
Book V.
In all obligations in which
the time of payment is not inserted, the debt is due immediately.
15. Paulus, On Sabinus, Book
IV.
Anyone who has a right of action
to recover property is considered to have possession of the same.
16. Ulpianus, On Sabinus,
Book XXI.
A sale is not fictitious when
the price is agreed upon.
17. The Same, On Sabinus,
Book XXIII.
When a time is prescribed by
a will, it is considered to have been inserted for the benefit of
the heir, unless the intention of the testator was otherwise; as in
the case of stipulations, where time is granted in favor of the promisor.
18. Pomponius, On Sabinus,
Book VI.
When legacies pass to our heirs
after our death, they will benefit those under whose control we were
at the time that we acquired them. The case is different where we
make stipulations; for if we stipulate under a condition, we will
acquire the property, for the same parties under all circumstances,
even if the condition should be fulfilled after we have been released
from the authority of a master. Paulus: When a son under paternal
control stipulates under a condition, and is then emancipated, and
the condition is afterwards fulfilled, an action will lie in favor
of his father, because, in the case of stipulations, the time when
we contract is taken into account.
19. Ulpianus, On Sabinus,
Book XXIV.
Anyone who makes an agreement
with another either is not ignorant or should not be ignorant of his
condition; the heir, however, cannot be blamed under such circumstances,
as he did not voluntarily contract with the legatees.
(1) An exception on the ground
of fraud does not usually operate as a bar to those who are not excluded
by the will of the testator.
20. Pomponius, On Sabinus,
Book VII.
Whenever the meaning of a grant
of freedom is doubtful, a decision must be rendered in favor of liberty.
21. Ulpianus, On Sabinus,
Book XXVII.
He who is permitted to do more
shall be allowed to do less.
22. The Same, On Sabinus,
Book XXVIII.
No obligation will bind anyone
of a servile condition.
(1) The rule is generally approved
that, wherever, in bona fide agreements, a condition is left
to the decision of the owner of the property, or his agent, this is
understood to be done in accordance with the judgment of a good citizen.
23. The Same, On Sabinus,
Book XXIX.
Certain contracts only involve
fraud, others involve both fraud and negligence. Those which involve
fraud are deposits and transfers under a precarious title; those which
involve both fraud and negligence are mandate, loan for use, sale,
pledge, hiring, and also the bestowal of dowry, guardianship, and
the transaction of business. (The two last, however, demand extraordinary
diligence.) Partnership and joint-ownership of property involve both
fraud and negligence. This, however, is the case only where nothing
has been expressly agreed upon for either more or less in the different
contracts ; for what was agreed upon in the beginning must be observed,
since the contract imposes a law; except where, as Celsus says, the
contract would not be valid if it was agreed that no fraud should
be committed, for this is contrary to the good faith attaching to
contracts; and this is our present practice. No responsibility, however,
is assumed in the case of accidents to animals, or their death, or
to anything else that happens which is not due to negligence; or with
reference to the flight of slaves whom it was not customary to guard,
robbers, tumults, fires, inundations, and the attacks of thieves.
24. Paulus, On Sabinus, Book
V.
Whenever the interest of anyone
is concerned, it is a question of fact, and not one of law.
25. Pomponius, On Sabinus,
Book XI.
Real is better than personal
security.
26. Ulpianus, On Sabinus,
Book XXX.
Anyone who has the right to
alienate property against the consent of a person who is present has
a much better right to do so when he is ignorant of the fact, and
absent.
27. Pomponius, On Sabinus,
Book XVI.
Nothing prescribed either by
the Praetorian or the Civil law can be changed by the agreement of
private individuals; although the basis of the obligation may be altered
by mutual consent, by operation of the law itself, and by the pleading
of an exception on the ground of an informal agreement; for the reason
that the cause of an action conferred either by the law or by the
Praetor is not annulled by the agreement of private individuals, unless
it was made between them at the time when the suit was brought.
28. Ulpianus, On Sabinus,
Book XXXVI.
The Divine Pius stated in a
Rescript that those who were sued on account of a display of liberality
could only have judgment rendered against them for an amount which
they were able to pay.
29. Paulus, On Sabinus, Book
VIII.
Anything which is void in the
beginning cannot be remedied by lapse of time.
30. Ulpianus, On Sabinus,
Book XXXVI.
Consent and not cohabitation
constitutes marriage.
31. The Same, On Sabinus,
Book XLII.
It is true that neither agreements
nor stipulations can abrogate an act which has already been performed;
for whatever is impossible cannot be included in an agreement or a
stipulation in such a way as to render a praetorian action or agreement
effective.
32. The Same, On Sabinus,
Book XLIII.
So far as the Civil Law is concerned,
slaves are not considered persons, but this is riot the case according
to natural law, because natural law regards all men as equal.
33. Pomponius, On Sabinus,
Book XXII.
Where either the plaintiff or
the defendant attempts to prove a lucrative title, the case of the
plaintiff is the more difficult to establish.
34. Ulpianus, On Sabinus,
Book XLII.
In all stipulations and other
contracts, we follow the intention of the parties; and if it is not
apparent what their intention was, we observe the custom of the place
where the transaction was concluded. But what rule should be adopted
if the custom of the place did not settle anything, because it varied?
In this instance, the smallest amount should be exacted.
35. The Same, On Sabinus,
Book XLVIII.
Nothing is so natural as that
an obligation should be abrogated in the same way in which it was
contracted; therefore a verbal obligation is abrogated by words, and
one based upon the mere consent of the parties is annulled by the
dissent of both.
36. Pomponius, On Sabinus,
Book XXVII.
It is culpable to interfere
in something with which one has no concern.
37. Ulpianus, On Sabinus,
Book LI.
Anyone who has the power to
condemn has also the power to acquit.
38. Pomponius, On Sabinus,
Book XXIX.
Just as an heir should not be
liable to a penalty incurred by the deceased for a crime, so also
he should not profit by anything which may come into his hands on
account of the crime.
39. The Same, On Sabinus,
Book XXXII.
In every instance, an act is
considered as having been performed, where anyone is prevented from
performing it by another.
40. The Same, On Sabinus,
Book XXXIV.
An insane person, and one who
is forbidden to manage his property, has no will.
41. Ulpianus, On the Edict,
Book XXVI.
Anything which a plaintiff is
not allowed to do is not permitted the defendant.
(1) Where the right to property
is obscure, it is better to favor the party who attempts to recover
it than he who is striving to obtain it for the first time.
42. Gaius, On the Provincial
Edict, Book IX.
Those who succeed to another
have good reason to plead ignorance as to whether what is demanded
is due or not. Sureties, also, as well as heirs, can allege ignorance
as an excuse. This, however, only applies to an heir when he is sued,
and not when he brings the action; for it is clear that anyone who
brings suit must be informed, for it is in his power to do so when
he wishes, and he should, in the first place, carefully examine the
claim, and then proceed to collect it.
43. Ulpianus, On the Edict,
Book XXVIII.
No one who denies that he owes
anything is prevented from making any other defence unless the law
prohibits it.
(1) Whenever several actions
can be brought for the same thing, one alone should be employed.
44. The Same, On the Edict,
Book XXIX.
We grant an action against an
heir for the amount by which he has profited through the fraud of
the deceased, but this does not apply to any fraud of his own.
45. The Same, On the Edict,
Book XXX.
Neither the pledge, nor the
deposit, nor possession by a precarious title, nor the purchase, nor
the hiring of one's own property, can stand.
(1) The agreement of private
individuals does not affect public law.
46. Gaius, On the Provincial
Edict, Book X.
No one is compelled to make
restitution of anything which has been exacted by way of penalty.
47. Ulpianus, On the Edict,
Book XXX.
No obligation is incurred by
giving advice which is not fraudulent; if, however, it should be given
with fraudulent and deceitful intent, an action for fraud will lie.
(1) The partner of my partner
is not mine.
48. Paulus, On the Edict,
Book XXXV.
Anything which is done or said
in the heat of anger is not considered of any effect, unless the perseverance
of the party in question discloses the condition of his or her mind.
Therefore, when a wife returns after a short time, she is not considered
to have been divorced.
49. Ulpianus, On the Edict,
Book XXXV.
The cheating of one person does
not afford ground to another for an action when he was not affected
by it.
50. Paulus, On the Edict,
Book XXXIX.
He is free from blame who is
aware of a breach of the law being committed, but is unable to prevent
it.
51. Gaius, On the Provincial
Edict, Book XV.
No one is considered to acquire
something which he is obliged to deliver to another.
52. Ulpianus, On the Edict,
Book XLIV.
Not only he who conceals himself
is considered not to defend a case, but also he who, being present,
refuses to defend himself or is unwilling to proceed.
53. Paulus, On the Edict,
Book XLII.
A person has a right to recover
money which he has paid by mistake, but where he pays it designedly
it is considered a donation.
54. Ulpianus, On the Edict,
Book XLVI.
No one can transfer to another
a right which he himself does not possess.
55. Gaius, On Wills Relating
to the Urban Edict, Book II.
No one is considered to commit
a fraud who does what he has a right to do.
56. The Same, On Legacies
Relating to the Urban Edict, Book III.
In questions which are doubtful,
the more benevolent opinion should always obtain the preference.
57. The Same, On the Principal
Edict, Book XVIII.
Good faith does not permit the
same debt to be collected twice.
58. Ulpianus, Disputations,
Book II.
An action De peculia is
not usually granted against a father in criminal cases.
59. The Same, Disputations,
Book III.
It is decided that an heir has
the same authority and rights that were enjoyed by the deceased.
60. The Same, Disputations,
Book X.
He is always understood to direct
something to be done who does not prevent another from intervening
in his behalf. If, however, anyone who did not consent should ratify
a transaction, he will be liable to an action on mandate.
61. The Same, Opinions, Book
III.
Anyone has the right to repair
his own house, provided he does not do so against the consent of another,
on land to which he has no right.
62. Julianus, Digest, Book
VI.
Inheritance is nothing more
than succession to every right enjoyed by the deceased.
63. The Same, Digest,
Book XVII.
Anyone who, without fraudulent
intent, proceeds to trial, is not held to be in default of payment.
64. The Same, Digest, Book
XXIX.
Anything which rarely occurs
should not rashly be considered in the transaction of business.
65. The Same, Digest, Book
LIV.
The species of sophistry which
the Greeks designate a "concise syllogism" is where from
premises which are evidently true, by means of trifling changes, conclusions
are deduced which are clearly false.
66. The Same, Digest, Book
LX.
Marcellus says that he ceases
to be a debtor who obtains a legal exception, and one which is not
contrary to natural equity.
67. The Same, Digest, Book
LXXXVII.
Whenever a sentence has two
meanings, that should be accepted which is the better adapted to the
case.
68. Paulus, On the Recovery
of a Dowry.
In every instance it should
be observed that when the condition of a person affords ground for
an advantage, and it is lacking, the advantage also disappears; but
where the action requires it, anyone can prosecute it, and the ground
for the advantage remains.
69. The Same, Concerning
the Assignment of Freedmen.
A benefit is not conferred upon
a person who is unwilling to accept it.
70. The Same, On the Duties
of Proconsul, Book II.
No one upon whom has been conferred
the right to sentence an offender to death, or to any other punishment,
can transfer his authority to another.
71. The Same, On the Duties
of Proconsul, Book II.
Everything which requires an
investigation cannot be settled by means of a petition.
72. Javolenus, On the Last
Works of Labeo, Book III.
The profits of any kind of property
can be given in pledge.
73. Quintus Mucius Scaevola,
Rules.
Guardianship is derived from
the right of inheritance, except where there are female heirs.
(1) No one can appoint a guardian
for anyone except for his proper heirs, or unless he had such heirs
at the time of his death, or would have had them if he had lived.
(2) That is considered to be
done with violence which anyone does after having been prohibited;
and he acts clandestinely who proceeds without the knowledge of the
other party, if he has a controversy with him, or thinks that he will
have one.
(3) Anything which is stated
in a will in such a way that it cannot be understood is just the same
as if it had not been mentioned at all.
(4) No one can benefit another
to the detriment of a third party, either by an agreement, by prescribing
a condition, or by entering into a stipulation.
74. Papinianus, Questions,
Book I.
An unjust condition should not
be imposed by one person upon another.
75. Papinianus, Questions,
Book III.
No one can change his mind to
the injury of another.
76. The Same, Questions,
Book XXIV.
No transactions which require
the consent of the parties interested can be carried out, unless actual
and positive proof of this exists.
77. The Same, Questions,
Book XXVIII.
Lawful acts which are not dependent
upon time or a condition, as, for instance, emancipation, release,
the acceptance of an estate, the choice of a slave, the appointment
of a guardian, are absolutely annulled by the addition of time, or
a condition. Occasionally, however, the above-mentioned acts become
tacitly operative under circumstances which, if openly stated, would
render them void. For when anyone absolutely acknowledges the receipt
of something which was promised him under a condition, his release
will be considered valid if the condition of the obligation should
be fulfilled; where, however, the condition of the release was expressly
stated, the transaction will be of no force or effect.
78. The Same, Questions,
Book XXXI.
Generally speaking, when any
question arises with reference to a fraud, not what the plaintiff
has in his hands, but what he might have had, if it had not been for
his adversary, should be taken into consideration.
79. The Same, Questions,
Book XXXII.
The establishment of the existence
of fraud, according to the Civil Law, does not always depend upon
the event, but whether there was an intention to commit it.
80. The Same, Questions,
Book XXXIII.
In all legal matters, the species
takes precedence of the genus, and whatever has reference to it is
considered of the most importance.
81. The Same, Opinions, Book
III.
Whatever is inserted in contracts
for the purpose of removing ambiguity does not prejudice the Common
Law.
82. The Same, Opinions, Book
IX.
Anything is considered to be
donated which is given without the compulsion of law.
83. The Same, Definitions,
Book II.
No one is considered to have
lost something if it did not belong to him.
84. The Same, Questions,
Book V.
When more is paid than is due,
and it is not possible to deduct the surplus, the entire debt is understood
to be unpaid, and the former obligation will continue to exist.
(1) He in whose honesty we have
confided owes by natural law what he owes by the Law of Nations.
85. The Same, Questions,
Book VI.
When any doubt arises, it is
better to decide in favor of the dowry.
(1) It is no new principle that
whatever has once been decided to be valid, will stand; although a
case may arise in which a beginning could not have been made.
(2) Whenever either natural
reason, or doubt of the law is opposed by equity, moderation must
be observed in rendering a decision.
86. The Same, Questions,
Book VII.
The condition of those who engage
in litigation is not usually made worse than if they had not undertaken
it, but for the most part it is improved.
87. The Same, Questions,
Book XIII.
No one, by attempting to recover
his property, makes his case worse, but he improves it. Finally, after
issue has been joined, the right passes to the heir, and the heir
is also liable under all circumstances.
88. Scaevola, Questions,
Book V.
No one is understood to be in
default where the claim is void.
89. Paulus, Questions, Book
X.
As long as a will is valid,
the heir at law is not admitted to the succession.
90. The Same, Questions,
Book XV.
In all matters, and especially
in those relating to the law, equity must be considered.
91. The Same, Questions,
Book XVII.
Whenever a succession belongs
to anyone by a double right, if the more recent one should be rejected,
the older one will remain.
92. Scaevola, Opinions, Book
V.
If a copyist makes a mistake
in transcribing a stipulation, this will not prevent the debtor and
the surety from being liable.
93. Marcianus, Trusts, Book
I.
A son under paternal control
is considered neither to retain, to recover, nor to acquire possession
of his peculium.
94. Ulpianus, Trusts, Book
II.
It is not usual for superfluous
matter to vitiate a document.
95. The Same, Trusts, Book
VI.
No one doubts that he should
be considered solvent who is defended.
96. Marcianus, Trusts, Book
XII.
When an instrument is ambiguous,
the intention of the party who produced it should be considered.
97. Hermogenianus, Epitomes
of Law, Book III.
The sentence of deportation,
alone, deprives a person of his property, which is confiscated by
the Treasury.
98. The Same, Epitomes of
Law, Book IV.
Whenever property is claimed
by two persons under a lucrative title, he whose title to the same
is the more ancient should have the preference.
99. Venuleius, Stipulations,
Book XII.
No one can be considered dishonest
who does not know how much he ought to pay.
100. Gaius, Rules, Book I.
Any obligation contracted under
one law is annulled by a contrary law.
101. Paulus, On Judicial
Inquiries.
When the law mentions the term
of two months, and the party appears on the sixty-first day, he should
be heard; for this the Emperor Antoninus and his Divine Father stated
in a Rescript.
102. Ulpianus, On the Edict,
Book I.
Anyone who commits an act against
the order of the Praetor is properly said to have violated the Edict.
(1) He has the right to refuse
an action, who can also grant it.
103. Paulus, On the Edict,
Book I.
No one can be taken by force
from his own house.
104. Ulpianus, On the Edict,
Book II.
Where two actions are brought,
in one of which a large sum is claimed as damages, and in the other
an infamous charge is made, the one which affects the party's reputation
is entitled to the preference. But where both actions are such that
the sentences will brand the defendant with infamy, they should both
be considered to be of the same importance, even though the amounts
involved are unequal.
105. Paulus, On the Edict,
Book I.
Whenever a judicial inquiry
is demanded, recourse must be had to the Praetor.
106. The Same, On the Edict,
Book II.
Liberty is a possession of inestimable
value.
107. Gaius, On the Provincial
Edict, Book I.
No action at law can be brought
against a slave.
108. Paulus, On the Edict,
Book IV.
In inflicting penalties, the
age and inexperience of the guilty party must always be taken into
account.
109. The Same, On the Edict,
Book V.
He is not an accomplice in a
crime who does not prevent it from being committed when he is unable
to do so.
110. The Same, On the Edict,
Book VI.
The less is always included
in the greater.
(1) No one is considered to
be legally responsible for another, unless he gives security.
(2) A minor is not considered
to have consented to something to his injury.
(3) Where two sentences in a
contract referring to the same thing are not connected, it is sufficient
for one of them to be complied with.
(4) Relief should be granted
to women for their protection, but not to enable them the more readily
to impose upon others.
111. Gaius, On the Provincial
Edict, Book II.
A minor who is near the age
of puberty is capable of theft and the commission of injury.
(1) Penal actions growing out
of breaches of the law do not pass against the heir, as, for instance,
those of theft, wrongful damage, robbery with violence, and injury.
112. Paulus, On the Edict,
Book VIII.
It makes no difference, so far
as the result is concerned, whether anyone is not entitled to an action
under the law, or whether he may be barred by an exception.
113. Gaius, On the Provincial
Edict, Book III.
A part is included in the whole.
114. Paulus, On the Edict,
Book IX.
When words are ambiguous, their
most probable or ordinary signification should be adopted.
115. The Same, On the Edict,
Book X.
Where anyone is released from
an obligation, his creditor is presumed to have received his money.
(1) He cannot be considered
to have obtained anything who, having made a stipulation, can be barred
by an exception.
116. Ulpianus, On the Edict,
Book XI.
Nothing is so opposed to consent,
which is the basis of bona fide contracts, as force and fear;
and to approve anything of this kind is contrary to good morals.
(1) He is not taken advantage
of who conforms to the public law.
(2) Those who make mistakes
are not considered to consent.
117. Paulus, On the Edict,
Book XI.
The Praetor considers the possessor
of an estate under the Edict as taking the place of the heir in every
respect.
118. Ulpianus, On the Edict,
Book XII.
Anyone who is in servitude cannot
acquire property by usucaption; for even when he has possession, he
is not considered to hold it legally.
119. The Same, On the Edict,
Book XIII.
He does not alienate who merely
fails to obtain possession.
120. Paulus, On the Edict,
Book XII.
No one can leave to his heir
any rights which he himself does not possess.
121. The Same, On the Edict,
Book XIII.
He who does not do what he should
is considered to have violated his duty; and he who does what he ought
not to do is understood not to do what was enjoined upon him.
122. Gaius, On the Provincial
Edict, Book V.
Liberty is favored above all
things.
123. Ulpianus, On the Edict,
Book XIV.
No one can legally bring suit
in the name of another.
(1) A temporary change does
not injuriously affect the rights of a province.
124. Paulus, On the Edict,
Book XVI.
In transactions where not speech,
but the presence of the party is required, a dumb person who has intelligence
can be considered to answer. The same rule applies to one who is deaf,
for he also can answer.
(1) Pomponius, in the First
Book says: "An insane person occupies the same position as one
who is absent."
125. Gaius, On the Provincial
Edict, Book V.
Defendants are regarded with
greater favor than plaintiffs.
126. Ulpianus, On the Edict,
Book XV.
No one is a depredator who pays
the price of what he obtains.
(1) He who acquires a freedman
does not become any more wealthy on this account.
(2) When a question arises with
reference to the claims of two persons, the position of the possessor
is preferable.
127. Paulus, On the Edict,
Book XX.
When the Praetor grants an action
against an heir for the amount by which he has profited, it is sufficient
if the computation be made from the time when the property obtained
by the fraud of the deceased came into his hands.
128. The Same, On the Edict,
Book XIX.
When two persons hold property
by the same title, the possessor has the advantage.
(1) Those who succeed to the
entire rights of anyone are considered to occupy the place of his
heirs.
129. The Same, On the Edict,
Book XXI.
A creditor is not guilty of
fraud who receives that to which he is entitled.
(1) When the principal thing
ceases to exist, its accessories also disappear.
130. Ulpianus, On the Edict,
Book XVIII.
Actions, and especially penal
ones, which have reference to the same subject, never abrogate one
another.
131. Paulus, On the Edict,
Book XXII.
Anyone who fraudulently relinquishes
possession has judgment rendered against him as the possessor, because
his fraud renders him liable as possessor.
132. Gaius, On the Provincial
Edict, Book VII.
Ignorance is classed as negligence.
133. The Same, On the Provincial
Edict, Book VIII.
Our condition can be improved
by our slaves, but it cannot be rendered worse.
134. Ulpianus, On the Edict,
Book XXI.
Creditors are not defrauded
when nothing is acquired by their debtor, but only when his property
is diminished.
(1) No one can improve his condition
by means of a crime.
135. The Same, On the Edict,
Book XXIII.
Property cannot be delivered
which either does not exist or which is not considered as included
in the contract.
136. Paulus, On the Edict,
Book XVIII.
Good faith concedes as much
to a possessor as he is really entitled to, whenever the law does
not prevent this from being done.
137. Ulpianus, On the Edict,
Book XXV.
He who obtains anything by the
authority of a court is a bona fide possessor.
138. Paulus, On the Edict,
Book XXVII.
Every estate, even though subsequently
entered upon, is considered to have been accepted at the time of the
death of the deceased.
(1) The gravity of an offence
never increases on account of the time which has elapsed since it
was committed.
139. Gaius, On the Edict
of the Urban Praetor.
All rights of action which are
extinguished by death or by lapse of time continue to exist when they
have once been brought into court.
(1) Nothing is considered to
absolutely belong to anyone of which he can be deprived by some event.
140. Ulpianus, On the Edict,
Book LVI.
The absence of him who is away
on business for the State should not prejudice him, or anyone else.
141. Paulus, On the Edict,
Book LIV.
Anything which is established
against a rule of law should not become a precedent.
(1) Two heirs of the same person
cannot each become the heir to his entire estate.
142. The Same, On the Edict,
Book LVI.
He who is silent does not always
confess, still, it is true that he does not deny.
143. Ulpianus, On the Edict,
Book LXII.
Anything which will bar persons
who have entered into a contract will also bar their successors.
144. Paulus, On the Edict,
Book LXII.
Everything which is permissible
is not always honorable.
(1) In stipulations, the time
when we contracted should be considered.
145. Ulpianus, On the Edict,
Book LXVI.
No one is considered to defraud
those who are aware of the facts, and give their consent.
146. Paulus, On the Edict,
Book LXII.
Whatever anyone did while a
slave cannot benefit him after he becomes free.
147. Gaius, On the Provincial
Edict, Book XXIV.
Special matters are always included
in general ones.
148. Paulus, On the Short
Edict, Book XVI.
When the effect of anything
benefits all the parties in interest, each of them should also bear
his share of the expense.
149. Ulpianus, On the Edict,
Book LXVII.
Anyone who profits by the acts
of another should guarantee them.
150. The Same, On the Edict,
Book LXVIII.
The legal position of him who
has committed fraud in order to obtain possession of, or to hold property,
and that of him who has committed it to avoid having possession of
or holding property, is necessarily the same.
151. Paulus, On the Edict,
Book LXIV.
No one commits a wrong against
another unless he does something which he has no right to do.
152. Ulpianus, On the Edict,
Book LXIX.
It is our practice to prosecute
as a crime everything which is accomplished by either public or private
violence.
(1) He who directs a person
to be deprived of possession deprives him of it.
(2) The ratification of the
commission of an offence resembles an order to commit it.
(3) In contracts involving fraud
or good faith, the heir is liable in full.
153. Paulus, On the Edict,
Book LXV.
We become liable in the same
way as, on the other hand, we are released from contracts; for as
we acquire property by certain methods, we also lose it by the same
means. Therefore, as possession cannot be obtained except by intention
and corporeal exertion, so,none can be lost, unless both these things
exist.
154. Ulpianus, On the Edict,
Book LXX.
When the parties to a suit are
guilty of the same crime, the plaintiff labors under a disadvantage,
and the position of the possessor is preferable; as is the case when
an exception is filed on account of the fraud of the plaintiff, and
a reply is not granted to the latter, even if the defendant committed
fraud in the same transaction.
(1) He who himself is not guilty
should be permitted to collect a penalty from the other party.
155. Paulus, On the Edict,
Book LXV.
A person is responsible for
his own act, and it should not prejudice his adversary.
(1) He is not considered to
employ violence who avails himself of his own right, and brings an
ordinary action at law.
(2) In penal cases, the most
benevolent construction should be adopted.
156. Ulpianus, On the Edict,
Book LXX.
No one can be compelled to defend
another against his will.
(1) Anyone can say that the
party to whom we grant actions has much more reason to plead an exception.
(2) When one person succeeds
another, it is not just that whatever might have prejudiced the individual
whom he succeeded should not also prejudice him.
(3) Generally speaking, a purchaser
should have the same right to bring an action, or defend it, that
the vendor has.
(4) What is granted to anyone
for his own benefit is not bestowed upon him if he refuses to accept
it.
157. The Same, On the Edict,
Book LXXI.
Where a crime or an offence
is not classed as atrocious, it will be pardoned in those who commit
it, if, as slaves, they have obeyed their masters; or where the offenders
have obeyed those who take the place of masters, as, for instance,
guardians and curators.
(1) Anyone who commits a fraud
for the purpose of relinquishing possession is considered to still
retain possession.
(2) In contracts, the successors
of those who have been guilty of fraud are not only liable for any
profits which they may obtain, but also for the entire amount; that
is to say, each one will be liable for his share as heir.
158. Gaius, On the Provincial
Edict, Book XXVI.
A creditor who permits property
which has been pledged to be sold loses his lien.
159. Paulus, On the Edict,
Book VII.
We may be entitled to property
by virtue of different obligations, but it cannot belong to us by
different titles.
160. Ulpianus, On the Edict,
Book LXXVI.
It is one thing to sell, and
another to consent for the vendor to sell.
(1) Anything which is done publicly
by a majority is considered to have been done by all the parties interested.
(2) It is absurd that a person
to whom a tract of land has been devised should have a better title
to the same than the heir, or the testator himself if he were living.
161. The Same, On the Edict,
Book LXXVII.
It was a rule adopted by the
Civil Law that whenever a party in interest prevents a condition from
being complied with, it is considered the same as if it had been fulfilled.
This applies to grants of freedom, legacies, and the appointment of
heirs; and, under this rule, stipulations also become operative, when,
through the act of the promisor, the stipulator is prevented from
complying with the condition.
162. Paulus, On the Edict,
Book LXX.
Any act performed through necessity
should not be cited as a precedent.
163. Ulpianus, On the Edict,
Book LV.
When a person has a right to
give anything, he also has the right to sell and alienate it.
164. Paulus, On the Edict,
Book LI.
Suits which involve a penalty,
and have once been brought, can be transmitted against heirs.
165. Ulpianus, On the Edict,
Book LIII.
He who can alienate property
can also consent to its alienation. But where the right to donate
it is not granted to a person, the rule should be adopted that his
wishes must not be considered, even if he consents to its donation
by another.
166. Paulus, On the Edict,
Book XLVIII.
He who defends the case of another
is never considered solvent.
167. The Same, On the Edict,
Book XLIX.
Anything which, at the time
it was given, does not become the property of him who receives it
is not considered to have been given at all.
(1) A party who does something
by order of a judge is not considered to have committed fraud, because
he was obliged to obey.
168. The Same, On Plautius,
Book I.
That course should be pursued
which affords the prospect of the most equitable settlement.
(1) Any question which is doubtful
ought to be interpreted according to the intention of the parties
in interest.
169. The Same, On Plautius,
Book II.
He commits a wrong who orders
it to be committed. He, however, is not to blame who is compelled
to obey.
(1) Anything which is in suspense
is not considered to exist.
170. The Same, On Plautius,
Book III.
Any act of a magistrate which
has no reference to his judicial duties is void.
171. The Same, On Plautius,
Book IV.
No one is liable for a debt
on the ground that he can collect from another what he has paid for
him.
172. The Same, On Plautius,
Book V.
In a contract of sale, any sentence
of doubtful signification is interpreted against the vendor.
(1) A claim which is ambiguous
should be construed in such a way as to be favorable to the plaintiff.
173. The Same, On Plautius,
Book VI.
When judgment is rendered against
anyone to the extent of his means, everything which he had should
not be extorted from him; but the rule of law should be observed which
does not permit him to be reduced to poverty.
(1) When the expression, "You
shall make restitution," is found in a law, the profits must
also be restored, even if this is not specially provided
for.
(2) Everyone is prejudiced by
his own delay in making payment, which rule is observed where two
debtors are jointly liable.
(3) He is guilty of fraud who
demands something which he is obliged to return.
174. The Same, On Plautius,
Book VIII.
He can act who already appears
able to comply with the condition.
(1) Anything which a person
cannot have, even if he wishes it, he cannot reject.
175. The Same, On Plautius,
Book XI.
A slave cannot perform any duty
which the laws require to be performed by persons who are free.
(1) I should not be in any better
condition than the person from whom I derive my rights.
176. The Same, On Plautius,
Book XIII.
No one is granted the privilege
of doing for himself what can be publicly done through a magistrate;
and this is prescribed in order to avoid opportunities for promoting
disorder.
(1) The value of freedom and
relationship is boundless.
177. The Same, On Plautius,
Book XIV.
He who succeeds to the privileges
or ownership of another should avail himself of his legal rights of
his predecessor.
(1) No one should be accused
of fraud who is ignorant of the reason why he should not bring an
action.
178. The Same, On Plautius,
Book XV.
When the principal thing is
no longer in existence, its accessories, generally speaking, also
cease to exist.
179. The Same, On Plautius,
Book XVI.
When the intention of a person
granting manumission is obscure, a decision should be rendered in
favor of freedom.
180. The Same, On Plautius,
Book XVII.
Anything which is paid by the
order of a creditor is the same as if it had been paid to the latter
himself.
181. The Same, On Vitellius,
Book I.
If no one accepts an estate,
the force of the will is entirely destroyed.
182. The Same, On Vitellius,
Book III.
When the title to property cannot
vest in anyone, no obligation can cause it to do so.
183. Marcellus, Digest, Book
XIII.
Although the formalities required
by law are not easily changed, still relief should be granted where
equity clearly demands it.
184. Celsus, Digest, Book
VII.
The excuse of an empty fear
is not a legal one.
185. The Same, Digest, Book
VIII.
No obligation is binding which
is impossible.
186. The Same, Digest, Book
XII.
Nothing can be demanded before
the time when it can be delivered, according to the natural course
of things; and when the date of payment is inserted into an obligation,
it cannot be collected unless the time has elapsed.
187. The Same, Digest, Book
XVI.
Where anyone leaves his wife
pregnant, he is not considered to have died without children.
188. The Same, Digest, Book
XVII.
Where two contradictory things
are ordered in a will, neither of them will be valid.
(1) Whatever is prohibited by
the nature of things cannot be confirmed by any law.
189. The Same, Digest, Book
XIII.
A minor is not presumed to give
his consent, or to refuse it, on account of his age; for the authority
of his guardian is necessary in any matter requiring knowledge or
judgment.
190. The Same, Digest, Book
XXIV.
Anything which is evicted is
not included in property.
191. The Same, Digest, Book
XXXIII.
Neratius, having been consulted
as to whether a privilege granted by the Emperor to a person whom
he believed to be living, but who in fact was already dead, should
be considered to take effect, answered that it did not seem to him
that the Emperor would have bestowed it if he had known that the grantee
was dead, but still that it should be ascertained from him himself,
to what extent he intended the privilege to be applicable.
192. Marcellus, Digest, Book
XXIX.
Property which cannot be divided
will be due in its entirety from the heirs, as individuals.
(1) In matters which are ambiguous,
it is not less just than safe to adopt the more benevolent interpretation.
193. Celsus, Digest, Book
XXXVIII.
Almost all the rights of heirs
are considered to be the same as if they had become such immediately
after the death of the testator.
194. Modestinus, Differences,
Book VI.
Those who become heirs through
a distant degree of relationship to the deceased are considered to
be none the less heirs than if they had been of the first degree.
195. The Same, Differences,
Book VII.
Things clearly stated are prejudicial;
others are not.
196. The Same, Rules, Book
VIII.
Some privileges are real, and
some are personal. The former are transmitted to the heir: those which
are personal do not pass to him.
197. The Same, On the Rite
of Marriage.
In matrimonial unions, not only
what is lawful but also what is honorable should be considered.
198. Javolenus, On Cassius,
Book XIII.
Fraud committed by a guardian,
whether he is solvent or not, should not prejudice the rights of his
ward in an interdict, or in any other legal proceeding.
199. The Same, Epistles,
Book VI.
He cannot be considered to be
free from fraud who refuses to obey the order of a magistrate.
200. The Same, Epistles,
Book VII.
Whenever a decision cannot be
rendered without causing injury, that course should be adopted which
is productive of the least injustice.
201. The Same, Epistles,
Book X.
Every provision contained in
a will is not considered to have any effect, unless it was valid at
the time it was made.
202. The Same, Epistles,
Book XI.
Every definition in the Civil
Law is subject to modification, for a slight discrepancy may render
it inapplicable.
203. Pomponius, On Quintus
Mucius, Book VIII.
He who sustains any damage through
his own fault is not considered to have been injured.
204. The Same, On Quintus
Mucius, Book XXVIII.
It is less advantageous to have
a right of action than to have the property which is the subject of
it.
205. The Same, On Quintus
Mucius, Book XXXIX.
It frequently happens that property
of which we can, under certain circumstances, be deprived, is in such
a condition as to be incapable of being taken from us. Hence, if we
have become liable to the Treasury by encumbering a tract of land,
we can sometimes bring an action to recover it, alienate it, and impose
a servitude upon it.
206. The Same, On Various
Passages, Book IX.
It is but just, and in accordance
with the Law of Nations that no one, by the commission of an injury,
can be enriched at the expense of another.
207. Ulpianus, On the Lex
Julia et Papia, Book I.
Where a matter has been decided,
it is considered as true.
208. Paulus, On the Lex Julia
et Papia, Book XIII.
No one can be considered to
have lost something which he never had.
209. Ulpianus, On the Lex
Julia et Papia, Book IV.
We, to a certain extent, compare
slavery with death.
210. Licinius Rufinus, Rules,
Book II.
When the appointment of an heir
is void from the beginning it cannot be rendered valid by lapse of
time.
211. Paulus, On the Edict,
Book LXIX.
A slave cannot be absent on
business for the State.