BOOK III. a § 78. Sc. hereditatis petitionem. computari oportere.-1. 1, § 2, D. de I. F. 49, 14.1 Iul. Quotiens lege Iulia bona vacantia ad fiscum pertinent, et legata et fideicommissa praestantur, quae praestare cogeretur heres, a quo relicta erant.-I. 96, § 1, D. de leg. 1 (30).2 An bona, quae solvendo non sint, ipso iure ad fiscum pertineant, quaesitum est. Labeo scribit ea quae solvendo non sint, ipso iure ad fiscum pertinere; sed contra sententiam eius edictum perpetuum scriptum est, quod ita bona veneant si ex his fisco adquiri nihil possit.-1. 1, § 1, D. de I. F.3 By the sale of the heritage in the mass," the title of the Treasury passes to the purchaser. 1 Iul. Ei, qui partes hereditarias vel totam a fisco mercatus fuerit, non est iniquum dari actionem, per quam universa bona persequatur. -D. 5, 3, 54 pr.* Ulp.: Item si quis a fisco hereditatem quasi vacantem emerit, aequissimum erit utilem actionem adversus eum dari.—1. 13, § 9 eod. b By a rescript of the late Emp. Pius, notice of a void inheritance terminates after four years, and that time must be reckoned from the day when it is first certain that neither an heir nor a bonorum possessor is forthcoming. 2 Whenever void goods by the 1. Iulia devolve upon the Treasury, both legacies and bequests in trust are paid which the heir, upon whom they were charged, would have had to pay. The question was mooted whether an insolvent estate devolves ipso iure upon the Treasury. Lab. writes, that an insolvent estate does devolve upon the Treasury, but the perpetual Edict has decided against his view; according to which the estate is sold in case nothing is to be acquired from it for the Treasury. 4 To a person who has purchased parts of a heritage from the Treasury it is not unreasonable that an action should be given by which he may pursue the whole estate. Likewise if a man has purchased from the Treasury a heritage as if void, it will be quite fair that an analogous action should be given against him. If the Treasury will not accept the heritage, bankruptcy proceedings are taken (sale by the creditors of the inheritance). Gai. iii. § 78: Mortuorum bona veneunt velut eorum, quibus certum est neque heredes neque bonorum possessores neque ullum alium iustum successorem existere." 1 According to a Constitution of Marcus Aurelius, the Treasury is excluded in respect of property left without an heir by the bonorum addictio libertatum servandarum causa,' which is given under certain conditions to slaves enfranchised in the testament, or by an intestate codicil. Inst. iii. II pr.: Accessit novus casus successionis ex constitutione D. Marci. Nam si hi, qui libertatem acceperunt a domino in testamento, ex quo non aditur hereditas, velint bona sibi addici libertatum conservandarum causa, audiuntur: et ita rescripto D. Marci at Popilium Rufum continetur. Ulp. (Constitutio D. Marci) iubet libertatem competere servo et bona ei addici, si idonee creditoribus caverit de solido, quod cuique debetur, solvendo ;-in quem etiam utiles actiones plerumque creditoribus competunt.-D. 40, 5, 11. 2 and 3.3 1 The goods of deceased persons are sold, for instance, of those to whom it is certain that there are no heirs forthcoming, or possessors of the property, or any other lawful successor. BOOK III. a Cf. § 204. A new case of succession was introduced by a constitution of the late Emp. Marcus. For if those who have received a grant of liberty from their master, in a testament under which no entry is made upon the inheritance, desire that the property should be assigned to them for the purpose of maintaining their liberty, their claim is heard. And this is contained in the rescript of the late Emp. Marcus to Pop. Ruf. 3 (A constitution of the late Emp. Marcus) directs that liberty belongs to a slave, and the goods must be adjudged to him, if he has given the creditors ample security for the payment of a Part III. CHAPTER IV. BEQUESTS AND MORTIS CAUSA DONATIONES. $178. NATURE AND OBJECT OF BEQUESTS. BOOK III. BEQUEST (legatum in the wider sense) is in general the appropriation by last will of a single portion of property to a third person, diminishing the heritage in its character as the object of universal succession, whether direct or indirect, i.e., according to its value. The taker of the bequest (legatee) is called 'honoratus'; he that has to discharge it, the oneratus.' The validity of a bequest is conditioned by the commencement of universal succession." ❝ § 153, ad init.; D. 26, 2, Flor. Legatum est delibatio hereditatis, qua testator ex eo, quod universum heredis foret, alicui quid collatum velit.-1. 116 pr., D. de leg. I.' Mod. Legatum est donatio testamento relicta. -1. 36 eod. II.; cf. Inst. ii. 20, 1.62 The general requisites of a bequest are the following (1) The honoratus must possess testamenti factio. Legari autem illis solis potest, cum quibus testamenti factio est. § 24, I. h. t. (de legat. 2, 20).3 (2) He must be a certa persona. Ulp. xxiv. 18: Incertae personae legari non potest, veluti: Quicumque filio meo filiam suam what is owing to each. Against him also the creditors have generally command of analogous actions. 1 A bequest is a deduction from the inheritance by which the testator desires to appropriate something to any person from the whole that would belong to the heir. A bequest is a gift left by testament. Now a bequest can be made alone to those with whom there is testamenti factio. in matrimonium collocaverit, ei heres meus tot (3) By ante-Justinianean Law, the bequest cannot merely take the form of a penalty imposed upon the oneratus (poenae nomine relictum). Ib. 17: Poenae causa legari non potest; poenae autem causa legatur, quod coercendi heredis causa relinquitur, ut faciat quid aut non faciat, non ut ad legatarium pertineat, ut puta hoc modo: Si filiam tuam in matrimonium Titio collocaveris, decem milia Seio dato.' At huiusmodi scrupulositas nobis non placuit, et generaliter ea quae relinquuntur, licet poenae nomine fuerint relicta vel adempta vel in alios translata, nihil distare a ceteris legatis constituimus.- 36, I. h. t.3 In general, everything that confers any proprietary advantage upon the beneficiary can be the object of the bequest. And so, both corporeal things-whether single (determined individually or generically, especially money), or collective wholes, e.g., grex, suppellex, or 1 A bequest cannot be left to an uncertain person; for example, thus: 'Whosoever shall have given his daughter in marriage to my son, let my heir give him so many thousand sesterces.' A bequest can, however, be made to an uncertain person under a definite description; for example, thus: Let my heir give such and such a thing to him of my present kinsmen who shall first come to my funeral.' A bequest cannot be made by way of penalty; and a bequest is by way of penalty when something is left for the purpose of obliging the heir to do or forbear from doing any act, and not with the view of its belonging to the legatee; as for example, iu this way: 'If you give your daughter in marriage to Titius, give Seius 10,000 sesterces.' 3 But we have not approved of exactitude of this kind, and have settled in general terms that whatever is left, although left, revoked, or transferred to different persons by way of penalty, shall not differ from other bequests. BOOK III. Part III. BOOK III. totalities of property, e.g., peculium, or further, performances solitary or repeated (rents, alimony)—and rights (iura in re aliena," and claims). Claims can in different ways form the object of a bequest: legatum C. 6. 37. 18. nominis, legatum liberationis, legatum debiti. a § 96. Paul. iii. 6, § 17: Ususfructus uniuscuiusque rei legari potest, et aut ipso iure constituetur aut per heredem praestabitur: ex causa damnationis per heredem praestabitur, ipso iure per vindicationem.c1 Tam autem corporales res quam incorporales legari possunt; et ideo et quod defuncto debetur, potest alicui legari, ut actiones suas heres legatario praestet, nisi exegerit vivus testator pecuniam: nam hoc casu legatum extinguitur. Sed et tale legatum valet: Damnas esto heres domum illius reficere,' vel illum aere alieno liberare.'-§ 21, I. h. t.2 Si quis debitori suo liberationem legaverit, legatum utile est et neque ab ipso debitore neque ab herede eius potest heres petere, nec ab alio qui heredis loco est: sed et potest a debitore conveniri, ut liberet eum. Potest autem quis vel ad tempus iubere, ne heres petat.-Ex contrario si debitor creditori suo quod debet legaverit, inutile est legatum, si nihil plus est in legato quam in debito, quia nihil amplius habet per legatum quodsi in diem vel sub condicione 1 The usufruct can be bequeathed of anything whatsoever, and will either be determined by operation of law, or will be made over by the heir: it will be made over by the heir on the ground of damnatio, and by operation of law through rindicatio.a Now a bequest can be made of both corporeal and incorporeal things; and therefore even that which is due to the deceased may be bequeathed to a person, so that the heir make over to the legatee his rights of action, unless the testator has got in the money during his lifetime; for in this case the legacy lapses. But a legacy of the following kind also holds good: Let my heir be bound to repair the house of so and so,' or 'to release so and so from his debts.' t |