datur, et actiones hæreditariæ ei et in eum transferuntur, qui recipit hæreditatem; utroque senatus-consulto in hac specie concurrente. then restore it; and that afterwards all actions should be brought by or against the fidei-commissary only; as ordained by the Trebellian decree. And in this case stipulations are not necessary; for the heir, who restores the inheritance, is secured, and all hereditary actions are transferred to and against him, by whom it is received; there being, in this instance, a concurrence of both de crees. Pegasiani in Trebellianum transfusio. § VII. Sed, quia stipulationes ex senatus-consulto Pegasiano descendentes et ipsa antiquitati displicuerunt, et quibusdam casibus captiosas eas homo excelsi ingenii Papinianus appellat, et nobis in legibus magis simplicitas, quam difficultas, placet, ideò omnibus nobis suggestis tam similitudinibus, quam differentiis utriusque senatus-consulti, placuit, exploso senatus-consulto Pegasiano, quod postea supervenit, omnem auctoritatem Trebelliano senatus-consulto præstare, ut ex eo fidei-commissariæ hæreditates restituantur; sivè habeat hæres ex voluntate testatoris quartam, sivè plus, sivè minus, sivè nihil penitùs ut tunc, quando vel nihil, vel minùs quartâ, apud eum remanet, liceat ei vel quartam, vel quod ei deest, ex nostra auctoritate retinere, vel repetere solutum, quasi ex Trebelliano senatus-consulto pro ratà portione actionibus tam in hæredem, quam in fidei-commissarium, competentibus. Si verò totam hæ § 7. But, as the stipulations, which arose from the Pegasian decree, were displeasing even to the ancients, insomuch that Papinian, a man of sublime genius, considers them, in some cases, as captious; and, as we prefer simplicity to complexity in matters of law, it hath therefore pleased us, upon comparing the agreement and disagreement of each decree, to abrogate the Pegasian, which was subsequent to the Trebellian, and to transfer a greater authority to the Trebellian decree, by which all trust inheritances shall be restored for the future, whether the testator hath given by his will a fourth part of his estate to his written heir, or more, or less, or even nothing ; so that, when nothing is given to the heir, or less than a fourth part, he may be permitted to retain a fourth, or as much as will complete the deficiency, by virtue of our authority: or to demand repayment of what he hath expended; all actions being divided between the heir and reditatem sponte restituerit, omnes the fidei-commissary in a just prohæredicariæ actiones fidei-commissario, et adversus eum, competant. Sed etiam id, quod præcipuum Pegasiani senatus-consulti fuerat, ut, quandò recusaret hæres scriptus sibi datam hæreditatem adire, necessitas ei imponeretur totam hæreditatem volenti fidei-commissario restituere, et omnes ad eum, et contra eum, transferre actiones; et hoc transposuimus ad senatus-consultum Trebellianum, ut ex hoc solo necessitas hæredi imponatur, si, ipso nolente adire, fidei-commissarius desideret restitui sibi hæreditatem, nullo nec damno nec commodo apud hæredem remanente. portion according to the Trebellian decree. But, should the heir spontaneously restore the whole inheritance, all actions must be brought either by or against the fidei-commissary. And, whereas it was the principal effect of the Pegasian decree, that, when a written heir had refused to accept an inheritance, he might be constrained to take it, and restore it, at the instance of the fideicommissary, to whom, and against whom, all actions passed, we have transferred that power to the Trebellian decree; which is now the only law, compelling a fiduciary heir to enter upon the inheritance, when the fidei-commissary is desirous that it should be restored; and the heir, in this case, can neither receive profit, or suffer loss. De quibus hæredibus, et in quibus fidei-commissariis, supra dic ta locum § VIII. Nihil autèm interest, utrum aliquis, ex asse hæres institutus, aut totam hæreditatem aut pro parte restituere rogatur ; an, ex parte hæres institutus, aut totam eam partem, aut partem partis, restituere rogatur. Nam et hoc casu eadem observari præcipimus, quæ in totius hæreditatis restitutione diximus. De eo, quod hæres voluntate § IX. Si quis, unâ aliquâ re deductâ sive præceptâ, quæ quartam continent, (veluti fundo vel aliâ re,) rogatus sit restituere hæreditatem, habeant. § 8. But it makes no difference, whether an heir, who is instituted to the whole inheritance, be requested (by the testator) to restore the whole or a part only, or whether being nominated but to a part, be requested to restore that entire part, or only a portion of it; for we have ordained, that the same rule shall be observed, as in case of restitution of the whole. testatoris deducit, præcipitvè. 9. If an heir be requested by a testator to give up an inheritance, after deducting some specific thing, amounting to a fourth, as a piece of simili modo ex Trebelliano senatusconsulto restitutio fiet, perindè ac si, quartâ parte retentà, rogatus esset reliquam hæreditatem restituere. Sed illud interest, quod altero casu, id est, cum deductâ sivè præceptâ aliquâ re restituitur hæreditas, in solidum ex eo senatus-consulto actiones transferuntur, et res, quæ remanet apud hæredem, sine ullo onere hæreditario apud eum remanet, quasi ex legato ei acquisita; altero vero casu, cum quartâ partè retentâ rogatus est hæres restituere hæreditatem, et restituit, scinduntur actiones; et pro dodrante quidem transferuntur ad fidei-commissarium, pro quadrante remanent apud hæredem. Quinetiam licet unâ aliquâ re deductâ aut præceptà, restituere aliquis hæreditatem rogatus sit, in quâ maxima pars hæreditatis contineatur, æquè in solidum transferuntur actiones: et secum deliberare debet is cui restituitur hæreditas, an expediat sibi restitui. Eadem scilicèt interveniunt, et si duabus pluribusve rebus deductis præceptisve, restituere hæreditatem rogatus sit. Sed et, si certâ summâ deductâ præceptâve, quæ quartam vel etiam maximam partem hæreditatis continet, rogatus sit aliquis hæreditatem restituere, idem juris est. Quæ autem diximus de eo, qui ex asse institutus est, eadem transferimus ground, &c. he may be compelled to give it up by the Trebellian decree, in the same manner, as if he had been requested to restore the remainder of an inheritance, after reserving a fourth. But there is this difference, that, when an heir is requested to give up an inheritance, after deducting a particular thing, then all actions are transferred to the fidei-commissary, and what remains with the heir is free of incumbrance, as if acquired by legacy; but when an heir is requested in general terms to give up an inheritance, after retaining tance, after retaining a fourth to himself, all actions are proportionbly divided; those, which regard the three fourths of the estate, 'being transferred to the fidei-commissary; and those, which regard the single fourth, remaining for the benefit of the heir. And, even if an heir be requested to give up an inheritance, after making a deduction of some particular thing, which amounts to the value of the greatest part of it, all actions, both active and passive, are nevertheless transferred to the fideicommissary, who ought always, therefore, to consider, whether it will be expedient or not, that the inheritance should be given up to him. So the law is, whether an heir be requested to give up an inheritance after a deduction of two, or more, spe et ad eum, qui ex parte hæres scrip- cific things, or of a certain sum of tus est. money, which exceeds in value the greatest part of the inheritance. Thus what we have said of an heir, who is instituted to the whole of an inheritance, holds equally of him, wha is instituted only to a part. De fidei-commissis ab intestato relictis. 6 X. Præterea intestatus quoque moriturus potest rogare eum, ad quem bona sua vel legitimo jure vel honorario pertinere intelligit, ut hæreditatem suam totam, partemve ejus, aut rem aliquam, veluti fundum, hominem, pecuniam, alicui restituat; cum álioqui, legata nisi ex testamento non valeant. § 10. Moreover, a man about to die intestate, may request the person, whom he thinks will succeed him, either by the civil or prætorian law, to give up the whole inheritance, or a part of it, or any particular thing, as a piece of ground, a slave, a sum of money, &c. (But this regards trusts only;) for legacies are invalid, unless bequeathed by testament. De fidei-commisso relicto a fidei-commissario. XI. Eum quoque, cui aliquid restituitur, potest rogare, ut id rursus alii, aut totum, aut partem, vel etiam aliquid, aliud restituat. 11. A fidei-commissary may also himself be requested to give up to another, either the whole, or a part, of what he receives; or some other thing in lieu of it. De probatione fidei-commissi. § XII. Et, quia prima fidei-commissorum cunabula à fide horedum pendent, et tam nomen, quam substantiam, acceperunt, ideò D. Augustus ad necessitatem juris ea retraxit. Nuper et nos, eundem principem superare contendentes, ex facto, quod Tribonianus, vir excellentissimus, quæstor sacri palatii, suggessit, constitutionem fecimus, per quam disposuimus, si testator fidei hæredis sui commisit, ut vel hæreditatem vel speciale fidei-com " § 12. All fiduciary bequests depended formerly upon the sole faith of the heir; whence they took as well their name as their essence. The emperor Augustus was the first, who brought them under judicial cognisance. But we have since endeavoured to exceed that prince; and, at the instance of that most excellent man Tribonian, the questor of our palace, we have enacted, that, if a testator hath trusted to the faith of his heir for the surrender of an in missum restituat; et neque ex scriptura, neque ex quinque testium numero, qui in fidei-commissis legitimus esse noscitur, possit res manifestari, sed vel pauciores, vel nemo penitùs testis intervenerit; tunc, sivè pater hæredis, sivè alius quicunque sit, qui fidem hæredis elegerit, et ab eo restitui aliquid voluerit, si hæres perfidia tentus adimplere fidem recusat, negando rem ita esse subsecutam ; si fidei-commissarius ei jusjurandum detulerit, cum prius ipse de calumniâ juraverit, necesse eum habere, vel jusjurandum subire, quod nihil tale à testatore audiverit, vel recusantem ad fideicommissi vel universalis vel specialis solutionem coarctari; ne depereat ultima voluntas testatoris fidei hæredis commissa. Eadem observari censuimus, etsi a legatario vel fidei-commissario aliquid similitèr relictum sit. Quod si is, à, quo relictum dicitur, [postquam negaverit,] confiteatur quidem, aliquid à se relictum esse, sed ad legis subtilitatem recurrat, omninò solvere cogendus est. heritance, or any particular thing, and this trust cannot be made manifest by the depositions of five witnesses, (which is known to be the legal number in such cases,) there having been not so many, or perhaps no witnesses present, the heir at the same time perfidiously refusing to make any payment, and denying the whole transaction, then the fideicommissary, having previously taken the oath of calumny, may put the heir, although he be the son of the testator, to his oath; and thus force him either to deny the trust upon oath, or comply with it, whether the trust be universal or particular; and this is allowed, lest the last will of a testator, committed to the faith of an heir, should be defeated. And we have granted the same remedy against a legatee, or even a fidei-commissary, to whom any thing hath been thus bequeathed. And, if he, to whom something hath been so left, should confess the trust, after having denied it, but endeavour at the same time to shelter himself under subtility of the law, he may nevertheless.. be compelled to perform his duty. |