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ta sint legata, aut quæ partem ejus duntaxat in partem diminuant, an, quia is quartam partem totius hæreditatis, aut amplius habet, Titio nihil ex legatis, quæ ab eo relicta sunt, retinere liceat, ut quartam partem suæ partis salvam habeat? placuit posse retinere. Etenim in singulis hæredibus, ratio legis Falcidiæ ponenda est.

been queried, whether, although Seius hath a fourth or more of the whole inheritance, it may not be lawful nevertheless for TITIUS to make a stoppage out of the legacies, with which he is charged, so as to retain a fourth part out of his own moiety? and it hath been determined, that he may : for the reason of the law Falcidia extends to each heir..

Quo tempore spectatur quantitas patrimonii, ad quam, ratio legis Falcidiæ redigitur.

§ II. Quantitas autem patrimonii, ad quam ratio legis Falcidia redigitur, mortis tempore spectatur. Itaque, (verbi gratiá) si is, qui centum aureorum patrimonium in bonis habeat, centum aureos legaverit, nihil legatariis prodest, si ante aditam hæreditatem per servos hæreditarios, aut ex partu ancillarum hæreditariarum, aut ex fœtu pecorum, tantum accesserit hæreditati, ut, centum aureis legatorum nomine erogatis, hæres quartam partem hæreditatis habiturus sit: sed necesse est, ut nihilominus quarta pars legatis detrahatur. Ex diverso, si septuaginta quinque legaverit, et ante aditam hæreditatem in tantum decreverint bona, (incendiis forte, aut naufragiis, aut morte servorum) ut non ampliùs quam septuaginta quinque aureorum substantia vel etiam minus relinquatur, solida legata debentur. Nec ea res damnosa est hæredi, cui liberum est on adire hæreditatem: quæ res efficit, ut sit necesse legatariis, ne destituto testamento nihil conse

§ 2. The law Falcidia looks to the quantity of the estate at the time of the death of the testator; and therefore, if he, who is worth but an hundred aurei at his decease, bequeath them all in legacies, the legatees must suffer a defalcation; for they will be entitled to no advantage, although the inheritance, after the death of the testator and before it is entered upon, should so increase by the acquisition of slaves, the children of female slaves, or the product of cattle, that, after a full payment of the 100 aurei in legacies, an intire fourth of the whole estate might remain to the heir; the legacies notwithstanding would still be liable to a deduction of one fourth. On the contrary, if the same testator hath bequeathed only 75 aurei, then, although before the entrance of the heir, the estate should so decrease by fire, shipwreck, or the loss of slaves, that its whole value should not be more than 75 aurei, or less, yet the legacies would still be due without defalcation: nor is this law prejudical to an heir, who

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quantur, cum hærede in portione is always at his election either to re

pacisci.

Quæ detrahuntur

§ III. Cum autem ratio legis Falcidiæ ponitur, antè deducitur æs alienum, item funeris impensa, et pretia servorum manumissorum : tunc demùm in reliquo ita ratio habetur, ut ex eo quarta pars apud heredam remaneat, tres vero partes inter legatarios distribuantur, pro ratâ scilicèt portione ejus, quod cuique eorum legatum fuerit. Itaque, si fingamus, quadringentos aureos legatos esse, et patrimonii quantitatem, ex quâ legata erogari oportet, quadringentorum esse, quarta pars singulis legatariis debet detrahi. Quod si trecentos quinquaginta legatos fingamus, octava debet detrahi. Quod si quingentos legaverit, initio quinta, deinde quarta, detrahi debet. Antè enim detrahendum est quod extra bonorum quantitatem est, deindè quod ex bonis apud hæredem remanere oportet.

fuse or accept an inheritance; but it obliges legatees to compromise with the heir, lest they should lose the whole for want of some one to act.

antè Falcidiam.

3. The Falcidian portion is not taken until the debts, funeral expenses, and the price of the manumission of slaves, have been deducted; and then the fourth part of the remainder appertains to the heir, and the other three parts are divided among the legatees in a ratable proportion: for example, let it be supposed, that 400 aurei have been bequeathed, and the estate, turns out to be worth no more, a fourth must be subtracted from each legacy; but, if the testator gave in legacies no more than 350 aurei, and there remained after debts paid 400, then an eighth only ought to be deducted. And, if 500 aurei have been bequeathed, und there remain clear in the hands of the heir but 400, a fifth must first be deducted, and then a fourth: but that, which exceeds the real value of the goods of the deceased, must first be subtracted, and then follows the deduction of what is due to the heir.

TITULUS VIGESIMUS-TERTIUS.

DE FIDEI-COMMISSARIIS HÆREDITATIBUS.

D. xxxvi. T. 1. C. vi. T. 42. et 49. Nov. 39. 108.

Continuatio.

NUNC transeamus ad fidei-commissa. Sed priùs est, ut de hæreditatibus fidei-commissariis videa

mus.

Let us now proceed to trusts; but first, we will treat of fiduciary inheritances.

Örigo fidei-commissorum.

§ 1. It must be observed, that anciently all trusts were weak and precarious; for no man could be com

§ I. Sciendum itaque est, omnia fidei-commissa primis temporibus infirma fuisse; quia nemo invitus cogebatur præstare id, de quo roga-pelled to perform what he was only

tus erat. Quibus enim non pote rant hæreditatem vel legata relinquere, si relinquebant, fidei committebant eorum, qui capere ex testamento poterant. Et ideò fideicommissa appellata sunt, quia nullo vinculo juris, sed tantùm pudore eorum, qui rogabantur, continebantur. Postea Divus Augustus primus, semèl iterùmque gratiâ personarum motus, vel quia per ipsius salutem rogatus quis diceretur, aut ob insignem quorundam perfidiam, jussit consulibus auctoritatem suam interponere: quod, quia justum videbatur et populare erat, paulatim conversum est in assiduam jurisdictionem; tantusque eorum favor factus est, ut paulatim etiam prætor proprius crearetur, qui de fidei-commissis jus diceret, quem fidei-commissarium appellabant.

requested to perform. But when testators were desirous of giving an inheritance or legacy to persons, to whom they could directly give neither, they then bequeathed in trust to some person capable of taking; and such bequests were called fiduciary, because the performance could not be enforced by law, but depended solely upon the honour of the trustee. The emperor Augustus, having been frequently moved with compassion on account of some persons, and detesting the perfidy of others, commanded the consuls to interpose their authority; and this, being a just and popular command, gave them by degrees a continued jurisdiction; and in process of time, trusts became so common, and were so highly favoured, that a prætor was purposely appointed to give judgment in these, cases, and was therefore called the commissary of trusts.

De fidei-commisso hæredis scripti.

II. In primis igitur sciendum est, opus esse, ut aliquis recto jure testamento hæres instituatur, ejusque fidei committatur, ut eam hæreditatem alii restituat: alioqui inutile est testamentum, in quo nemo hæres instituitur. Cum igitur aliquis scripserit, Lucius Titius hæres esto, potest adjicere, rogo te, Luci Titi, ut, cum primum poteris hæreditatem meam adire, eam Caio Seio reddas, restituas. Potest autem quisque et de parte restituendâ hæredem rogare; et liberum est vel purè, vel sub conditione, relinquere fidei-commissum, vel ex certo die.

2. We should first observe, that there must be an heir appointed to every testament: to whom it is entrusted in confidence that he will restore the inheritance to some other person; for without an heir, a testament is ineffectual. And therefore, when a testator says; let LUCIUS TITIUS be my heir; he may add, and I request you, Lucius TITIUS, that, so soon as you enter upon my inheritance, you would restore it to CAIUS SEIUS. But a testator may request his heir to restore a part of the inheritance only, and may make him a trustee upon condition, or from a day certain.

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reditatem, quasi hæredi et in hære- receiver of an inheritance, as if he

dem, dare cœpit.

were the heir.

De senatus-consulto

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§ V. Sed, quia hæredes scripti, cum aut totam hæreditatem, aut penè totam, plerumque restituere rogabantur, adire hæreditatem ob nullum vel minimum lucrum recusabant, atque ob id extinguebantur fidei-commissa postea Vespasiani Augusti temporibus, Pegaso et Pusione consulibus, senatus censuit, ut ei, qui rogatus esset hæreditatem restituere, perinde liceret quartam partem retinere, atque ex lege Falcidia ex legatis retinere conceditur. Ex singulis quoque rebus, quæ per fidei-commissum relinquuntur, eadem retentio permissa est. Post quod senatus-consultum, ipse hæres onera hæreditaria sustinebat ille autem, qui ex fideicommisso recipiebat partem hæreditatis, legatarii partiarii loco erat; id est, ejus legatarii, cui pars bonorum legabatur; quæ species legati partitio vocabatur, quia cum hærede legatarius partiebatur hæreditatem. Undè, quæ solebant stipulationes inter hæredem ct partiarium legatarium interponi, eædem interponebantur inter eum, qui ex fidei-commisso recepit hæreditatem et hæredem; id est, ut lucrum et damnum hæreditarium pro ratâ parte inter cos commune esset.

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Pegasiano.

5. But, when written heirs were requested to restore the whole, or al most the whole, of an inheritance, they often refused to accept it, since they could receive but little or no emolument; and thus trusts were frequently extinguished. Afterwards, in the consulate of Pegasus and Pugio, in the reign of the emperor Vespasian, the senate decreed, that an heir, who was requested to restore an inheritance, might retain a fourth, as in the case of legacies by the Falcidian law. And the same deduction is allowed from particular things, which are left to him as trustee. For some time after this decree, the heir alone bore the burden (expence and charges) of the inheritance; but afterwards, whoever had received a share or part of an inheritance, under a trust, was regarded as a part legatee; having a legacy of part of the property: and this species of legacy was called partition, because the legatee took a part of the inheritance together with the heir; thence it arose, that the same stipulations, which were formerly used between the heir and legatee in part, were also interposed between the person benefited under the trust and the heir or trustee, to the intent, that the profit and loss might be in common between them in due proportion.

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