composuimus,) ita hujusmodi causam definivit; ut, siquidèm libertus vel liberta minores centenariis sint, id est, minus centum aureis habeant substantiam, (sic enim legis Papiæ summam interpretati sumus, ut pro mille sestertiis unus aureus computetur,) nullum locum habeat patronus in eorum successione, si tamen testamentum fecerint; sin autem intestati decesserint, nullo liberorum relicto, tunc patronatûs jus, quod erat ex lege duodecim tabularum, integrum reservavit. Cum verò majores centenariis sint, si hæredes vel bonorum possessores liberos habeant, sivè unum, sivè plures, cujuscunque sexûs vel gradûs, ad eos successiones parentum deduximus, patronis omnibus modis cum suâ progenie semotis. Sin autem sinè liberis decesserint, siquidem intestati, ad omnem hæreditatem patronos patronasque vocavimus. Si verò testamentum quidem fecerint, patronos autem aut patronas præterierint, cum nullos liberos haberent, vel habentes eos exhæredaverint, vel mater sivè avus maternus eos præterierint, ita quod non possint argui inofficiosa eorum testamenta, tunc ex nostrâ constitutione per bonorum possessionem contra tabulas, non dimidiam, ut antea, sed tertiam partem bonorum liberti consequantur; vel quod deest eis, ex constitutione nostrâ repleatur, si quando minus tertiâ parte bonorum suorum libertus vel liberta eis reliquerit: ita sinè onere, ut nec liberis liberti libertæve ex ea parte all nations,) ordained, that, if a freed-man, or freed-woman, die possessed of less than an hundred aurei, (for thus have we interpreted the sum mentioned in the Papian law, counting one aureus for a thousand sestertii,) the patron shall not be intitled to any share in a testate succession. But, where a freed-mań, or woman, dies intestate, and without children, we have reserved the right of patronage intire, as it formerly was, according to the law of the twelve tables. But, if a freed person die worth more than an hundred aurei, and leave one child, or many, of either sex or any degree, as the heirs and possessors of his goods, we have permitted, that such child or children shall succeed their parent to the intire exclusion of the patron and his heirs and if any freed-persons die without children and intestate, we have called their patrons or patronesses to their whole inheritances. And if any freed-person, worth more than an hundred aurei, hath made a testament, omitted his patron, and left no children, or hath disinherited them; or if a mother, or maternal grand-father, being freed-persons, have omitted to mention their children in their wills, so that such wills can not be proved to be inofficious, then, by virtue of our constitution, the patron shall succeed, not to a moiety as formerly but to the third part of the estate of the deceased, by possession contra tabulas: and, when freed-persons, Leave less than the third part of their legata vel fideicommissa præstentur, sed ad cohæredes eorum hoc onus redundet: multis aliis casibus à nobis in præfata constitutione congregatis, quos necessarios esse ad hujusmodi dispositionem juris perspeximus ut tam patroni patronaque quam liberi eorum, nec non qui ex transverso latere veniunt usque ad quintum gradum, ad successionem libertorum libertarumve vocentur, sicut ex eâ constitutione intelligendum est. Et, si ejusdem patroni vel patronæ, vel duorum duarumque pluriumve, liberi sint, qui proximior est, ad liberti vel liberta vocetur successionem ; et in capita, non in stirpes, dividatur successio; eodem modo et in iis, qui ex transverso latere veniunt, servando. Penè enim consonantia jura ingenuitatis et libertinitatis in successionibus fecimus. effects to their patrons, our constitution ordains, that the deficiency shall be supplied; nor shall this third part, be subject to trusts, or legacies, even for the benefit of the children of the deceased; for the co-heirs only of the patron shall bear this burden. In the before-mentioned constitution, we have collected many more cases, necessary in relation to the right of patronage; that patrons and patronesses, their children and collateral relations, as far as the fifth degree, might be called to the succession of their freed-men and freedwomen; as will appear more fully from the ordinance itself. And, if there be many children of one, two or more patron or patroness, the nearest in degree, is called to the succession of his freed-man or freed-woman; and, when there are many in equal degree, the estate must be divided in capita and not in stirpes : the same order is decreed to be observed among the collaterals of patrons and patronesses: for we have rendered the laws of succession almost the same both as to ingenui and libertini. Quibus libertinis succeditur. IV. Sed hæc de iis libertinis hodie dicenda sunt, qui in civitatem Romanam pervenerunt, cum nec sint alii liberti, simul et Dedititiis et Latinis sublatis, cum Latinorum successiones nullæ penitùs erant ; quia, licèt ut liberi vitam suam peragebant, attamen ipso ultimo spiritu simul animam atque libertatem 4. What we have said relates to modern freed-men who are all citizens of Rome; for there is now, no other, the Dedititii and Latini being abolished: the latter of whom never enjoyed any right of succession ; for although they led the lives of freed-men, yet, with their last breath, they lost both their lives and liber amittebant: et, quasi servorum, ita bona eolum jure quodammodo peculii ex lege Junia Norbana manumissores detinebant. Postea verò senatus-consulto Largiano cautum fuerat, ut liberi manumissoris, non nominatim exhæredati facti, extraneis hæredibus eorum in bonis Latinorum præponerentur. Quibus etiam supervenit Divi Trajani edictum, quod eundem hominem, si invito vel ignorante patrono, ad civitatem Romanam venire ex beneficio principis festinarat, faciebat quidem vivum civem, Latinum verò morientem. Sed nostrâ constitutione, propter hujusmodi conditionum vices et alias difficultates, cum ipsis Latinis etiam legem Juniam, et senatus-consultum Largianum, et edictum Divi Trajani, in perpetuum deleri censuimus, ut omnes liberi civitate Romana fruantur; et mirabili modo quibusdam adjectionibus ipsas vias, quæ in Latinitatem ducebant ad civitatem Romanam capiendam transposuimus. ties: for their possessions, like the goods of slaves, were detained by their manumittor, who possessed them, as them, as a peculium, by virtue of the law Junia Norbana. It was afterwards provided by the senatusconsultum Largianum, that the children of a manumittor, not disinherited by name, should be preferred to any strangers, whom a manumittor might constitute his heirs: then followed the edict of Trajan, by which if a slave either against the will or without the knowledge of his patron should obtain the freedom of Rome by favour of the emperor, such slave should continue free, while living, but, at his death, should be regard ed only as a Latin. But we, being averse to these changes of condition, and dissatisfied with the difficulties attending them, have thought proper, by our constitution, for ever to abolish, together with the Latins, the law Junia, the senatus-consultum Largianum, and the edict of Trajan; so that all freed-men may become freed-men of Rome. And we have happily contrived by some additions, that the manner of conferring the freedom of Latins should now become the manner of conferring the freedom of Rome. TITULUS NONUS. DE ASSIGNATIONE LIBERTORUM. D. xxxviii. T. 4. An assignari possit, et quis assignationis effectus. IN summa, (quod ad bona libertorum attinet,) admonendi sumus, censuisse senatum, ut quamvis ad omnes patroni liberos, qui ejusdem gradus sunt, æqualiatèr bona libertorum pertineant; tamen licere parenti, uni ex liberis assignare libertum, ut post mortem ejus solus is patronus habeatur, cui assignatus est; et cæteri liberi qui ipsi quoque ad eadem bona, nulla assignatione interveniente, paritèr admitterentur, nihil juris in his bonis habeant ; sed ita demùm pristinum jus recipiant, si is, cui assignatus est, decesserit, nullis liberis relictis. De sexu assignati, et de sexu § I. Nec tantùm libertum, sed etiam libertam, et non tantùm filio nepotive, sed etiam filiæ neptive, assignare permittitur. Respecting the possession of freed men, we must remember the decree of the senate; whereby, although the goods of freed-men belong equally to all the children of the patron, who are in the same degree, yet it is lawful for a parent to assign a freed-man to any one of his children, so that, after the death of the parent, the child, to whom the freed-man was assigned, is solely to be esteemed his patron: and the other children, who would have been equally admitted had not this been the case, are wholly excluded; but, if the assignee should die without issue, the excluded children regain their former right. graduque ejus, cui assignatur. § 1. Freed-persons of either sex· are assignable; not only to a son or grandson, but to a daughter or granddaughter. De liberis in potestate vel emancipatis. II. Datur autem hæc assignandi facultas ei, qui duos pluresve liberos in potestate habebit, ut eis, quos in potestate habet, assignare libertum libertamve liceat. Undè quærebatur, si eum, cui assignavit, postea emancipaverit, num evanescat assignatio? Sed placuit eva § 2. The power of assigning freed-persons is given to him, who hath two or more children un-emanciputed, so that a father may assign a freed-man or freea-woman to children retained under his power: hence it became a question, if a father should assign a freed-man to his son nescere: quod et Juliano et aliis and afterwards emancipate that son, plerisque visum est. whether the assignment would not be null ? which hath been determined in the affirmative; and so thought Julian and many others. Quibus modis aut verbis assignatio fit: et de senatus-consulto. § III. Nec interest, an testamento quis assignet, an sinè testamento; sed etiam quibuscunque verbis patronis hoc permittitur facere, ex ipso SC. quod Claudianis temporibus factum est, Sabellio Rufo et Asterio Scapula Consulibus. § 3. It is the same, whether the assignment of a freed-man be made by testament, or not; for patrons may assign verbally; under the senatus-consultum, passed in the reign of Claudian in the consulate of Sabellius Rufus and Asterius Scapula! TITULUS DECIMUS. DE BONORUM POSSESSIONIBUS. D. xxxvii. T. 1. Cur introductæ bonorum possessiones; et quis sit earum JUS bonorum possessionis introductum est à prætore, emendandi veteris juris gratiâ : nec solùm in intestatorum hæreditatibus vetus jus eo modo prætor emendavit, sicut supra dictum est; sed in eorum quoque, qui testamento facto decesserint. Nam, si alienus posthumus hæres fuerit institutus, quamvis hæreditatem jure civili adire non popoterat, cum institutio non valebat, honorario tamen jure, bonorum possessor efficiebatur; videlicet cum à prætore adjuvabatur. Sed et is The right of succeeding by the possession of goods, was introduced by the prætor in amendment of the ancient law; which he corrected as it regarded not only the inheritances of intestates, (as before observed,) but of those also who die ̈testate; for, a posthumous stranger being instituted heir, although he could not enter upon the inheritance by the civil law, inasmuch as his institution would not be valid, yet by the (prætorian or) honorary law, he might be made the possessor of the goods, |