Skip to content- Actio poenalis in haeredem non datur, nisi forte ex damno locupletior haeres factus sit. A penal action is not given against an heir, unless, indeed, the heir has benefited from the wrong.
- Ambulatoria est voluntas defuncti usque ad vitae supremum exitum. The will of a decedent is ambulatory (that is, can be altered) until the last moment of life
- Captatoriae scripturae neque in hereditatibus neque in legatis valent. Writings produced by legacy hunters (or those that prove deceitful) have no value for inheritance or bequest. Dig. 30.64.
- Caput atque fundamentum intelligitur totius testamenti heredis institutio. The head and foundation of the whole will is understood to be the appointment of an heir. Gaius Inst. 2.229; Just. Inst. 2.20.34.
- Certum consilium debet esse testantis. The testator’s purpose should be definite. • That is, an inheritance cannot to fix upon an indefinite person such as “whoever comes first to my funeral.”
- Cestuy que doit inheriter al pére doit inheriter al fils. The person who should have inherited from the father should also inherit from the son.
- Clausulae inconsuetae semper inducunt suspicionem. Unusual clauses always arouse suspicion.
- Clausula generalis de residuo non ea complectitur quae non ejusdem sint generis cum iis quae specialim dicta fuerant. A general clause of remainder does not embrace those things that are not of the same kind as those that had been specially mentioned.
- Clausula generalis non refertur ad expressa. A general clause does not refer to things expressly mentioned.
- 10.Clausula quae abrogationem excludit ab initio non valet. A clause that precludes abrogation is invalid from the beginning.
- 11.Clausula vel dispositio inutilis per praesumptionem remotam vel causam ex post facto non fulcitur. A useless clause or disposition is not supported by a remote presumption or by a cause arising afterward. • A useless clause or disposition is one that expresses no more than the law by intendment would have supplied; it is not supported by a remote presumption or foreign intendment of some purpose in regard to which it might be material, or by a cause arising afterward that may induce an operation of those idle words.
- 12.Cohaeredes sunt quasi unum corpus aut una persona censentur, propter unitatem juris quod habent. Coheirs are deemed as one body, or one person, on account of the unity of right that they possess.
- 13.Cohaeredes una persona censentur, propter unitatem juris quod habent. Coheirs are deemed as one person, on account of the unity of right that they possess.
- 14.Cohaeredes sunt quasi unum corpus, propter unitatem juris quod habent. Coheirs are treated as one person because of the unity of right that they have.
- 15.Condictio rei furtivae, quia rei habet persecutionem, haeredem quoque furis obligat. Because the condictio for a stolen thing has the aim of recovering the asset, it also binds the thief’s heir. Dig. 13.1.7.2.
- 16.Conditionem testium tunc inspicere debemus cum signarent, non mortis tempore. We should consider the condition of witnesses when they sign, not at the time of death. Dig. 28.1.22.
- 17.Cum inofficiosum testamentum arguitur, nihil ex eo testamento valet. When a will is proved undutiful (by neglecting close relatives), nothing from that will has any force. Dig. 5.2.28.
- 18.Cum manifestissimus est sensus testatoris, verborum interpretatio nusquam tantum valet ut melior sensus existat. When the meaning of the testator is particularly clear, the interpretation of the words never has so much power that a better meaning emerges. CJ 6.28.3.
- 19.Cum semel adita est hereditas, omnis defuncti voluntas rata constituitur. As soon as an inheritance has been accepted, the will of the deceased is validated in full. Dig. 36.1.57.2.
- 20.Da tua dum tua sunt, post mortem tunc tua non sunt. Give the things which are yours while they are yours; after death they are not yours.
- 21.Etiam quae futura sunt legari possunt. Even the things that are yet to come can be bequeathed by will. Dig. 32. 17 (continuing with “like an island born from the rivers or the sea”).
- 22.Haederes successoresque sui cuique liberi, et nullum testamentum; si liberi non sunt, proximus gradus in possessione, fratres, patrii, avunculi. The children of every man are his heirs and successors, and there is no will; if there are no children, next in order of succession are brothers, paternal uncles, and maternal uncles. Tacitus, Germania 20
- 23.Haereditas est successio in universum jus quod defunctus habuerat. Inheritance is the succession to every right possessed by the late possessor.
- 24.Hereditas non heredis personam, sed defuncti sustinet. An inheritance maintains the personality not of the heir but of the deceased. Dig. 41.1.34.
- 25.Hereditatis appellatio sine dubio continet etiam damnosam hereditatem. The term “inheritance” undoubtedly includes even an inheritance that becomes a liability. Dig. 50.16.119.
- 26.Heres, ignoratione sua, defuncti vitia non excludit. An heir, by his ignorance, does not remove the faults of a decedent. Dig. 44.3.11.
- 27.Hi qui in universum ius succedunt heredis loco habentur. They who succeed to full control (of an estate) are considered to be in the place of an heir. Dig. 50.17.128.1.
- 28.Impossibiles condiciones testamento adscriptae pro nullis habendae sunt. When added to a will, conditions that cannot be fulfilled are to be treated as nil. Dig. 35.1.3.
- 29.In alienam voluntatem conferri legatum non potest. A legacy cannot be left to another’s consent. Dig. 35.1.52.1 • That is, a testator cannot make a bequest contingent on the action or permission of some third person.
- 30.In condicionibus primum locum voluntas defuncti obtinet, eaque regit condiciones. The decedent’s intent holds primary place in conditions and governs them. Dig. 35.1.19pr.
- 31.In contractibus, benigna; in testamentis, benignior; in restitutionibus, benignissima interpretatio facienda est. In contracts, the interpretation or construction should be liberal; in wills, more liberal; in restitutions, most liberal.
- 32.In eo qui testatur, eius temporis quo testamentum facit, integritas mentis, non corporis sanitas, exigenda est. Soundness of mind, not health of body, must be required in the one who makes a will, at that time that he makes it. Dig. 28.1.2.
- 33.In heredis arbitrium conferri an debeatur non potest. It cannot be left to the heir to decide whether a bequest is owed. Dig. 40.5.46.4.
- 34.Inofficiosum testamentum dicere hoc est: allegare quare exheredari vel praeteriri non debuerit. To declare a testament inofficious is to show why an heir should not have been disinherited or passed over. Dig. 5.2.3.
- 35.In repudianda hereditate vel legato, certus esse debet de suo iure is qui repudiat. In repudiating an inheritance or bequest, he who repudiates it ought to be certain about his right. Dig. 29.2.23.
- 36.In restitutionem, non in poenam, haeres succedit. The heir succeeds to the restitution, not the penalty.
- 37.Instrumenta domestica seu adnotatio, si non aliis quoque adminiculis adjuventur, ad probationem sola non sufficiunt. Private family documents or a memorandum, if not supported by other evidence, are not of themselves sufficient proof.
- 38.In suis heredibus aditio non est necessaria, quia statim ipso iure heredes existunt. The natural heirs (one’s children, etc.) are not required to accept an inheritance formally, because they inherit immediately by law. Dig. 38.16.14.
- 39.In testamentis plenius testatoris intentionem scrutamur. In wills we diligently examine the testator’s intention.
- 40.In testamentis plenius voluntates testantium interpretantur. In wills the intentions of the testators are more fully (or liberally) construed.
- 41.In testamentis ratio tacita non debet considerari, sed verba solum spectari debent; adeo per divinationem mentis a verbis recedere durum est. In wills an unexpressed meaning ought not to be considered, but one must look to the words alone; so troublesome is it to depart from the words by guessing at the intention.
- 42.Intestatus decedit qui aut omnino testamentum non fecit aut non jure fecit, aut id quod fecerat ruptum irritumve factum est, aut nemo ex eo haeres exstitit. A person dies intestate who either has made no will at all or has not made it legally, or when the will that he had made has been annulled or become ineffectual, or when there is no living heir.
- 43.Intestatus est non tantum qui testamentum non fecit, sed etiam cuius ex testamento hereditas adita non est. An intestate is not only somebody who did not make a will, but also one whose estate has not been accepted under his will. Dig. 50.16.64.1pr.
- 44.Inutile est testamentum in quo nemo heres instituitur. A will in which no heir is established is useless. Just. Inst. 2.23.2.
- 45.Is cui lege bonis interdictum est testamentum facere non potest. A person who is barred by law from (managing) his goods cannot make a will. Dig. 28.1.18pr.
- 46.Jurisdictionis mutare formam, vel iuri publico derogare, testatori permissum non est. It is impermissible for a testator to change the form of jurisdiction or to alter the public law. CJ 6.23.13.
- 47.Jus nec inflecti gratia, nec frangi potentia, nec adulterari pecunia potest; quod si non modo oppressum, sed desertum aut negligentia asservatum fuerit, nihil est quod quisquam se habere certum, aut a patre accepturum, aut liberis esse relicturum, arbitretur. The law cannot be bent by favor, not broken by power, nor corrupted by money; for not only if it be overthrown, but even if it be neglected or carelessly preserved, there is nothing secure in what anyone may think he has, or will inherit from his father, or yet may leave to his children. Cicero, Pro Caecina 73.
- 48.Legata sub condicione relicta non statim, sed quum condicio exstiterit, deberi incipiunt. Bequests left under a condition do not come due immediately, but when the condition is fulfilled. Dig. 35.1.41.
- 49.Legatum est delibatio hereditatis qua testator ex eo quod universum heredis foret alicui quid collocatum velit. A bequest is a diminishing of an inheritance where the testator wishes to have some part of what would all be the inheritance given to somebody else. Dig. 30.116pr.
- 50.Legatum est donatio testamento relicta. A bequest is a gift left by a will. Dig. 31.36; cf. Just. Inst. 2.20.2.
- 51.Legitima hereditas tantum proximo defertur. An inheritance by law devolves only upon the next of kin. Dig. 38.16.2.4.
- 52.Licet subtilitas iuris refragari videtur, attamen voluntas testatoris ex bono et aequo tuebitur. Though the subtlety of the law may pose an obstacle, nevertheless the intention of the testator will be preserved with regard to what is fair and equitable. Dig. 28.3.17.
- 53.Magna fuit quondam magnae reverentia chartae. Great was the reverence formerly paid to the Great Charter.
- 54.Major haereditas venit unicuique nostrum a jure et legibus quam a parentibus. A greater inheritance comes to every one of us from right and the laws than comes from parents.
- 55.Mortuus exitus non est exitus. A dead issue is not issue. • That is, a child born dead is no child.
- 56.Nec emere, nec donatum adsequi, nec damnosam quisquam hereditatem adire compellitur. Nobody is compelled to purchase an inheritance, take it when given, or accede to it when it is injurious. CJ 6.30.16.
- 57.Neminem oportet plus legati nomine praestare quam ad eum ex hereditate pervenit. Nobody is obliged to provide more as a legacy (to another) than has come to him from the inheritance. Dig. 36.1.1.17.
- 58.Nemo est haeres viventis. No one is an heir of someone living.
- 59.Nemo mori potest pro parte testatus pro parte intestatus. No one can die partly testate and partly intestate (under Roman law).
- 60.Nemo plus commodi haeredi suo relinquit quam ipse habuit. No one leaves a greater asset to his heir than he had himself.
- 61.Nemo potest in testamento suo cavere ne leges in suo testamento locum habeant. Nobody can provide in his will that laws have no bearing on it. Dig. 30.55
- 62.Nemo se cogitur adstringere hereditatis actionibus propter legatum. Nobody is compelled to bind himself to the actions of an heir on account of a bequest. Dig. 36.1.55.
- 63.Non praesumitur testator heredem gravare voluisse. The testator is not presumed to have wished to burden the heir.
- 64.Non vult heres esse qui ad alium transferre voluit hereditatem. He who has arranged to transfer an inheritance to another does not wish to be an heir. Dig. 50.17.6.
- 65.Omnia fere iura heredum perinde habentur ac si continuo sub tempus mortis heredes extitissent. Almost all rights of heirs are held exactly as if they were heirs without interruption from the time of death. Dig. 50.17.193.
- 66.Omnia quae ex testamento proficiscuntur ita statum eventus capiunt si initium quoque sine vitio coeperint. All that proceeds from a will takes effect insofar as it began without defect. Dig. 50.17.201.
- 67.Possessio defuncti quasi iniuncta descendit ad heredem. Possession by a decedent passes to the heir as though joined (to the inheritance). Dig. 4.6.30pr.
- 68.Possessio fratris de feodo simplici facit sororem esse haeredem. Possession by the brother in fee simple makes the sister an heir.
- 69.Posteriore testamento prius ipso jure rumpitur. By a later will the earlier one is broken automatically.
- 70.Posteriore testamento quod iure perfectum est superius rumpitur. An earlier will is revoked by a later one that is lawfully made. Gaius Inst. 2.144; Just. Inst. 2.17.
- 71.Potest quis renunciare, pro se et suis, jus quod pro se introductum est. A person may relinquish, for himself and his heirs, a right that was introduced for his own benefit.
- 72.Putagium haereditatem non adimit. Promiscuity does not take away the inheritance. Glanvil 7, ch. 12.
- 73.Quae in testamento legi possunt, ea inconsulta deleta et inducta, nihilominus valent; consulto, non valent. The things that can be read in a will, though deleted or canceled unintentionally, are nonetheless valid; if (deleted) intentionally, they are invalid. Dig. 28.4.1pr.
- 74.Qui intestatus moritur creditur proximis heredibus suis sponte sua relinquere legitimam hereditatem. One who dies intestate is considered to leave his legal inheritance, of his own accord, to his nearest heirs. Cf. Dig. 29.7.8.1.
- 75.Qui totam hereditatem adquirere potest is pro parte eam scindendo adire non potest. One who can take the whole inheritance is not allowed to divide it and take only part of it. Dig. 29.2.1.
- 76.Quotiens nominatim plures res in legato exprimuntur plura legata sunt. When several items are designated by name in a bequest, they are separate legacies. Dig. 31.2 (continuing with “but if ‘furniture’ or ‘silver’ or ‘equipment’ is bequeathed, it is one legacy”).
- 77.Quotiens volens alium heredem scribere alium scripserit in corpore hominis errans, … placet neque eum heredem esse qui scriptus est, quoniam voluntate deficitur, neque eum qui voluit, quoniam scriptus non est. Whenever a testator has listed another heir than he intended, by misstating the person, neither the one written is heir, since this was not intended, nor is he that was intended, since his name is not written. Dig. 28.5.9.1pr.
- 78.Quum in testamento ambigue aut etiam perperam scriptum est, benigne interpretari et secundum id quod credible est cogitatum, credendum est. When in a will an ambiguous or even an erroneous expression occurs, it should be construed liberally and in accordance with what is thought the probable meaning (of the testator).
- 79.Res hereditariae omnium heredum communes sunt. Hereditary property belongs to all the heirs. Dig. 47.19.4 (with the explanation that an heir who brings suit for “despoiling the inheritance” acts for the benefit of coheirs as well).
- 80.Semel heres, semper heres. Once an heir, always an heir. Cf. Dig. 28.5.88.
- 81.Si debitor heres creditori exstiterit, confusio hereditatis peremit petitionis actionem. If the debtor becomes heir to the creditor, conflation (confusio) with the inheritance ruins the right to sue. Cf. Dig. 46.3.75.
- 82.Si judicas, cognosce. If you judge, understand.
- 83.Si nemo subiit hereditatem, omnis vis testamenti solvitur. If nobody succeeds to an inheritance, the whole force of the will is dissolved. Dig. 50.17.181.
- 84.Supervacua scriptura non nocet legato. A superfluous provision does not harm a bequest. Dig. 34.4.26.1.
- 85.Testamenta, cum duo inter se pugnantia reperiuntur, ultimum ratum est; sic est, cum duo inter se pugnantia reperiuntur in eodem testamento. When two conflicting wills are found, the last prevails; so it is when two conflicting clauses occur in the same will.
- 86.Testamenta latissimam interpretationem habere debent. Wills ought to have the broadest interpretation.
- 87.Testamenti factio concessa pupillis non est. The making of a will is not allowed to wards. Dig. 27.3.1.1.
- 88.Testamenti factio non privati sed publici iuris est. The preparation of a will is a matter not of private but of public law. Dig. 28.1.3.
- 89.Testamentum est testatio mentis, facta nullo praesente metu periculi, sed cogitatione mortalitatis. A will is a witnessing of the mind, made in view of the uncertainty of human life, but in no present fear of danger. Co. Litt. 322b.
- 90.Testamentum est voluntatis nostrae justa sententia, de eo quod quis post mortem suam fieri velit. A testament is the just expression of our will concerning that which anyone wishes done after his death. • Or, as Blackstone renders it, a testament is “the legal declaration of a man’s intentions which he wills to be performed after his death.” 2 Bl. Com. 499.
- 91.Testamentum omne morte consummatum. Every will is completed by death.
- 92.Testatoris ultima voluntas est perimplenda secundum veram intentionem suam. The last will of a testator is to be fulfilled according to his true intention.
- 93.Voluntas donatoris in charta doni sui manifeste expressa observetur. The will of the donor, if clearly expressed in the deed of his gift, should be observed.
- 94.Voluntas est justa sententia de eo quod post mortem suam fieri velit. A will is an exact determination concerning that which each one wishes to be done after his death.
- 95.Voluntas facit quod in testamento scriptum valeat. The will (of the testator) gives validity to what is written in the will (testament).
- 96.Voluntas testatoris ambulatoria est usque ad mortem. The will of a testator is changeable right up until death. • That is, the testator may change the will at any time. This maxim is sometimes written Voluntas testatoris est ambulatoria usque ad extremum vitae exitum (same sense).
- 97.Voluntas testatoris habet interpretationem latam et benignam. The will of the testator should receive a broad and liberal interpretation.
- 98.Voluntas ultima testatoris est perimplenda secundum veram intentionem suam. The last will of a testator is to be fulfilled according to his true intention.
- 99.Voluntatis defuncti quaestio in aestimatione iudicis est. The question of the intention of the deceased is for a judge to determine. CJ 6.42.7.
