Institutes of Roman Law 1593330065

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THE

INSTITUTJ:�S OF ROMAN LA'A' BY

RUDOLPH SOHM PROFESSOR IN THE UNIVERSITY OF LEIPZIG

(FRO/If THE FOURTH EDITION OF TIIE GERMAN; DY

JAMES CRAWFORD LEDLIE, B.C.L., M.A. OF THE MIVl)LE TEMPLE, BARRISTER-AT-LAW AND OF LIKCOLN COLLEGE, OXFORD

WITH AN JNTROIJUCTORY ESSAF BY

ERWIN GRUEBER,

DR.JUR.,

I\'l.A.

OF llALLIOL COLLEGE READER IN ROMAN I.AW IN THE UNIVERSITY OF OXFORJ>

@ �

GORGIAS PRESS 2002

First Gorgias Press Edition, 2002. The special contents of this edition are copyright© 2002 by Gorgias Press LLC. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. Published in the United States of America by Gorgias Press LLC, New Jersey. This edition is a facsimile reprint of the original edition published by Oxford Universi ty Press, London, 1892.

ISBN 1-59333-006-5

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TRANSLATOR'S PREFACE

IN translating Professor Sohm's Treatise on Roman Law i have been obliged to follow an arrangement, and to avail myself of expressions, to which, in some instances, English readers, not familiar with the terminology and methods of exposition in use among German jurists, will perhaps be inclined to take exception. Such a phrase as 'obligatory right,' or 'petitory action,' or 'heir by necessity,' will strike them as no less strange than the arrangement which treats of the law of procedure under the heading of the law of property. But where the object is to produce a close and faithful translation, the order of the original must, I con­ ceive, be strictly adhered to; and where phrases such as 'Forderungsrecht,' 'petitorische Klagc,' 'Noterbe,' occur, for which we have no equivalent at all, or, at any rate, no recognised rendering, translations must be found which, if they are to be accurate, must of necessity be more or less unfamiliar. And this unfamiliarity will not be without its advantages if it saves the student from erroneously importing into a German treatise the ideas associated with some of the commoner terms of English jurisprudence. I have to express my thanks to Sir William Markby and Mr. E. A. Whittuck for many useful suggestions made during the progress of the translation. ]. C. L.

CONTENTS PAGP:

LIST OF ABBREVIATIO:-(S AND ERRATA INTRODUCTORY ESSAY

xii xiii

INTRODUCTION. CHAPTER I. THE NATURE OF TIIE SUBJECT. § § § § §

1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

The Reception of Roman Law in Germany Roman Private Law The Law of the Pandects The History of Roman Law The Institutes

3 4 6 6

CHAPTER II. SOURCES AND FUNDA:\!ENTAL CONCEPTIONS. § 6. The Sources of Roman Law . APPE�DIX. The Manuscripts of the Corpus Juris § 7 . Fundamental Conceptions § 8. Jurisprudence

8

PART I. THE DEVELOP11ENT OF ROMAN LA\.\' IN ITS PRINCIPAL STAGES. § 9. Introduction . CHAPTER I. ROMAN LAW AS THE LAW OF THE CITY OF ROME. § 10. The Twelve Tables § 1 I. The Interpretatio § I 2. The Beginnings of the Jus Gentium

CONTENTS.

Vlll

CHAPTER II. ROMAN LAW AS TI-IE LAW OF THE WORLD (THE EMPIRE).

§ 13. § 14. § 15. § 16. § 17. § 18.

Jus Civile and Jus Gentium The Praetorian Edict . Roman Jurisprudence . The Imperial Legislation Codification The Result

PART II. THEORETICAL PART. § 1 9. The System of Private Law. BOOK I. THE LAW OF PERSONS. § 20. § 2 I. § 22. § 23. § 24. § 2 5.

The Conception of ' Person ' and the Kinds thereof Slavery Cives and Peregrini Paterfamilias and Filiusfamilias . Capitis Deminutio Existimationis Minutio

101 108 116 120

122 126

BOOK II. THE LAW OF PROPER 7T. CHAPTER I. GENERAL PART.

§ 2 6. Introduction I. § 27. § 28. § 29. § 30. § 31. § 32.

JURISTIC ACTS,

The Conception of a Juristic Act and the Kinds thereof Requisites of a Juristic Act . Motive, as afTecting Juristic Acts The Qualifications of a Juristic Act Capacity of Action Representation II. THE PROTECTION OF RIGHTS (LAW OF l'ROCEDURE).

§ 33. Introduction § 3 4. Roman Civil Procedure § 35. The Legis Actio.

14 7 148

152

C0i\'7ENTS. § 36. § 37. § 38. § 39. § 40. § 41. § 42. § 43. § 44.

The Formulary Procedure The Formula Intentio and Actio The System of Actions Condemnatio and Exceptio. Actio l'crpetua and Actio Temporalis. Tempus Utile The Effect of an Action at Law . The Procedure Extra Onlinem. Interdicta. In Integrum Restitutio The Procedure of the Later Empire .

1x PAGE

163 174 I ,9 185 189

206 208

212

220

CHAPTER II. TJIE LAW OF TlIINGS.

§ 45. The Conception of a Thing § 46. The Different Kinds of Things § 47. Real l{ights

225 2 25 230

I. OWNERSHIP.

§ 48. § 49. § 50. § 51.

The Conception of Ownership The Acqubition o f Ownership. Historical Introduction The Acqubition of Ownership. Derivative Acquisition The Acquisition of Ownership. Original Acquisition. NoTE. The Different Unions of Things § 52. The Protection of Ownership § 53. The Protection of Usucapio Possession § 54. The Protection of Juristic Posses;ion. Possession and Ownership II. JURA IN RE ALIENA.

§ 55. § 56. § 57. § 58. § 59.

Jura in Re Alicna in general Servitudes . Emphyteusis Superficies . Pledge CHAPTER Ill. THE LAW OF OBLIGATIONS. I. TUE CONCEPTION AND CONTENTS OF AN OBLIGATION.

§ 60. The Conception of an Obligation (Obligatory Right). § 61. Plurality of Debtors and Creditors § 62. The Contents of an Obligation . § 63. Ncgotia Stricti Juris and Ncgotia Bonae Fidei II. THE MODES IN WHICH OBLIGATIONS ARISE.

§ 64. Contracts and Delicts .

231 231 234 237 247 2 48 249 252

CONTENTS.

X

A. Contractual Obligations. § 65. § 6 6. § 67. § 68. § 69. § 70, § 7r.

Introduction Real Contracts The Verbal Contract The Literal Contract . Consensual Contracts . Quasi-Contracts . Pacts. B. Dclictual Obligations.

§ 72. The Private Delicts of Roman Law § 73. Quasi-Delicts III. TRA:-ISFER AND EXTINCTIO'°' OF OBLIGATIONS.

§ 74. Transfer of Obligations § 75. Liability for Debts contracted by Another § 76. Extinction of Obligations .

331 335 34°

BOOK III. TIIE LATV OF FAllfILY AND TJIE LAW OF INHERITANCE. CHAPTER I. THE LAW OF FAMILY.

355 35 6

§ 77. Introduction § 78. The Family I. § 79. § So. § Sr. § 82. § 8 3. § 84. § 85. § 86.

THE LAW OF MARRIAGE.

Marriage and the ;\lodes of contracting it . Marital Power . The Proprietary Relations between Husband and Wife Dos . Donatio propter Nuptias The Termination of Marriage Second !lfarriages Celibacy and Childlessness . II. PATRIA POTESTAS.

§ 87. The Modes in which Patria Potestas originates § 88. The Effect of Patria Potestas § 89. The Extinction of Patria Potestas III. GUARDIANSHIP.

§ 90. The Different Kinds of Guardianship . § 91. The Appointment of Guardians .

395 399

CONTENTS. § 92. The Effect of Guardianship § 93 . Termination of Guardianship § 94. The State as Guardian-in-Chief CHAPTER II. THE LAW OF INHERITANCE.

§ 95 . Hereditary Succegsion ; its Foundation and Conception § 96. Delatio and Acquisitio of the Hereditas § 97. Hereditas and Bonorum Possessio § 98. Intestate Succession § 99. Testamentary Succession § 100. Succession by Necessity § ror. The Effect of the Vesting of the Inheritance § 102. Bequests § 103. Restrictions on Bequests § 104. Universal Ficleicommissa § 1 05. Mortis causa capio IN DEX

XI PAGE

EXPLANATION OF SOME ABBREVIATIONS l N THE REFERENCES T O THE GERMAN AUTHORITIES.

Abt. = Abteilung. R. = Recht. G. = Geschichte. RG. = Rechtsgeschi�hte. R\V. = Rechtswissenschaft. ZS. = Zeitschrift. Sav. St. = Savigny Stiftung.

ERRATA Page 36, note I I , for dclictu read deliclo. ,, 50 , ,, 3, for § 48 read § 43. ,, 55, ,, I 1 , for Triboniannm read Trebellianum. " 1 30, line 6,for TMP0RE read TEMPORE. ,, I ?,6, ,, 9,for esti read etsi. ,, 146, ,, 2 3, before which insert under. , , 1 56 , note 5, for Conditionen read Condictionen. ,, 32 9, line 2 5 , for dolore read dolove. ,, 435, ,, 2 3, dele on. ,, 476, , , 2 2,for verbi read verbis.

INTRODUCTORY ESSAY. ----THE STU DY O F ROMAN LAW O N TH E CONTI N ENT AND I N E N GLAN D 1. RoMAN law, it is well known, has been handed down to posterity in the form given to it by the Emperor J ustinian in the codification which is familiar to us under the name of the Corpus juris civilis. Accordingly it was the text of this codification which became the object of the exegesis of the jurists when the study of Roman law was revived in Italy at the beginning of the twelfth century. I n order, however, to understand the work done by the Italian scholars, we must bear in mind the firm belief m authority which is so peculiar to the M iddle Ages, and so unlike the critical spirit of modern times. It was under the infl u ence of this belief that the jurists of the Middle Ages 1

For the rnbjcct-malter of the pre­ sent Introduction, see the sections on literature in the P,111dekte11!chrb1icher (cf. p. xxvii. n. 1 below) of Arndts, § § 1 6- 20 ; Baron , § 3 ; Brinz, § § 7-1 6 ; Pnchta, § 9 a ; Vangcrow, § § 8-10 ; Vering, § § 3 1 , 33 ; \Yindschei, 1 5 7 ( ,u ), 1 5 8 ( 1 2 ) : on the protection of rights over res nee mancipi in the early law, 230 ( 2 \ : on the positio11 of married women i n ancient Rome, 367 ( 1 ) . Joint obligation, see Correal obli­ gation.

Joint ownership, see Common ownership. Judex, original character and duties of, I ;50, 1 5 1 : bound by cu:-tomary law, l 5 I ( 4 ) : rdations of, to the praetor, how affected by the formula, r 7i, 1 78, 1 8 3 : becomes an official, 2 20. --- datus, delegatus, 2 2 1 ( 2 ) , 2 2 2 . --- pedaneus, 2 2 2 . --- qui litem suam facit, 330. Judgment, in the legal sense, see Sen­ tentia : effect of, 209, 2 10 (see also 283 ). ---- debtor :Judicatus), the debtor in nexum stands in the position of a, 26, 1 58 : liable to immediate man us injcctio, 1 5 7 ; 9 ), 1 58 : could be re­ leased by l l exi liberatio, 342. Judicatus, see Judgment debtor. Judicis postulatio, lcgis aclio by, 1 _q, 1 55. Judicium, meaning of, in the classic:11 procedure, 1 49, 1 5 2 . --- divisorium, 320 .(and see 1 8 � , 2 36).

--- duplex, 2;;5, ;120. --- fa111i!iae crcisamdae, see Actio fami!ia, cr