§18 Hactenus lege xii tabularum finitae sunt intestatorum hereditates: quod ius quemadmodum strictum fuerit palam est intellegere.

§19 Statim enim emancipati liberi nullum ius in hereditatem parentis ex ea lege habent, cum desierint sui heredes esse.

§20 Idem iuris est si ideo liberi non sint in potestate patris quia sint cum eo ciuitate Romana donati nec ab imperatore in potestatem redacti fuerint.

§21 Item agnati capite deminuti non admittuntur ex ea lege ad hereditatem,

quia nomen agnationis capitis deminutione perimitur.

§22 Item proximo agnato non adeunte hereditatem, nihilo magis sequens iure legitimo admittitur.

§23 Item feminae agnatae quaecumque consanguineorum gradum excedunt nihil iuris ex lege habent.

§24 Similiter non admittuntur cognati qui per feminini sexus personas necessitudine iunguntur, adeo quidem ut nec inter matrem et filium filiamue ultro citroque hereditatis capiendae ius conpetat, praeterquam si per in manum conuentionem consanguinitatis iura' inter eos constiterint.

§25 Sed hae iuris iniquitates edicto praetoris emendatae sunt

§26 Nam eos omnes qui legitimo iure deficiuntur uocat ad hereditatem pronged ac si in potestate parental mortis tempura fussiest, sive soli sint, sive etiam sui heredes, id est qui in potestate patris fuerunt, concurrent.

§27 Agnatos autem capite deminutos non secundo grads post suos heredes uocat, id est non eo gradu uocat quo per legume uocarentur si capite minuti non essent, see tetio, proximitatis nomine ; (licet enim capitis deminutione ius legitimum perdiderint, certe cognitionis iura retinent) : itaque si quis alius sit qui integrum ius agnationis habebit, is potior erit, etiamsi longiore gradu fuerit.

§28. Idem iuris est, ut quidam putant, in eius agnati persona qui proximo agnato omittente hereditatem nihilo magis iure legitimo admittitur; sed runt qui putant hunt eodem gradu a praetore uocari quo etiam per legem agnatis hereditas datur.

§29 Feminae certe agnatae quae consanguineorum gradum excedunt tertio gradu uocantur, id est si necque suus heres necque agnatus ullus erit

§30. Eodem gradu uocantur etiam eae personae quae per feminini sexus personas copulatae sunt.

§31 Liberi quoque qui in adoptiua familia sunt ad naturalium parentum hereditatem hoc eodem gradu uocantur.

§32 Quos autem praetor uocat ad hereditatem, hi heredes ipso quidem iure non fiunt: nam praetor heredes facere non (potest ; per legem enim tantum uel similem iuris constitu (tionem heredes fiunt), ueluti per senatusconsultum et constitutionem principalem: sed cum eis praetor dat bonorum possessionem, loco heredum constituuntur.

§33 (Adhuc autem etiam) alios conplures gradus (fecit praetor in bonorum possessionibus dandis, dum id agebat ne quis sine successore moreretur). de quibus in his ccommentaries consulto (non animus, quia) hoc ius totem prepares commentaries executi sumus.

§33a (Hoc) solem admonuisse sufflcit - - - in manum conuentionem iura consanguinitatis nacta .

§33b .

[§34] (Aliquando tamen neque§34 emendandi neque impugnandi ueteris iuris, sed magis confirmandi gratis pollicetur bonorum possessionem. nam illis (quoque), qui recte facto testamento heredes instituti sunt, dat secundum tabulas bonorum possessionem : item ab in)testato heredes suos et agnatos ad bonorum possessionem uocat. quibus casibus beneficium eius in eo solo uidetur aliquam utilitatem habere, ut is qui ita bonorum possessionem petit interdicto ceius principiem est QVORVM BONORVM uti possit cuius interdicti quae sit utilitas suo loco proponemus : alioquin remota quoque bonorum possessione ad eos hereditas pertinet iure ciuili.

§35 Ceterum saepe quibusdam ita datur bonorum possessio ut is cui data sit [non tamen ideo] optineat hereditatem ; quaebonorum possessio dicitur sine re.

§36 nam si uerbi gratia iure facto testamento heres institutus creuerit hereditatem, sed bonorum possessionem secundum tabulas testamenti petere noluerit, contentus eo quod iure ciuili heres sit, nihilo minus ii, qui hullo facto testamento ad intestati bona uocantur,possunt petere bonorum possessionem ; sed sine re ad eos hereditas pertinet, cum testamento scriptus heres euincere facto testamento heres institutus creuerit hereditatem, sed bonorum possessionem secundum tabulas testamenti petere noluerit, contentus eo quod iure ciuili heres sit, nihilo minus ii, qui hullo facto testamento ad intestati bona uocantur,possunt petere bonorum possessionem ; sed sine re ad eos hereditas pertinet, cum testamento scriptus heres euincere hereditatem possit.

§37 Idem iuris est si intestato aliquo mortuo suns heres noluerit petere bonorum possessionem, con(tentus legitimo iure : nam) et agnato conpetit quidem bonorum possessio, sed sine re, quia euinci hereditas a suo herede potest. et conuenienter, si ad agnatum iure ciuili pertinet hereditas, et is adierit hereditatem sed bonorum possessionem petere noluerit, si quis ex proximis cognatis petierit, sine re habebit bonorumbonorum possessionem propter eandem rationem.

§38 Sunt et alii quidam similes casus, quorum aliquos superiore commentario tradidimus.

§18 Here, according to the Twelve Tables, there was an end of the inheritances of intestates ; and how strict the law was in regard to them is very evident.

§19 Thus children the moment they are emancipated have no longer any right under the statute in the inheritance of their ancestor, for they have ceased to be sui heredes.

§20 The rule is the same where children happen not to be in potestate of their father for the reason that, though they have received with him a gift of citizenship, the emperor has not declared them sebject to his potestas.

§21 Further, agnates who have undergone capitis deminutio are by the statute excluded from the inheritance, because agnation is thereby in every sense destroyed.

§22 Further, if the nearest agnate fail to enter, the next in degree is none the more on that account entitled to admission under the statute.

§23 Further, female agnates beyond the consanguinean degree of relationship have no right under it.

§24 In like manner those kinsmen are not admitted that are related merely through females. So far does this go that, as between a mother and her son or daughter, there is not on either side any right to take an inheritance, except when consanguinity has been established between them by in manum conuentio.

§25 But those inequalities of the ius cilium have been corrected by the praetor's edict.

§26 For lie calls to the inheritance all descendants who have no statutory title, just as if they had been in the potestas of their ancestor at the time of his death; and that whether they stand alone, or whether sui heredespersonz, that is to say, who were actually in potestate of the deceased parent-claim along with them.

§27 As for agnates who have undergone capitis deminutio, he does not call them in the second class immediately after the sui heredes,-he does not call them, that is to say, in that class in which they would have been called by the statute had they not been capite minuti, but in the third class, on the ground of propinquity ; (for although by their capitis deminutio they have lost their statutory title, they still retain the rights of kinship). If, therefore, there be any other person whose right as an agnate remains unimpaired, he will be preferred to them, even though lie be of a more distant degree.

§28 The rule is the same, as some think, in the case of the remoter agnate who, on the declinature of the inheritance by him who is nearest of degree, nevertheless is not on that account admitted by statutory right. There are others, however, who think that such a man is called by the praetor in the same class in which the inheritance goes by statute to the agnates.

§29 Female agnates beyond the consanguinean degree are undoubtedly called in the third class ; in the absence, that is to say, of both sui and agnates.

§30 In the same class are called also such persons as are related through females.

§31 Children, too, who are in an adoptive family, are called in this same class to the inheritance of their natural parents.

§32 Those, however, whom the praetor calls to an inheritance do not become heirs ipso iure ; the praetor cannot make men heirs,-it requires a comitial enactment or some similar
statutory provision'; such as a senatusconsult or imperial constitution, to do that. But as the praetor gives such persons possession. of the deceased's estate, they are [practically] put in the position of heirs.

§33 Various other classes of bonorum possessores have been created by the praetor in his anxiety to prevent persons dying without successors, which we purposely refrain from dealing with in these pages, seeing we have explained the whole of this

§33a branch of the law elsewhere in a special treatise. It is enough to observe

§33b [Bonorum possessio was introduced by the praetor for the [purpose of amending the old law. And it was not only in the [case of the inheritances of intestates that he amended the old [law in this way, as has been above described, but also in the [case of those of persons who hate left a testament. For, if a [man have instituted a stranger after-born as his heir, the latter [cannot enter to the inheritance according to the ius ciuile, the [institution being invalid ; but by the ius honorarium he [becomes bonorum possessor, the praetor coming to his aid.]

§34 Sometimes, however, it is for the purpose neither of amending nor of impugning, but rather of confirming the old law, that the praetor promises possession of a deceased person's estate ; for he grants it in terms of the deed to those who have been instituted heirs under a regularly executed testament; while in the event of intestacy he calls both sui heredes and agnates. In such cases his grant seems to be useful only in this respect,-that he who thus petitions for possession of the estate can employ the interdict which begins with the words `Quorum bonorum,' whose advantages we shall explain in the proper place ; but in any case, even were the bonorum possessio put out of view, the inheritance belongs to such persons by the ius ciuile.

§35 It frequently happens that bonorum possessio is given under circumstances which prevent the grantee therewith obtaining the [beneficial interest in the] inheritance; a possession of this sort is said to be only nominal, bonorum possessio sine re.

§36 Suppose, for example, that the heir instituted under a duly executed testament has declared his acceptance of the inheritance, but, content with his legal title of heir, has refrained from petitioning for possession of the estate in terms of the deed, those who are called ab intestato in the absence of a testament are entitled to demand bonorum possessio ; but it will be theirs sine re, [i.e. without beneficial result,] seeing the testamentary heir can evict.

§37 The law is the same when, on a man's death intestate, his suus heres has refrained from demanding bonorum possessio, content with his right under the statute ; here again an agnate-heir may have bonorum possessio, but sine re, for the inheritance may be evicted by the suns heres. In the same way, if the inheritance belong by the ius ciuile to an agnate, and he have entered, but refrained from demanding bonorum possessio,-if this be claimed by one of the nearest cognates, the latter will get it only sine re, for the same reason as before.

§38 There are other cases of the same sort, some of which have been mentioned in the immediately preceding Commentary.