Institutionum libri
Ex libro I
Dig. 1,1,9Gaius libro primo institutionum. Omnes populi, qui legibus et moribus reguntur, partim suo proprio, partim communi omnium hominum iure utuntur. nam quod quisque populus ipse sibi ius constituit, id ipsius proprium civitatis est vocaturque ius civile, quasi ius proprium ipsius civitatis: quod vero naturalis ratio inter omnes homines constituit, id apud omnes peraeque custoditur vocaturque ius gentium, quasi quo iure omnes gentes utuntur.
Gaius, Institutes, Book I. All nations who are ruled by law and customs make use partly of their own law, and partly of that which is common to all men. For whatever law any people has established for itself is peculiar to that State, and is called the Civil Law, as being the particular law of that State. But whatever natural reason has established among all men is equally observed by all mankind, and is called the Law of Nations, because it is the law which all nations employ.
Dig. 1,5,1Gaius libro primo institutionum. Omne ius quo utimur vel ad personas pertinet vel ad res vel ad actiones.
Gaius, Institutes, Book I. All the law which We make use of relates either to persons, things, or actions.
Dig. 1,5,3Gaius libro primo institutionum. Summa itaque de iure personarum divisio haec est, quod omnes homines aut liberi sunt aut servi.
Gaius, Institutes, Book I. The principal division of the law of persons is as follows, namely, that all men are either free or slaves.
Dig. 1,5,6Gaius libro primo institutionum. Libertini sunt, qui ex iusta servitute manumissi sunt.
Gaius, Institutes, Book I. Freedmen are those who are manumitted from lawful slavery.
Dig. 1,6,1Gaius libro primo institutionum. De iure personarum alia divisio sequitur, quod quaedam personae sui iuris sunt, quaedam alieno iuri subiectae sunt. videamus itaque de his, quae alieno iuri subiectae sunt: nam si cognoverimus quae istae personae sunt, simul intellegemus quae sui iuris sunt. dispiciamus itaque de his, quae in aliena potestate sunt. 1Igitur in potestate sunt servi dominorum (quae quidem potestas iuris gentium est: nam apud omnes peraeque gentes animadvertere possumus dominis in servos vitae necisque potestatem fuisse) et quodcumque per servum adquiritur, id domino adquiritur. 2Sed hoc tempore nullis hominibus, qui sub imperio Romano sunt, licet supra modum et sine causa legibus cognita in servos suos saevire. nam ex constitutione divi Antonini qui sine causa servum suum occiderit, non minus puniri iubetur, quam qui alienum servum occiderit. sed et maior asperitas dominorum eiusdem principis constitutione coercetur.
Gaius, Institutes, Book I. Another division of persons follows according to law, some of whom are their own masters, and some are subject to the control of others. We shall now consider those who are subject to the control of others; for if we know who these persons are, we shall at once understand who those are that are their own masters. Let us then examine those who are under the control of others. 1Thus, slaves are under the power of their masters, and this power is derived from the Law of Nations, for we may perceive that among nearly all nations masters have the power of life and death over their slaves, and whatever is acquired by a slave is acquired by his master. 2But, at present, it is not permitted to any persons living under Roman dominion to be guilty of cruelty to their slaves which is atrocious, or without a cause recognized by the law. For, according to a Constitution of the Divine Antoninus, anyone who kills his slave without a cause shall be punished as severely as one who kills the slave of another; the inordinate severity of masters is also repressed by a Constitution of the same Emperor.
Dig. 1,6,3Gaius libro primo institutionum. Item in potestate nostra sunt liberi nostri, quos ex iustis nuptiis procreaverimus: quod ius proprium civium Romanorum est.
Gaius, Institutes, Book I. Our children also who are born in lawful marriage are under our control; which is a law peculiar to Roman citizens.
Dig. 1,7,2Gaius libro primo institutionum. Generalis enim adoptio duobus modis fit, aut principis auctoritate aut magistratus imperio. principis auctoritate adoptamus eos qui sui iuris sunt: quae species adoptionis dicitur adrogatio, quia et is qui adoptat rogatur, id est interrogatur, an velit eum quem adoptaturus sit iustum sibi filium esse, et is qui adoptatur rogatur, an id fieri patiatur. imperio magistratus adoptamus eos qui in potestate parentis sunt, sive primum gradum liberorum optineant, qualis est filius filia, sive inferiorem, qualis est nepos neptis, pronepos proneptis. 1Illud utriusque adoptionis commune est, quod et hi qui generare non possunt, quales sunt spadones, adoptare possunt. 2Hoc vero proprium est eius adoptionis, quae per principem fit, quod is qui liberos in potestate habet si se adrogandum dederit, non solum ipse potestati adrogatoris subicitur, sed et liberi eius in eiusdem fiunt potestate tamquam nepotes.
Gaius, Institutes, Book I. Adoption, generally speaking, takes place in two ways, either by the authority of the Emperor, or by the order of a magistrate. We adopt those by the authority of the Emperor who are their own masters; and this kind of adoption is called arrogation, because he who adopts is asked, that is, interrogated, whether he is willing that the party whom he is about to adopt shall be his lawful son; and he who is adopted is asked whether he suffers this to be done, We adopt by the order of a magistrate those who are under paternal control, whether they are in the first degree of children, such as son and daughter, or in one that is more remote, as grandson and granddaughter, and great-grandson and great-granddaughter. 1There is one thing common to both kinds of adoption, namely, that those who are incapable of procreation, as for instance, eunuchs, can adopt. 2Adoption effected through the Emperor is peculiar in that if anyone who has children under his control gives himself in arrogation, he himself is not only subjected to the authority of his adoptive father, but also his children and grandchildren pass under the control of the former.
Dig. 1,7,28Gaius libro primo institutionum. Liberum arbitrium est ei, qui filium et ex eo nepotem in potestate habebit, filium quidem potestate demittere, nepotem vero in potestate retinere: vel ex diverso filium quidem in potestate retinere, nepotem vero manumittere: vel omnes sui iuris efficere. eadem et de pronepote dicta esse intellegemus.
Gaius, Institutes, Book I. He who has a son and a grandson under his control is at perfect liberty to release his son from his authority, and to retain it over his grandson; or, on the other hand, to retain his son under his control and to manumit his grandson; or to make both of them their own masters. We hold that the same rule applies to a great-grandson.
Dig. 26,4,7Gaius libro primo institutionum. Sunt autem adgnati, qui per virilis sexus personas cognatione iuncti sunt, quasi a patre cognati, veluti frater eodem patre natus, fratris filius neposve ex eo, item patruus et patrui filius neposve ex eo.
Gaius, Institutes, Book I. Those are agnates who are connected by relationship to persons of the male sex, just as cognates on the father’s side; as, for instance, a brother begotten by the same father, the son of a brother, or a grandson sprung from the latter; and, in like manner, a paternal uncle, the son of the latter, or a grandson descended from him.