intestabilis
intestabilis, infamous, execrable, detestable, abominable
- I Lit.: si quis ob carmen famosum damnetur, senatusconsulto expressum est, ut intestabilis sit, ergo nec testamentum facere poterit, nec ad testamentum adhiberi testis, Dig. 28, 1, 18.—
- II Transf.
- A Infamous, execrable, detestable, abominable: homo, Sall. J. 67 fin.; Hor. S. 2, 3, 181; Tac. A. 6, 40: intestabilis et sacer esto, Hor. S. 2, 3, 81.— Comp., Sall. H. Fragm. 1, 41, 1; Tac. H. 4, 42 fin.—
- B Of things: ars magica, Plin. 30, 2, 6, § 7: saevitia, Tac. A. 6, 51.
- in double sense with 1. intestabilis, II. A., Plaut. Curc. 1, 1, 30 (30); id. Mil. 5, 1, 24 (1417) (cf. Lorenz ad loc.).
~is, qui testamentum facere non potest
vassallos ‥ ~es, ita quod nec condere testamentum nec ad cujusquam ex testamento vel ab intestato possint successionem admitti(
~is, ‥ascuniendlica
- 1. (niet-klass.) (jur.) niet in staat getuige te zijn, getuigen op te roepen of een testament op te maken;
- 2. (metaf.) eerloos, schandelijk, (v. zaken ook) afschuwelijk [homo; periurium].
Sit Intestabilis, ut nec testamenti liberam habeat factionem, nec
ad alicujus bona ex testamento vel ab intestato vocetur. Sent. contra Florent.
ann. 1313. apud Lam. in Delic. erudit. inter not. ad Bonincont. Hist. Sicul. part. 3. pag.
222 : Quemlibet eorum perpetua damnamus infamia, ita quod sint Intestabiles, et ad
nullum actum legitimum de cetero admittantur.- with comp, infamous, execrable, detestable, abominable: homo, S.: saevitiā, Ta.: intestabilior et saevior, Ta.
INTESTA´BILISIn the Twelve Tables it was declared qui se sierit testarier, libripensve fuerit, ni testimonium fateatur, improbus intestabilisque esto (Gell. 15.13.11; cf. id. 6.71, 7.7.4). According to this passage, a person who had been a witness on any solemn occasion, such as the making of a will by mancipium, and afterwards refused to give his testimony, was intestabilis; that is, disqualified from being a witness on any other occasion.
Thus, in the Twelve Tables and in subsequent law, a person was said to be intestabilis, who was incapable of being a witness to a solemn legal transaction. (Dig. 28, 1, 26: Quum lege quis intestabilis jubetur esse, eo pertinet, ne ejus testimonium recipiatur. Inst. Justin. 2.10, 6: Neque mulier, neque impubes . . . nec cui bonis interdictum est, nec is quem leges jubent improbum intestabilemque esse, possunt in numero testium adhiberi: cf. Hor. Sat. 2.3, 181.)
The word had its meaning extended in the time of the Emperors, being used to express one who could not summon witnesses to attest his will; that is to say, one who was incapable of making a will (Dig. 28, 1, 18.1; Theoph. Par. 2.10, 6). The punishment of declaring an offender intestabilis was imposed by various statutes: e. g. by the Lex Cornelia injuriarum, the Lex Julia de adulteriis, the SC. Augusti de famosis libellis. (Marezoll, Von der bürgerl. Ehre, p. 85 ff.; Burchardi, de Infamia, 22; Danz, Lehrbuch der Geschichte d. R. R. 2.15, 107; Voigt, Die Zwölf Tafeln, 1.27, n. 5.)
[G.L] [E.A.W]