[Iustiniani Institutiones]

...have been enumerated and collected. If anyone has united against these things which we have said, neither husband nor wife, nor nuptials, nor marriage, nor dowry original: "dos" is understood.

Therefore, those who are born from such a union are not in the power of the father; rather, such persons, as far as paternal power pertains, are like those whom a mother has conceived commonly original: "vulgo". For these are not understood to have a father, since their father is uncertain. Whence they are accustomed to be called spurii illegitimate children, either from the Greek word spandon conceived without a father, or as children without a father. It follows, therefore, that with such a union dissolved, there is no place for the exaction of a dowry. Those who contract prohibited nuptials suffer other penalties which are contained in the sacred constitutions. Sometimes, however, it happens that children who, as soon as they are born, are not in the power of their parents, are afterward reduced into the power of the father. Such is he who, while he was natural original: "naturalis", is afterward given to the authority of the father by the court; and likewise he who is born of a free woman, whose marriage had been in no way forbidden by the laws, but to whom the father had been accustomed, afterward, by our constitution, with dotal instruments original: "dotalibus instrumentis" composed, is made to be in the power of the father. Our constitution has similarly prohibited this for other children who might be born from the same marriage afterward.

Not only, however, are natural children, according to those things which we have said, in our power, but also those whom we adopt.

Adoption original: "Adopcio", moreover, is done in two ways: either by the prince's rescript an imperial decision or by the authority of the magistrate. By the authority of the Emperor, one is able to adopt those...