in the civil law, with us ordinarily called disinheritings, is the father's excluding his son from inheriting his estate.

There are 14 causes of exheredation expressed in Justinian's Novel; without some one of which causes, he decrees the exheredation null, and the testament invalidious, as the civilians call it. Indeed, by the ancient Roman law, the father might pronounce exheredation without any cause; but the rigour of this law was restrained and moderated by Justinian.