 In order for the law to do so the right of way or easement needs to have been enjoyed without force, without secrecy, and without permission for a period of time, usually 20 years.The phrase originates in Roman law, appearing in the form "neque ui neque clam neque precario" in line 18 of the Lex Agraria on the Tabula Bembina, a statute passed in 111 BC.The maxim appears to have been a widely recurring rider to the definition of property rights based on "possessio" (the form of interest in land arising from exercise of control, capable of maturing into ownership or "dominium").