These posts are part of a book project that intends to understand the scholarly and popular reception of those letters. Pliny to cornelius tacitus thank you for asking me to send you a description of my uncles death so that you can leave an accurate account of it for posterity1. Proconsul of pontus and bithynia and persecutor of the christians there. Letters of pliny, by gaius plinius caecilius secundus. This edition, the first to address a complete book of epistles in over a century, presents a latin text together with an introduction and commentary intended for. Pliny the youngers nine book epistles is a masterpiece of roman prose. Chapter 1 traces plinys autobiographical narrative throughout the letters. Free kindle book and epub digitized and proofread by project gutenberg. There follows the commentary in about 440 pages on books i to ix. Selections from plinys letters by pliny the younger. Plinys uncle, pliny the elder, helped raise and educate him and they were both witnesses to the eruption of vesuvius on 24 august 79 ad. Often mined as a historical and pedagogical sourcebook, this collection of private letters is now finding recognition as a rich and rewarding work in its own right. He was a student of the famous rhetorician, quintillian, and gained fame early as a lawyer, esp.
The style is very different from that in the panegyricus, and some commentators maintain that pliny initiated a new genre. Selected letters internet history sourcebooks project. This work is licensed under a creative commons attributionsharealike 3. In the letter he discusses bad manners at roman dinner parties. This post belongs to a serialized translation and commentary of pliny the youngers letters 6.
Note on the text the text of books i to ix of the letters rests on three manuscript traditions, the 9book, the 10book and the 8book, known as. You have constantly urged me to collect and publish the more highly finished of the letters that i may have written. I have spent these several days past among my papers with the most pleasing tranquillity imaginable. The works subject area is thus not limited to what is today understood by natural history. The letters of pliny the younger pliny the younger, lawyer, author, and magistrate of. Dec 06, 2012 this begins a series of posts that will translate and comment upon pliny the youngers two letters 6. He was only eight years old when his father, caecilius, died, and he was adopted by his. Gaius plinius caecilius secundus, usually known as pliny the younger, was born at como in 62 a.
Perseus provides credit for all accepted changes, storing new additions in a versioning system. Mynors 1963, in the bibliotheca augustana pliny was born in comum in 61 or 62 a. For example, the pairs of letters in book 6 to calpurnia and about vesuvius. Dear acilius, 1 a terrible thing, worthy of more than just a letter, has been suffered at the hands of his slaves by larcius macedo, a man of praetorian rank, a haughty and savage master who remembered too little or rather too well that his own father had been a slave. You will ask how that can possibly be in the midst of rome. Plinys letters provide valuable information about his contemporaries. Pliny himself defines his scope as the natural world, or life. Circenses erant, quo genere spectaculi ne levissime quidem teneor. He was educated at home and then in rome under quintilian. Pliny the younger, or gaius plinius caecilius secundus, was the nephew and adopted son of pliny the elder, the author of the famous and importantly influential natural history in thirtyseven. An xml version of this text is available for download, with the additional restriction that you offer perseus any modifications you make. As an orator and a writer, pliny sought to emulate cicero, and the result was a series of highly literary letters that now offer insightful discussions of imperial life and political issuesincluding the persecution of early christians, which pliny had a direct role in. Vesuvius in ad 79the disaster that buried pompeii, herculaneum, and other sites.
I have observed in the bodleian library summary catalogue, 16894. Someone sleep came to readily, not unheardof fo quit, right in the. Letters of pliny by pliny the younger full audio book. Cunctatus paulum an retro flecteret, mox gubernatori ut ita faceret monenti fortes inquit fortuna iuvat. The letters of the younger pliny by pliny the younger.
Nihil novum nihil varium, nihil quod non semel spectasse sufficiat. It would be a long story, and of no importance, were i to recount too particularly by what accident i who am not at all fond of society supped lately with a person, who in his own opinion lives in splendour combined with economy. Sep 01, 2001 free kindle book and epub digitized and proofread by project gutenberg. These letters are a unique testimony of roman administrative history and everyday life in the 1st century. The letters of pliny the younger gaius plinius caecilius secundus are presented here in the english translation by j. Satrius rutus spoke next, and, meaning to steer a middle course, expressed himself with considerable ambiguity.
The project gutenberg ebook of letters of pliny, by pliny this ebook is for the use of. Naturalis historia naturalis historia, 1669 edition, title page. Learn pliny letter translation with free interactive flashcards. They thus lack the spontaneity of ciceros impulsive utterances, but to most modern readers who are not special students of roman history they are even more interesting. This begins a series of posts that will translate and comment upon pliny the youngers two letters 6. It is one of the largest single works to have survived from the roman empire to the modern day and purports to cover all ancient knowledge. Firth 1900 a few words and phrases have been modified. The letters of pliny the younger ebook by pliny the. Choose from 500 different sets of pliny letter translation flashcards on quizlet. This penguin classics edition is translated with an introduction by betty radice. Pliny the elder simple english wikipedia, the free. Click on the l symbols to go the latin text of each letter.
William melmoth in harvard classics series introductory note. Chapter 1 traces pliny s autobiographical narrative throughout the letters. The letters of the younger pliny penguin classics by pliny the younger and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. See key to translations for an explanation of the format. It is true that he perished in a catastrophe which. Author pliny the elder country ancient rome subject natural history, ethnography, art, sculpture, mining, mineralogy genre encyclopaedia, popular science the natural history is a work by pliny the elder. He was the grandson of senator and landowner gaius caecilius, revered his uncle, pliny the elder who at this time was extremely famous around the roman empire. The younger pliny was born in 61 or 62 ce, the son of lucius caecilius of comum como and the elder plinys sister. You would have heard the wails of women, the shrieks of infants, shouts gaius plinius caecilius secundus, born gaius caecilius or gaius caecilius cilo 61 ad ca. Just then, a friend of my uncles, who had lately come to him from spain, joined us, and observing me sitting by my mother with a book in.
Mar 22, 2012 chapter 1 traces pliny s autobiographical narrative throughout the letters. He was only eight years old when his father, caecilius, died, and he was adopted by his uncle, the elder pliny, author of the natural history. Gaius plinius secundus 23 ad 25 august 79 ad, better known as pliny the elder, was a roman author, naturalist, and natural philosopher, as well as naval and army commander of the early roman empire, and personal friend of the emperor vespasian spending most of his spare time studying, writing or investigating natural and geographic phenomena in the field, he wrote an encyclopedic work. A poodcast beard booze and barbecues show calvary chapel greenwood chill theorys hcvc sermons. The epistulae are later copies of a series of personal missives by pliny the younger directed to his friends and associates. An anxious night this post belongs to a serialized translation and commentary of pliny the youngers letters 6. While this book does contain a lot of first hand information about life in imperial rome especially the legal system and the elaborate network of favors, obligations, and patronage in the senatorial class its not especially readable, being a collection of letters written. They document politics, social life, religion, the educational system, the treatment of slaves and include a vivid description of the eruption of vesuvius. Read the letters of pliny the younger by pliny the younger available from rakuten kobo.
Starting with the index in pliny chapter 2 the roman paratext. I know that immortal fame awaits him if his death is recorded by you. Pliny served as an imperial magistrate under trajan reigned 98117, and his letters to trajan provide one of the few surviving records of the relationship between the imperial office and provincial governors. Plinys lively and very personal letters address an astonishing range of topics, from a deeply moving account of his uncles death in the eruption that engulfed pompeii, to observations on the early christiansa desperate. Pliny the younger encyclopedia of the bible bible gateway. Plinys letters provide a fascinating insight into roman life in the period 97 to 112 ad.
He was a student of the famous rhetorician, quintillian, and gained fame early as a. Nov 26, 2012 dramatis personae this post belongs to a serialized translation and commentary of pliny the youngers letters 6. Pliny the younger was governor of pontusbithynia from 1111 ad. The letters, on which today his fame mainly rests, were largely written with a view to publication, and were arranged by pliny himself. Pliny the younger was born in novum comum como, northern italy around 61 ad, the son of lucius caecilius cilo, born there, and his wife plinia marcella, a sister of pliny the elder. Thank you for asking me to send you a description of my uncles death so that you can leave an accurate account of it for posterity1. While this book does contain a lot of first hand information about life in imperial rome especially the legal system and the elaborate network of favors, obligations, and patronage in the senatorial class its not especially readable, being a collection of letters written by pliny and, near the end, by the emperor trajan to pliny. Finally there was his wifes estate in campania, which is pretty far down the heel of the italian peninsula. This final book was, significantly, not intended for publication. The text of books i to ix of the letters rests on three manuscript traditions, the 9book, the 10book and the 8book, known as.
He was at misenum at the time of the eruption of vesuvius in 79 described in two. His letters are arranged in ten books, of which the tenth consists entirely of. Some are addressed to reigning emperors or to notables such as the historian tacitus. We have a whole set of exchanges of his letters with the emperor trajan on a variety of administrative political matters. He was at misenum at the time of the eruption of vesuvius in 79 described in two famous letters when the elder pliny died. The second book is a typically varied yet taut suite of miniatures, including among its twenty letters the trial of marius priscus and plinys famous portrait of his laurentine villa. The identification of the tribune nigrinus of 105 epp. Pliny s letters provide a fascinating insight into roman life in the period 97 to 112 ad.
Letters of pliny by pliny the younger full audio book great. The letters of the younger pliny by pliny the younger goodreads. The epistulae are later copies of a series of personal missives by pliny the younger directed to. The nephew and adopted son of the anthologist and natural historian pliny the elder, he was born in a. The relationship of the elder plinys prefatory letter to the main body of the natural. Complete letters ebook by pliny the younger rakuten kobo. A prominent lawyer and administrator, pliny was also a prolific letterwriter, who. Chapter 2 undertakes detailed study of book 6 as an artistic entity. The letters of the younger pliny are the chief contemporary source. Volume i of the natural history of gaius plinius secundus. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. The younger pliny was born in 61 or 62 ce, the son of lucius caecilius of comum como and the elder pliny s sister. Pliny the younger wrote hundreds of letters, of which 247 survive and are of great historical value.
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