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. Manuscripts of the epistulae fall into three families. The epistulae are later copies of a series of personal missives by pliny the younger directed to his friends and associates. Chapter 2 undertakes detailed study of book 6 as an artistic entity. Pliny started his career at the roman bar at the age of eighteen. Gibson, reading the letters of sidonius by the book, in j. This work is licensed under a creative commons attributionsharealike 3. Roman literary life book 1, letter 1 pliny has accepited his friends advice and collected some of his letters for publication. I cant remember ever passing the time so pleasantly as i did on my recent visit to spurinna.
Neither the younger nor the elder pliny mention the names. Pliny the younger author of the letters of the younger pliny. Fresh doubts on authenticity of plinys letter about the. Firth 1900 a few words and phrases have been modified. He was at misenum at the time of the eruption of vesuvius in 79 described in two famous letters when the elder pliny died. Literature was taken much more seriously in the time of the emperor claudius. The letters of the younger pliny the letters of pliny the. Pliny s natural history, either directly or indirectly through quotes by later authors, greatly influenced the development of the bestiary and other medieval beast literature. Keil with a commentary, and a life of pliny 1880 9781164919650. Providing a series of fascinating views of imperial rome, the letters of the younger pliny also offer one of the fullest selfportraits to survive from classical times.
He, by sage minerva taught, gives the day to studious thought, and plans that eloquence divine, which shall to future ages shine, and rival, wondrous tully. Lefkowitz fannia was granddaughter of the famous arria the elder, a stoic, who committed suicide when her husband, caecina paetus, was condemned to death in a. Those that give details of plinys life at his country villas are important. Mar 22, 2012 chapter 1 traces plinys autobiographical narrative throughout the letters. Plinii caecilii secundi epistularum liber primus i c. Their ultimate source is a fragmentary inscription cil v 1 3442 found in a field in. Choose from 500 different sets of pliny letter tacitus flashcards on quizlet. Roman senator and writer, gaius plinius caecilius secundus otherwise known as pliny the younger, who was seventeen years old at the time of the eruption, had witnessed the vesuvius eruption of 79 ad from the home of his uncle in misenum and managed to write a very. The horrid barbarity which the slaves of larcius macedo, a person of praetorian rank, lately exercised upon their master, is so extremely tragical, that it deserves to be the subject of something more considerable than a private letter. The letters of the younger pliny pliny the younger.
Note on the text the text of books i to ix of the letters rests on three manuscript traditions, the 9 book, the 10 book and the 8 book, known as. The letters of the younger pliny have come down to us in 10 books, 9 of his personal letters, and book 10 containing his official correspondence with the emperor trajan. The route taken by pliny the elder in his rescue mission during the eruption. Pliny s letters made me realise how superficial and clicheridden my. Kindle ebooks can be read on any device with the free kindle app. Pliny was a civil servant who served as governor of bithynia, in the north of asia minor modern turkey, from 1111 ad. The letters of the younger pliny penguin classics pdf. The text of books i to ix of the letters rests on three manuscript traditions, the 9 book, the 10 book and the 8 book, known as. You have constantly urged me to collect and publish the more highly finished of the letters that i may have written.
Book 1, letter 3 pliny is shocked that the people walk out in the middle of recitations. The younger pliny was born in 61 or 62 ce, the son of lucius caecilius of comum como and the elder pliny s sister. Regulus but soon redeemed by the consular success of book 3. Letters of pliny, by gaius plinius caecilius secundus. 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 elders most popular book is natural history. Naturalis historia is a book about the whole of the natural world in latin by pliny the elder, a roman author and naval commander who died in 79 ad. I know that immortal fame awaits him if his death is recorded by you. Gaius plinius caecilius secundus, born gaius caecilius or gaius caecilius cilo 61 ad ca. A witness to the eruption of vesuvius, pliny the younger 61 1 ad was a successful politician, public servant, and advisor to the emperor trajan.
Definitely recommended to those who are interested in looking into our ancient past. Gibson and ruth morello frontmatter more information contents acknowledgements page ix list of abbreviations xi map. The loeb classical library edition of pliny the younger is in two volumes. Go, wanton muse, but go with care, nor meet, illtimd, my pliny s ear. Learn pliny letter tacitus with free interactive flashcards. Sep 16, 2012 trajans reply to the letter by pliny from 2 days ago. The findings of this analysis tend to contradict received opinion among modern scholars, affirming the authenticity of plinys letter, and suggest instead the presence of large amounts of interpolation inside the text of the letter, since its stylistic behaviour appears highly different from that of the rest of book x. Chapter 1 traces plinys autobiographical narrative throughout the letters.
Pliny the younger was governor of pontusbithynia from 1111 ad. These letters concern an episode which marks the first time the roman government recognized christianity as a. The pliny and trajan correspondence as a church industry forgery. The letters of the younger pliny are a good source to look into during this period of roman history to see the dangers and excitement in which these people lived there certainly was a lot of it. Some are addressed to reigning emperors or to notables such as the historian tacitus. Primary sources letters of pliny the younger and the. Librivox recording of the natural history, volume 3, by pliny the elder. Superest ut nec te consilii nec me paeniteat obsequii. I have made such a collection, but without preserving the order in which they were. 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. The letters of the younger pliny penguin classics ashen sky. See key to translations for an explanation of the format.
Pliny has a gift for description and a versatile prose style, and more than any of his contemporaries he gives an unprejudiced picture of rome as he knew it. Gaius plinius secundus 23 ad august 25, 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. The letters of pliny the younger gaius plinius caecilius secundus are presented here in the english translation by j. Chapter 1 traces pliny s autobiographical narrative throughout the letters. The last was written during his tour of administration of bithynia, during which he may well have died. Page 80 during dinner a book was read to him, and he made notes upon it as it went on. An ancient account of this disaster is preserved in the letters of pliny the younger, a latin author who was an. These letters are a unique testimony of roman administrative history and everyday life in the 1st century. Pliny s uncle, pliny the elder, helped raise and educate him and they were both witnesses to. An xml version of this text is available for download, with the additional restriction that you offer perseus any modifications you make. This was a delightful read, with much that is quotable. The style is very different from that in the panegyricus, and some commentators maintain that pliny initiated a new genre.
It is one of the largest single works to have survived from the roman empire to the modern day and purports to cover the entire. Pliny s letter is the earliest pagan account to refer to early christians and provides a key description of roman administrative process and problems. Correspondence, latin letters, translations into english, latin authors, omens, translations into finnish, biography. Pliny the elder has 277 books on goodreads with 3804 ratings. Pliny the younger, latin in full gaius plinius caecilius secundus, born 6162 ce, comum italydied c. This comprehensive general commentary on the nine books of the younger plinys private letterswhich cover nearly aspect of roman life except warfareoffers a selfcontained discussion of each letter or group of associated letters and their rich array of information about the authors social, political, and legal life and times.
Especially noteworthy among the letters are two in which he describes the eruption of mount vesuvius in august 79, during which his uncle pliny the elder died 65 and 66 in this edition, and one in which he asks the emperor for instructions regarding official policy concerning christians trajan letter 97. His ample works have been collected in eight volumes in 4to. Pliny s letters provide a fascinating insight into roman life in the period 97 to 112 ad. Here he met christians for the first time and was not sure how they should be dealt with. Letters of pliny the younger and the emperor trajan. Pliny book 1, letter 1 english translation pliny book 1, letter 1.
Pliny, the elder, gaius plinius secundus ad 2379, a roman of equestrian rank of transpadane gaul n. Pliny saw himself as a writer and you can see that in his carefully thoughtout pleasing phrases and sentences. Plinys career as a young man is very fully described in the earlier letters, which include tributes to notable figures such as marcus valerius martialis, plinys protege 3. We have a whole set of exchanges of his letters with the emperor trajan on a variety of administrative political matters. Admittedly, the summit of the societal pyramid in 2nd century rome was populated by a. Complete letters ebook by pliny the younger rakuten kobo.
As pliny suspected, it did not satisfy tacitus curiosity, because the historian requested a followon. Learn pliny letter translation with free interactive flashcards. 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. Pompeii as it was on that fateful day, whereas all the other cities in this book are only partial survivals, with buildings and other evidence often belonging. In short, the letters of pliny the younger give us a picture of social life as it was in the closing years of the first, and the opening years of the second century of the christian era, which is as fascinating as it is absolutely unique. Pliny s 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 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. You have to wait until the end of the book to see the breezy roman way he makes the decision to execute a couple of christian women. Jan 16, 2006 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. Pliny was a compiler, a gatherer and recorder of information.
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. It is one of the largest single works to have survived from the roman empire to the modern day and purports to. Read complete letters by pliny the younger available from rakuten kobo. He pursued a career partly military in germany, partly administrative in gaul and spain under the emperor vespasian, and became prefect of. Keil with a commentary, and a life of pliny 1880 at. The letters of the younger pliny by pliny the younger. Pliny the younger wrote hundreds of letters, of which 247 survive and are of great historical value. 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.
Naturalis historia latin for natural history is an encyclopedia published circa ad 7779 by pliny the elder. I remember one of his friends once stopping the reader, who had pronounced a word incorrectly, and making him repeat it. Pliny book 3, letter 2 english translation pliny book 3, letter 2. Perseus provides credit for all accepted changes, storing new additions in a versioning system. Choose from 500 different sets of pliny letter translation flashcards on quizlet. The zoology chapters books 8 to 11 are frequently quoted, though pliny is not always acknowledged as the. Advice is offered to friends, references are given, political support is discussed and pliny comments on many other aspects of roman life, using established literary. Chronologically, it is suggested that books 1 to 3 were written between 97 and 102. 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. Collegi non servato temporis ordine neque enim historiam componebam, sed ut quaeque in manus 2 venerat. Book i 2 book ii 78 book iii 158 book iv 242 book v.
Click on the l symbols to go the latin text of each letter. The content of this section of the letters evolves over time. The letters of the younger pliny by pliny the younger, 9780140441277, available at book depository with free delivery worldwide. What emerges from this book is a panoramic picture of a world that is not even very different from our own. This is the first general introduction to pliny s letters published in any language, combining close readings with broader context and adopting a fresh and innovative approach to reading the letters as an artistically structured collection. Pliny s dates are pinned to the eruption of mount vesuvius in ad 79 and a statement of his nephew that he died in his 56th year, which would put his birth in ad 23 or 24 pliny was the son of an equestrian gaius plinius celer and his wife marcella. He was educated at home and then in rome under quintilian. Letters of pliny by pliny the younger free at loyal books. Selected letters internet history sourcebooks project. Plinys letter to trajan christian history institute.
945 233 887 1466 75 1331 289 1469 1162 284 621 867 1306 276 317 48 500 31 1039 61 20 1156 1285 154 140 284 781 763 1304 766 250