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. Letters of pliny by pliny the younger free at loyal books. Deducit quadriremes, ascendit ipse non rectinae modo sed multis erat enim frequens amoenitas orae laturus auxilium. Letters of pliny the younger and the emperor trajan.
These letters concern an episode which marks the first time the roman. The younger pliny was born in 61 or 62 ce, the son of lucius caecilius of comum como and the elder plinys sister. Ce, carefully composed, arranged, and published, seem to have been intended as a distinctive contribution to the use of the epistolary form for literary, historical, political, social, and ethical purposes. Nine books have led us from dawn to dusk, and now the day is. 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. 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. The style is very different from that in the panegyricus, and some commentators. Trajans reply to the letter by pliny from 2 days ago. 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. 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. Chapter 1 traces pliny s autobiographical narrative throughout the letters. The letters are a series of personal missives by pliny the younger directed to his friends and associates. 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 younger pliny was born in 61 or 62 ce, the son of lucius caecilius of comum como and the elder pliny s sister.
He was at misenum at the time of the eruption of vesuvius in 79 described in two famous letters when the elder pliny died. Nihil novum nihil varium, nihil quod non semel spectasse sufficiat. Pliny started his career at the roman bar at the age of eighteen. 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.
Mynors 1963, in the bibliotheca augustana pliny was born in comum in 61 or 62 a. You have constantly urged me to collect and publish the more highly finished of the letters that i may have written. 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. Here pliny dictates his most famous letter as he and his mother observe the eruption of vesuvius. The comments at the bottom of the letters have been added from various sources. Pliny, the younger is also know as plinius caecilius secundus, gaius. This final book was, significantly, not intended for publication. Gibson and ruth morello frontmatter more information acknowledgements this book began as a conversation on a train on the way back from a conference in 1998. Nine books of the letters of pliny the younger gaius plinius caecilius secundus, 61112.
Perseus provides credit for all accepted changes, storing new additions in a versioning system. But, with the receipt of pliny s letter, tacitus evidently was intrigued with pliny s closing comment. His letters are arranged in ten books, of which the tenth consists entirely of letters to and from the emperor trajan. The letters of pliny the younger gaius plinius caecilius secundus are presented here in the english translation by j.
This post belongs to a serialized translation and commentary of pliny the youngers letters 6. See key to translations for an explanation of the format. Definitely recommended to those who are interested in looking into our ancient past. It would be more arrogant to assume that people will remember you even if you do not record your deeds on your tomb. Circenses erant, quo genere spectaculi ne levissime quidem teneor. 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. Their ultimate source is a fragmentary inscription cil v 1 3442 found in a field in. The blog posts about the vesuvius eruption are on hold while i complete my book, pliny and the destruction of vesuvius routledge, 2021. This letter is usually mentioned as part of a collection of evidence since citations from multiple sources help to build the weight of the claim. Pliny, the younger betty radice the letters of pliny c. Pliny adds in conclusion, he and his mother his uncles sister had remained at misenuma fact, pliny tells tacitus, of no historical interest nor, for that matter, of relevance since tacitus had inquired only about his uncles death 6. With an english translation by william melmoth, rev.
Primary sources letters of pliny the younger and the. Choose from 500 different sets of latin pliny 6 1 flashcards on quizlet. Pliny is the discovery of the most longrange of intratexts and most powerful of closural devices, that the name of the addressee of the. Pliny the younger, nephew of the great naturalist pliny the. But, with the receipt of plinys letter, tacitus evidently was intrigued with plinys closing comment. Jan 06, 2014 in the last pages of book 36, pliny introduces the subject of glass by describing the relatively recent decorative technique of tiling vaulted ceilings with glass mosaics. The loeb classical library edition of pliny the younger is in two volumes. 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. Letters of pliny, by gaius plinius caecilius secundus. The first reference to plinys own activities as a poet is to be found in book 4, which sherwinwhite dates to 1045 ad6. Pliny the younger, the roman governor of bithynia and pontus now in modern turkey wrote a letter to emperor trajan around ad 112 and asked for counsel on dealing with the early christian community.
Short biographies of the elder and younger pliny, setting the context for the vesuvian letters two letters. Pliny s letter is the earliest pagan account to refer to early christians and provides a key description of roman administrative process and problems. These letters are a unique testimony of roman administrative history and everyday life in the 1st century. An unsuspected shared enthusiasm for pliny led to a. Book 9, letter 6 pliny cannot understand why so many romans waste their time going to the chariotraces. Melmonths translation of plinys letters, was first pub. Neither the younger nor the elder pliny mention the names. The text of books i to ix of the letters rests on three manuscript traditions, the 9 book, the 10book and the 8book, known as. When i am up, i continue to keep the shutters of my chamber windows closed. Letters of pliny by pliny the younger nook book ebook. This work is licensed under a creative commons attributionsharealike 3.
The letters of the younger pliny by pliny the younger, 9780140441277, available at book depository with free delivery worldwide. Mynors 1963, in the bibliotheca augustana pliny was born in comum in. Pliny saw himself as a writer and you can see that in his carefully thoughtout pleasing phrases and sentences. Pliny scorns the more scientific grrek medicine, because many doctors would be quacks, and extols old roman treatments which worked on faith alone, though there was a lot of credulity going round, so some probably worked. You desire to know in what manner i dispose of my day in summer time at my tuscan villa. At this time, pliny already had reached the peak of his political career. I bought this as an extra book to help me in the final year of my open university history ba. The younger pliny was born in 61 or 62 ce, the son of lucius caeci. Book 9, letter 19 pliny justifies the boastful tombstone of his friend, verginius rufus. The epistulae are later copies of a series of personal missives by pliny the younger directed to his friends and associates. The letter has been admired as a good piece of reporting and is frequently mentioned in studies on roman slavery as evidence for. Then he recounts a fablelike tale about the discovery of glass, which takes place on the glistening sands along the belus river near mt.
You will ask how that can possibly be in the midst of rome. An xml version of this text is available for download, with the additional restriction that you offer perseus any modifications you make. 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. Brave glaucus then each narrow thought resignd, jove warmd his bosom, and enlargd his mind for diomeds brass arms, of mean device, for which nine oxen paid a vulgar price, he gave his own, of gold divinely wrought, a hundred beeves the shining purchase bought. Pliny the younger relates the suffering of macedo and the subsequent executions in epistles 3.
Crop of pliny the younger and his mother at misenum, 79 ad, by angelica kauffmann 1785. A reconstruction of the transmission history of epp. This was a delightful read, with much that is quotable. A prominent lawyer and administrator, pliny was also a prolific letterwriter, who numbered among his. These letters concern an episode which marks the first time the roman government recognized christianity as a. Click on the l symbols to go the latin text of each letter. Learn latin pliny 6 1 with free interactive flashcards. Note on the text the text of books i to ix of the letters rests on three manuscript traditions, the 9 book, the 10book and the 8book, known as. In the last pages of book 36, pliny introduces the subject of glass by describing the relatively recent decorative technique of tiling vaulted ceilings with glass mosaics. Plinys letter has been cited as evidence for the historicity of jesus, one of the best known examples of that being by josh mcdowell. Pliny, martial and regulus, or the problem of lacking approval in lifetime scholars usually date book 1 9 of the letters to the period of 96108 ad5.
The numbering of the letters in this book has been changed slightly to bring it into line with the most recent editions. Nov 30, 2010 pliny s letter has been cited as evidence for the historicity of jesus, one of the best known examples of that being by josh mcdowell. The style is very different from that in the panegyricus, and some commentators maintain that pliny initiated a new genre. Firth 1900 a few words and phrases have been modified. 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. 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. Gaius plinius caecilius secundus, usually known as pliny the younger, was born at como in 62 a. I have spent these several days past among my papers with the most pleasing tranquillity imaginable. He was educated at home and then in rome under quintilian. I had hoped that it would help with a particular assignment but sadly it didnt. Page 366 thus having said, the gallant chiefs alight, their hands they join, their mutual faith they plight. I know that immortal fame awaits him if his death is recorded by you. The last was written during his tour of administration of bithynia, during which he may well have died.
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