An xml version of this text is available for download, with the additional restriction that you offer perseus any modifications you make. This penguin classics edition is translated with an introduction by betty radice. Gaius plinius caecilius secundus, born gaius caecilius or gaius caecilius cilo 61 c. An object in possession seldom retains the same charm that it had in pursuit.
Perseus provides credit for all accepted changes, storing new additions in a versioning system. Gibson and ruth morello frontmatter more information contents acknowledgements page ix list of abbreviations xi map. I have now made a collection, not keeping to the original order as i was not writing history, but taking them as they came to my hand. Letters of pliny the younger to the historian tacitus. Chapter 2 undertakes detailed study of book 6 as an artistic entity. You have often urged me to collect and publish any letters of mine which were composed with some care. Fresh doubts on authenticity of plinys letter about the. 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. Pliny the younger, latin in full gaius plinius caecilius secundus, born 6162 ce, comum italydied c.
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. The editing of plinys natural history brepols online. Librivox recording of the natural history, volume 3, by pliny the elder. Chapters 4 to 7 study thematic letter cycles within the collection, including those on. Roman literary life book 1, letter 1 pliny has accepited his friends advice and collected some of his letters for publication. 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. These letters are a unique testimony of roman administrative history and everyday life in the 1st century.
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 field of ancient knowledge, based on the best. Some months afterwards, in 1473, another edition of the latin text was published in. Pliny the younger was governor of pontusbithynia from 1111 ad. Ancestor of all the 10 book mss, and originally complete. This final book was, significantly, not intended for publication. 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. Crop of pliny the younger and his mother at misenum, 79 ad, by angelica kauffmann 1785. 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. Pliny was a civil servant who served as governor of bithynia, in the north of asia minor modern turkey, from 1111 ad. Nonfiction harvard classics pliny the younger letters. Book 10 of pliny the youngers letters consist of his correspondence with the emperor trajan when he was governor. He was the governor in the roman province of bithynia modern day turkey when a number of christians were brought into his court. Sep 16, 2012 trajans reply to the letter by pliny from 2 days ago.
The historians request this post belongs to a serialized translation and commentary of pliny the youngers letters 6. Chapter 1 traces plinys autobiographical narrative throughout the letters. 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. Victor in paris in 1500, where it was collated and foliated, and still complete then. Here he met christians for the first time and was not sure how they should be dealt with. Gaius plinius caecilius secundus, usually known as pliny the younger, was born at como in 62 a. An application of a profilebased method for authorship verification. Selections from plinys letters by pliny the younger. 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. Trajans reply to the letter by pliny from 2 days ago.
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. This work is licensed under a creative commons attributionsharealike 3. One of the famous seven hills upon which rome was situated. Primary sources letters of pliny the younger and the. His family consists of three children two of which are sons, whom he. Investigating the authenticity of pliny the youngers letter to trajan concerning the christians.
These letters concern an episode which marks the first time the roman government recognized christianity as a. My dear tacitus, you ask me to write you something about the death of my uncle so that the account you transmit. Letters of pliny by pliny the younger free at loyal books. Murgia, plinys letters and the dialo gus, hscp 89 1985. 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. 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.
Pliny book 3, letter 2 english translation pliny book 3, letter 2. Superest ut nec te consilii nec me paeniteat obsequii. The horrid barbarity which the slaves of larcius macedo, a person of praetorian rank, lately exercised upon their. Free kindle book and epub digitized and proofread by project gutenberg. Like the ceo, trajan replies succinctly with his decisions. See also lilian armstrong, the illustration of plinys historia naturalis. Literature was taken much more seriously in the time of the emperor. These are like corporate emails and i found them fascinating. 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. Reading the letters of pliny the younger an introduction. Book 1, letter 3 pliny is shocked that the people walk out in the middle of recitations.
Some months afterwards, in 1473, another edition of the latin text was. Go, wanton muse, but go with care, nor meet, illtimd, my plinys ear. 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. Like the director of an overseas subsidiary, pliny writes to trajan for advice and direction. Pliny the younger married three times, firstly, when he was very young about 18, to a stepdaughter of veccius proculus, who.
Plinys uncle, pliny the elder, helped raise and educate him. In the year 112, pliny the younger was faced with a dilemma. Letters of pliny, by gaius plinius caecilius secundus. 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. Oup corrected proof final, 04072016, spi vi preface. For examples see blavis 1491 for capitula in capital letters, zani 1496 for. Sep 01, 2001 free kindle book and epub digitized and proofread by project gutenberg. Collegi non servato temporis ordine neque enim historiam componebam, sed ut quaeque in manus 2 venerat. Plinii caecilii secundi epistularum liber primus i c.
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, and provided sketches of how his uncle worked on. Utf8 start of this project gutenberg ebook the natural history of pliny produced by turgut dincer, tony browne, stephen rowland and. Go, wanton muse, but go with care, nor meet, illtimd, my pliny s ear. Ideo dilata cognitione, ad consulendum te decucurri. Pliny s letter is the earliest pagan account to refer to early christians and provides a key description of roman administrative process and problems. 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. Letters of pliny the younger and the emperor trajan. Pliny the younger wrote hundreds of letters, of which 247 survive and are of great historical value. Plinys letter to trajan christian history institute. Pliny the younger, nephew of the great naturalist pliny the elder, was a roman orator. It is no disparagement to hollands merits, as a diligent and generally faithful translator, to say that his work is unsuited to the requirements of the nineteenth century. The content of this section of the letters evolves over time.
Letter xcvi is plinys famous letter concerning the christians. Naturalis historia latin for natural history is an encyclopedia published circa ad 7779 by pliny the elder. Book i the letters of pliny book i i to septicius clarus 1. He used to say that there was no book so bad that it was not useful at some point. The project gutenberg ebook of letters of pliny, by pliny this ebook is for the use of.
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. Multi enim omnis aetatis, omnis ordinis, utriusque sexus etiam vocantur in periculum et vocabuntur. The only translation of pliny s natural history which has hitherto appeared in the english language is that by philemon holland, published in the latter part of the reign of elizabeth. You have constantly urged me to collect and publish the more highly finished of the letters that i may have written. The route taken by pliny the elder in his rescue mission during the eruption. Pliny hoped to squelch this dangerous superstition. 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.
Those that give details of plinys life at his country villas are important. The style is very different from that in the panegyricus, and some commentators maintain that pliny initiated a new genre. Other letters include a ghost story, a story about a dolphin, descriptions of plinys villa, and plinys opinions on legacyhunting, the treatment of slaves and the decline in respect for orators. 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 epistulae are later copies of a series of personal missives by pliny the younger directed to his friends and associates. Originally intended as letters for historian tacitus, to describe and perhaps glorify the. 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 accurate account some 25 years later. Click on the l symbols to go the latin text of each letter. The letters of the younger pliny by 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. Here pliny dictates his most famous letter as he and his mother observe the eruption of vesuvius. See key to translations for an explanation of the format. Pliny is shocked that the people walk out in the middle of recitations.
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. 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 project gutenberg ebook of the natural history of. Literature was taken much more seriously in the time of the emperor claudius. A prominent lawyer and administrator, pliny was also a prolific letterwriter, who numbered among his correspondents such. We have a whole set of exchanges of his letters with the emperor trajan on a variety of administrative political matters. Pliny book 1, letter 1 english translation pliny book 1, letter 1. Chronologically, it is suggested that books 1 to 3 were written between 97 and 102. Plinius caecilius secundus, gaius catalogus translationum et. 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. Visa est enim mihi res digna consultatione, maxime propter periclitantium numerum. Firth 1900 a few words and phrases have been modified.