Plinys letter to trajan christian history institute. She enjoyed till her last sickness an uninterrupted state of health, with a strength and firmness of body unusual even to matrons in their prime. Click on the l symbols to go the latin text of each letter. The epistulae are later copies of a series of personal missives by pliny the younger directed to his friends and associates. This book is compiled nicely, and without wordiness which can make studies of ancient rome dull. The style is very different from that in the panegyricus, and some commentators maintain that pliny initiated a new genre. Moreover pliny does historians the great favor of describing what he has discovered about the way christians worshipped. Librivox recording of letters of pliny by pliny the younger. Natural history, book 7 by pliny 17 editions published between 2005 and 2016 in english and held by 1,245 worldcat member libraries worldwide. The younger pliny was born in 61 or 62 ce, the son of lucius caecilius of comum como and the elder pliny s sister. The letters of the younger pliny book by pliny the younger. This comprehensive general commentary on the nine books of the younger pliny s 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. Pliny the elders most popular book is natural history.
Top american libraries canadian libraries universal library community texts project gutenberg biodiversity heritage library childrens library. Pliny the elder, roman savant and author of the celebrated natural history, an encyclopedic work of uneven accuracy that was an authority on scientific matters up to the middle ages. The younger plinys account of this therefore should be read with caution. We have an account, also, of the arimaspi in solinus, very nearly in the words of pliny. The text of books i to ix of the letters rests on three manuscript traditions, the 9book, the 10book and the 8book, known as. The numbering of the letters in this book has been changed slightly to bring it into line with the most recent editions. My uncle, pliny the elder, died in a terrible incident which also left our region in ruins. Pliny book 7, letter 9 english translation pliny book 7, letter 9 latin text pliny book 8, letter 21 english translation pliny book 8, letter 21 latin text roman social life pliny book 1, letter 10 english translation pliny book 1, letter 10 latin text. Choose from 500 different sets of pliny letter translation flashcards on quizlet.
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 letters of pliny the younger kindle edition by pliny. Gaius plinius caecilius secundus, usually known as pliny the younger, was born at como in 62 a. Watch for the addressees of pliny s letters to learn more about the interaction of romes movers and shakers. Pliny the younger was the governor of bithynia and pontus on the black sea coast of anatolia, having arrived there around september 111 as the representative of emperor trajan. An index to the letters on this site arranged by topic. Most of the wonderful tales related in this chapter may be found in aulus gellius, b. Ummidia quadratilla is dead, having lived almost to her eightieth year.
The present recess from business affords you leisure to give, and me to receive, instruction. The work, which was largely complete by 77 ce, is divided into 37 books and covers such subjects as botany, zoology, and astronomy. Read and then reread as you will have missed details if. Pliny the elder has 280 books on goodreads with 3768 ratings. An xml version of this text is available for download, with the additional restriction that you offer perseus any modifications you make. As you are an exemplary instance of tender regard to your family in general, and to your late excellent brother in particular, whose warm attachment you returned with an equal fondness. Women book 4, letter 19 pliny is flattered that calpurnia, his young wife, follows his literary career with enthusiasm. Their ultimate source is a fragmentary inscription cil v 1 3442 found in a. With an english translation by william melmoth, rev. When pliny the younger was 17 or 18, his uncle pliny the elder died attempting to rescue victims of the vesuvius eruption, and the terms of the elder plinys will passed his estate to his nephew.
Ad 611 was also a prolific letter writer, who numbered among his correspondents such eminent figures as tacitus. You have often urged me to collect and publish any letters of mine which were composed with some care. Pliny the younger wrote hundreds of letters, of which 247 survive and are of great historical value. Pliny the elder, tireless researcher and writer, is author of t. 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. The loeb classical library edition of pliny the younger is in two volumes. Volume 2 holland, philemon, pliny, the elder, wernerian club on. We have a whole set of exchanges of his letters with the emperor trajan on a variety of administrative political matters.
Lets hope that our talking about him will immortalize him. See key to translations for an explanation of the format. His letters are arranged in ten books, of which the tenth consists entirely of letters to and from the emperor trajan. Direct observation, informed speculation and common knowledge are combined to present a key snapshot of ancient thought and the romans. This was a delightful read, with much that is quotable. Definitely recommended to those who are interested in looking into our ancient past. Gaius plinius caecilius secundus, born gaius caecilius or gaius caecilius cilo 61 c. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. It was at this time that pliny became closer to his uncle pliny the elder. As well as being plinys first encounter with christians, this is our earliest internal document showing the roman empires attitude and policy towards the church. Book 7, letter 27 pliny tells two stroies about ghosts who prophesied the future, and one about a house that was haunted by the ghost of a murder victim who had been buried in the house. Pliny emerges not only but perhaps above all as a sophisticated editor and architect of his collection. However, only the first half of this book is without significant typos. Pliny s uncle, pliny the elder, helped raise and educate him.
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. In this letter, pliny is writing about events that happened more than a half century earlier. These letters are a unique testimony of roman administrative history and everyday life in the 1st century. Minicianus 12 maturus arrianus cornelius tacitus 14 paternus 15 fundanus 16 valerius paulinus 17 asinius gallus 18 arrius antoninus 19 calpurnia hispulla 20 nonius maximus 21 velius cerealis 22 sempronius rufus 23 pomponius bassus 24. Of these, letters 16 and 20 are the most famous and longest ones, written to the historian tacitus and describing the eruption of mount vesuvius when he was a boy in august of 79 ce, as well as the death of his uncle, pliny the. Pliny saw himself as a writer and you can see that in his carefully thoughtout pleasing phrases and sentences. He was educated at home and then in rome under quintilian. 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. The final chapter focuses on the grand design which unifies and structures the collection. Epistulae vi letters 6 is the sixth of ten books of letters by the roman lawyer and author pliny the younger, mainly written around 106 to 107 ce.
The time after pliny s treasury posts and consulship and his important cases in the senate would certainly seem more likely for him to be free to give meticulous attention to the task of selection and revision. The letters of pliny the younger is a deserved classic an intimate glimpse of the daily life of an upperclass roman citizen in the late first century a. Gaius plinius secundus ad 232479, called pliny the elder. 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. Perseus provides credit for all accepted changes, storing new additions in a versioning system. Another keynote of the book is the letter collections ability to absorb a very wide variety of critical approaches and reading strategies. Firth 1900 a few words and phrases have been modified. 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. Direct observation, informed speculation and common knowledge are combined to present a key snapshot of ancient thought and the romans perspective on the. 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. Neither the younger nor the elder pliny mention the names. 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.
This final book was, significantly, not intended for publication. Buy a cheap copy of the letters of the younger pliny book by pliny the younger. Sep 16, 2012 trajans reply to the letter by pliny from 2 days ago. 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.
Sep 14, 2012 one of the many queries sent to trajan by pliny concerning the administration of his province. 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. Chapters 4 to 7 study thematic letter cycles within the collection, including those on pliny s famous country villas and his relationships with pliny the elder and tacitus. You have constantly urged me to collect and publish the more highly finished of the letters that i may have written. Pliny is one of my favourite ancient authors it is a pleasure to read his work. The origin of christianity in that region is not known, but it has not been associated with paul the apostles travels. The natural history book vii with book viii 4 pliny the elders natural history is a vast encyclopaedia, surveying natural phenomena from cosmology to biology, medicine to magic. 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 the younger was governor of pontusbithynia from 1111 ad. Book i the letters of pliny book i i to septicius clarus 1.
Pliny s letter in book 2 is addressed to one gallus, but the letter in book 5 is addressed to one domitius apollinaris. 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. 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. She was later banished, by domitian, but returned after his death and became a friend of pliny. Arria was by no means a political innocent and would certainly have shared the blame for her husbands role in the conspiracy. He was with the fleet he was commanding at misenum bay of naples.
I have now made a collection, not keeping to the original order as i was not writing. Pliny likely wrote the letters from amisus before his term ended in january 1. This work is licensed under a creative commons attributionsharealike 3. Letters of pliny, by gaius plinius caecilius secundus. Letters and panegyricus i, books 17 loeb classical library volume i. Read in english by andrew coleman the largest surviving body of pliny s work is his epistulae letters, a series of personal missives directed to his friends, associates and the emperor trajan. I am extremely desirous therefore to know your sentiments concerning spectres, whether you believe they actually exist and have their own proper shapes and a measure of divinity, or are only the false impressions of a terrified imagination. The younger pliny was at misenum at the time of the eruption in ad79 and was approximately 17 years old then. Learn pliny letter translation with free interactive flashcards. The younger pliny was born in 61 or 62 ce, the son of lucius caecilius of comum como and the elder plinys sister.
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