Both lively and personal, perhaps selfconsciously modelled on ciceros letters, these give us an intimate glimpse into rome at this period. Proconsul of pontus and bithynia and persecutor of the christians there. Pliny wrote to a friend named sabinianus about a freed slave who had angered him and had come to pliny for help, fearing his former masters wrath. 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. 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. An anxious night this post belongs to a serialized translation and commentary of pliny the youngers letters 6. The way pliny reasoned with his friend reveals the social rules of the day. However, only the first half of this book is without significant typos. You will ask how that can possibly be in the midst of rome. The relationship of the elder plinys prefatory letter to the main body of the. Very few words are necessary by way of preface to the following translation.
We have a whole set of exchanges of his letters with the emperor trajan on a variety of administrative political matters. The letters of the younger pliny book by pliny the younger. The epistles of pliny oxford readings in classical. 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 constantly urged me to collect and publish the more highly finished of the letters that i may have written. Plinys uncle, pliny the elder, helped raise and educate him. 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. Perseus provides credit for all accepted changes, storing new additions in a versioning system.
Plinys natural history is an astonishingly ambitious work that ranges from astronomy to art and from geography to zoology. An xml version of this text is available for download, with the additional restriction that you offer perseus any modifications you make. She was a renowned translator of both latin and greek. He was educated at home and then in rome under quintilian. The epistles of pliny oxford readings in classical studies 9780199545940. Letters of pliny by pliny the younger full audio book. Pliny wrote the two letters describing the eruption of mount vesuvius approximately 25 years after the event, and both were sent in response to the request of his friend, the historian tacitus, who wanted to know more about pliny the elders death. 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. Learn pliny letter translation with free interactive flashcards. See key to translations for an explanation of the format. Pliny the younger wrote hundreds of letters, of which 247 survive and are of great historical value. Gaius plinius caecilius secundus, born gaius caecilius or gaius caecilius cilo 61 c.
Chapter 2 undertakes detailed study of book 6 as an artistic entity. Sep 01, 2001 free kindle book and epub digitized and proofread by. Starting with the index in pliny chapter 2 the roman paratext. Pliny s uncle, pliny the elder, helped raise and educate him and they were both witnesses to the eruption of vesuvius on 24 august 79 ad. Pliny s letters provide a fascinating insight into roman life in the period 97 to 112 ad. The letters, on which today his fame mainly rests, were largely written with a view to publication, and were arranged by pliny himself. He was only eight years old when his father, caecilius, died, and he was adopted by his. These letters are a unique testimony of roman administrative history and everyday life in the 1st century ce. The natural history of pliny, volume 6 bohns classical library the natural history of pliny, henry thomas riley.
His letters are arranged in ten books, of which the tenth consists entirely of letters to and. 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. I know that immortal fame awaits him if his death is recorded by you. It is true that he perished in a catastrophe which. The younger pliny was born in 61 or 62 ce, the son of lucius caecilius of comum como and the elder plinys sister. 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. 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. Naturalis historia naturalis historia, 1669 edition, title page.
William melmoth in harvard classics series introductory note. 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. The epistulae are later copies of a series of personal missives by pliny the younger directed to. 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. 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. Selected letters internet history sourcebooks project. The letters of pliny the younger gaius plinius caecilius secundus are presented here in the english translation by j. Pliny himself defines his scope as the natural world, or life.
The letters of the younger pliny the letters of pliny the younger by pliny the younger its easy to link to paragraphs in the full text archive if this page contains some material that you want to link to but you dont want your visitors to have to scroll down the whole page just hover your mouse over the relevent paragraph and click the. The letters of the younger pliny the letters of pliny the. The younger pliny was born in 61 or 62 ce, the son of lucius caecilius of comum como and the elder pliny s sister. Volume i of the natural history of gaius plinius secundus. Caius plinius secundus had correspondence with many of the great men of his time, including emperor trajan and the historians tacitus and suetonius, and wrote of such fascinating topics as the dacian wars, christians in his province of bithynia, the excesses. Read complete letters by pliny the younger available from rakuten kobo. The letters of the younger pliny are the chief contemporary source. 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. 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. 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.
The letters are particularly well known because they touch upon key topics of the time. Statue of pliny the younger on the facade of cathedral of s. Mynors 1963, in the bibliotheca augustana pliny was born in comum in 61 or 62 a. Pliny synonyms, pliny pronunciation, pliny translation, english dictionary definition of pliny. Pliny, persuaded that the freedman was penitent, gave the refugee a stern lecture and then wrote to sabinianus on his behalf. Click on the l symbols to go the latin text of each letter.
There follows the commentary in about 440 pages on books i to ix. Choose from 500 different sets of pliny letter translation flashcards on quizlet. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. The origin of christianity in that region is not known, but it has not been associated with paul the apostles travels. Plinys latin only means to see to the affairs of ones town, and indicates. 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. The smell of sulfur this post belongs to a serialized translation and commentary of pliny the youngers letters 6. Letters of pliny, by gaius plinius caecilius secundus. He was a student of the famous rhetorician, quintillian, and gained fame early as a lawyer, esp. These include the eruption of mount vesuvius in which plinys uncle, pliny the elder, died and his interaction with the early christians, but pliny also gives accounts of or comments on political events, trials, and social and domestic issues. Buy a cheap copy of the letters of the younger pliny book by pliny the younger.
Firth 1900 a few words and phrases have been modified. Letters of pliny by pliny the younger free at loyal books. Pliny the younger encyclopedia of the bible bible gateway. He was at misenum at the time of the eruption of vesuvius in 79 described in two famous letters when the elder pliny died. He is currently completing a biography of pliny, man of high empire, and a commentary on pliny, letters book 6. The letters of the younger pliny the younger, pliny. The comments at the bottom of the letters have been added from various sources. 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. 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 caecilius secundus, born gaius caecilius or gaius caecilius cilo 61 ad ca. Ad 611 was also a prolific letterwriter, who numbered among his correspondents such eminent figures as tacitus. The project gutenberg ebook of letters of pliny, by pliny this ebook is for the use of. This penguin classics edition is translated with an introduction by betty radice. 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 way pliny reasoned with his friend reveals the social rules of the. Pliny the younger was governor of pontusbithynia from 1111 ad. Pliny the younger, latin in full gaius plinius caecilius secundus, born 6162 ce, comum italydied c. Complete letters ebook by pliny the younger rakuten kobo. The letters of the younger pliny by pliny the younger. A readable translation of the many letters of one of historys most famous letter writers, and also a good source on his eventful life. Writing in the second century ce ad, pliny s correspondence includes letters to tacitus, suetonius and the emperor trajan. A prominent lawyer and administrator, pliny was also a prolific letterwriter, who numbered among his correspondents such eminent figures as. Click anywhere in the line to jump to another position.
Buy the letters of pliny the younger penguin classics by pliny, the younger. Definitely recommended to those who are interested in looking into our ancient past. Gaius plinius caecilius secundus, usually known as pliny the younger, was born at como in 62 a. The nephew and adopted son of the anthologist and natural historian pliny the elder, he was born in a. Letters of pliny by pliny the younger full audio book great. The letters of pliny the younger audiobook by john b.
This work is licensed under a creative commons attributionsharealike 3. Nihil novum nihil varium, nihil quod non semel spectasse sufficiat. He was a student of the famous rhetorician, quintillian, and gained fame early as a. The identification of the tribune nigrinus of 105 epp. Plinys letters provide a fascinating insight into roman life in the period 97 to 112 ad. Circenses erant, quo genere spectaculi ne levissime quidem teneor. Pliny likely wrote the letters from amisus before his term ended in january 1. Pliny is in a power position, sabinianus in the middle, and the freed slave at the bottom of the social pile. The letters of pliny the younger kindle edition by pliny. In addition, most have been updated by their authors, and translations of all latin and other. Chapter 1 traces plinys autobiographical narrative throughout the letters. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. Mingling acute observation with often wild speculation, it offers a fascinating view of the world as it was understood in the first century ad, whether describing the danger of diving for sponges, the first waterclock, or the use of asses milk to remove wrinkles.