Obviam iturus, quo maturius, domine, exoptatissimi adventus tui gaudio frui possim, rogo permittas mihi quam longissime occurrere tibi. The natural history there is no book so bad that some good cannot be got out of it, pliny the elder used to say, and he read everything that he could obtain. Superest ut nec te consilii nec me paeniteat obsequii. One wonders if he would have included pliny the youngers information. The younger pliny was born in 61 or 62 ce, the son of lucius caecilius of comum como and the elder plinys sister. Tis no matter which i begin with, so take them as follows. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. Sadly, the portion of tacitus work covering the vesuvian. Pliny s letters are important as a social document of his times.
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. 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. As pliny suspected, it did not satisfy tacitus curiosity, because the historian requested a followon. The first book in this volume is an incredibly detailed table of contents for the entire series with exciting teasers such as.
Pliny book 2, letter 6 latin text pliny book 2, letter 20 english translation pliny book 2, letter 20 latin text pliny book 3 pliny book 3, letter 2 english. Letters of pliny, by gaius plinius caecilius secundus. Plinii caecilii secundi epistularum liber primus i c. 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. More information about this seller contact this seller 26. With an english translation by william melmoth, rev. Gaius plinius caecilius secundus, born gaius caecilius or gaius caecilius cilo 61 c. The origin of christianity in that region is not known, but it has not been associated with paul the apostles travels. Its frequent digressions into issues of morality and gossipy, occasionally rambling style would certainly not be at home in a modern encyclopedia, but its allencompassing scope covering botany, zoology, astronomy, geology, and medicine among other.
Book i the letters of pliny book i i to septicius clarus 1. The impropriety of this expression, in the original, seems to lie in the word stigmosum, which regulus probably either coined through affectation or used through ignorance. An xml version of this text is available for download, with the additional restriction that you offer perseus any modifications you make. It is a word, at least, which does not occur in any author of authority. Contents preface page vii abbreviations ix imaginary plan of the laurentine villa xii introduction 1 1 epistles in brief 1 2 plinys world 6 3 a book of letters 11 4. Sometime between 1495 and 1500 giovanni giocondo discovered a manuscript in paris of plinys tenth book of letters, containing his. 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.
A serious quarrel among scholars concerning its genuineness arose between the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th. Gaius plinius secundus ad 232479, called pliny the elder. This was a delightful read, with much that is quotable. Pliny book 1 pliny book 1, letter 1 english translation pliny book 1, letter 1 latin text. You have often urged me to collect and publish any letters of mine which were composed with some care. 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 smell of sulfur this post belongs to a serialized translation and commentary of pliny the youngers letters 6. Equidem in senatu non semel egi, quin immo nusquam audiri benignius soleo. 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. Librivox recording of letters of pliny by pliny the younger. The two letters written by pliny the younger describing.
These letters are a unique testimony of roman administrative history and everyday life in the 1st century. Pliny saw himself as a writer and you can see that in his carefully thoughtout pleasing phrases and sentences. To calvisius pay a penny, and ill tell you a golden tale. In the next post, we will begin translating letter 6. The nook book ebook of the pliny s letters, books 1 and 2.
You have constantly urged me to collect and publish the more highly finished of the letters that i may have written. 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. Firth 1900 a few words and phrases have been modified. Victor in paris in 1500, where it was collated and foliated, and still complete then. Complete letters ebook by pliny the younger rakuten kobo. The style is very different from that in the panegyricus, and some commentators maintain that pliny initiated a new genre. This work is licensed under a creative commons attributionsharealike 3. 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 letter which, in compliance with your request, i wrote to you concerning the death of my uncle has raised, it seems, your curiosity to know what terrors and dangers attended me while i continued at misenum. Pliny the youngers letter to trajan regarding the christians is a crucial subject for the studies on early christianity.
An index to the letters on this site arranged by book and letter number. Collegi non servato temporis ordine neque enim historiam componebam, sed ut quaeque in manus 2 venerat. His nephew pliny the younger gives an indication how devoted his uncle was to reading and studying, which was like working to him. Nov 26, 2012 it was to work on his historiae that tacitus, at some point between ad 104108, wrote a letter to the younger pliny asking what had happened to his uncle in all, eleven letters from pliny to tacitus survive. An example of these rare measures can be found in letter 10. The digital loeb classical library extends the founding mission of james loeb with an interconnected, fully searchable, perpetually growing virtual library of all that is important in greek and latin literature. Pliny the younger, latin in full gaius plinius caecilius secundus, born 6162 ce, comum italydied c. Book x of the letters contains his correspondence with trajan during this period, and includes letters about the early christians.
These letters are a unique testimony of roman administrative history and. Read complete letters by pliny the younger available from rakuten kobo. The homepage for plinys natural history the historia naturalis of c. His letters are arranged in ten books, of which the tenth consists entirely of letters to and from the emperor trajan. Click on the l symbols to go the latin text of each letter. 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. The letters by gaius plinius caecilius secundus librarything. Ancestor of all the 10 book mss, and originally complete. Pliny s letter is the earliest pagan account to refer to early christians and provides a key description of roman administrative process and problems. As already mentioned above, highlights of these books include plinys description of the eruption of. Plinys natural history was the goto encyclopedia for over 1,500 years, from its publication around the year 77 until well into the renaissance. Sep 16, 2012 trajans reply to the letter by pliny from 2 days ago.
The work, which was largely complete by 77 ce, is divided into 37. Featured audio all audio latest this just in grateful dead netlabels old time radio 78 rpms and cylinder recordings. 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. This final book was, significantly, not intended for publication. The nook book ebook of the plinys letters, books 1 and 2. An application of a profilebased method for authorship verification. 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. Perseus provides credit for all accepted changes, storing new additions in a versioning system. 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. Verania, thc wife of that piso who was adopted by galba, lay extremely ill. 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. The epistulae are later copies of a series of personal missives by pliny the younger directed to his friends and associates.
Pliny likely wrote the letters from amisus before his term ended in january 1. He was educated at home and then in rome under quintilian. Throughout, you can see that pliny derives great pleasure from reading. 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. 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. Investigating the authenticity of pliny the youngers letter to trajan concerning the christians. Pliny the elder, tireless researcher and writer, is author of the encyclopedic natural history, in 37 books, an unrivaled compendium of roman knowledge. Mynors 1963, in the bibliotheca augustana pliny was born in comum in 61 or 62 a. They tell us about the man himself and his wide interests, and about his many friends, including tacitus, martial and suetonius. Gaius plinius caecilius secundus, usually known as pliny the younger, was born at como in 62 a. See key to translations for an explanation of the format. Pliny the younger wrote hundreds of letters, of which 247 survive and are of. Trajans reply to the letter by pliny from 2 days ago. The letters of pliny the younger gaius plinius caecilius secundus are presented here in the english translation by j.