Chronologically, it is suggested that books 1 to 3 were written between 97 and 102, books 4 to 7 were. One of the many queries sent to trajan by pliny concerning the administration of his province. 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. 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. Ad 611 was also a prolific letter writer, who numbered among his correspondents such eminent figures as tacitus. That indolent but agreeable condition of doing nothing. The letters of the younger pliny penguin classics 9780140441277.
Pliny the younger was governor of pontusbithynia from 1111 ad. Read complete letters by pliny the younger available from rakuten kobo. Trajans reply to the letter by pliny from 2 days ago. Sep 14, 2012 one of the many queries sent to trajan by pliny concerning the administration of his province. 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. Plinys 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. Pliny saw himself as a writer and you can see that in his carefully thoughtout pleasing phrases and sentences. 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. Buy a cheap copy of the letters of the younger pliny book by pliny the younger. 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. An object in possession seldom retains the same charm that it had in pursuit. Book 1, letter 9 the hectic daily routine at rome is frustrating, and pliny is glad to return to his winter estate at laurentum and spend his time studying instead. The works subject area is thus not limited to what is today understood by natural history. The last was written during his tour of administration of bithynia, during which he may well have died.
Gaius plinius caecilius secundus, usually known as pliny the younger, was born at como in 62 a. The letters of the younger pliny penguin classics paperback august 30, 1963 by pliny the younger author, betty radice translator, introduction 4. Pliny the younger he used to say that no book was so bad but that some good might be got out of it. See all formats and editions hide other formats and editions. He is the author of the memoir an open book 2003 and several collections of essays, including book by book 2005 and classics for pleasure 2007. Chapter 2 undertakes detailed study of book 6 as an artistic entity. 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. 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. His latest book, on conan doyle, was published in 2011 by princeton university press. See key to translations for an explanation of the format. Plinys legal career book 3, letter 2 pliny asks vibius maximus, the praefect of egypt, to find a position for his modest equestrian friend, maturus arrianus. The style is very different from that in the panegyricus, and some commentators maintain that pliny initiated a new genre. Note on the text 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 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.
It is a rule, sir, which i inviolably observe, to refer myself to you in all my doubts. These letters are a unique testimony of roman administrative history and. 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. Previous part 2 the greeks say, ignorance makes a man bold. 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 elders most popular book is natural history. Your letter has aroused in me conflicting emotions, for part of the news. Plinys letters provide a fascinating insight into roman life in the period 97 to 112 ad. Letters of pliny, by gaius plinius caecilius secundus. 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 letters of the younger pliny the letters of pliny the. Pliny himself defines his scope as the natural world, or life. Index of the letters of the younger pliny the letters of pliny the younger.
That pliny had an uncle who wrote many books and died in the year vesuvius erupted. 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. Go, wanton muse, but go with care, nor meet, illtimd, my plinys ear. I also wonder if nearcontemporary claims of poetic speed e. Their ultimate source is a fragmentary inscription cil v 1 3442 found in a field in. Natural history pliny project gutenberg selfpublishing. Nullum, esse, librum, tam, malum, aliqua, parte, prodesset. Complete letters ebook by pliny the younger rakuten kobo. This work is licensed under a creative commons attributionsharealike 3. Naturalis historia latin for natural history is an encyclopedia published circa ad 7779 by pliny the elder. His letters are arranged in ten books, of which the tenth consists entirely of.
The panegyricus is an expanded, published version of pliny s oration of thanks to the emperor trajan in 100 ce. In sum, the final three books of plinys letters reveal a pronounced. Click on the l symbols to go the latin text of each letter. Gaius plinius secundus 23 ad august 25, 79 ad, better known as pliny the elder, was a roman author, naturalist, and natural philosopher, as well as naval and army commander of the early roman empire, and personal friend of the emperor vespasian. Neither the younger nor the elder pliny mention the names. Book iii, letter 5, 10, referring to pliny the elder. This final book was, significantly, not intended for publication. This was a delightful read, with much that is quotable. This paper establishes a new date for the publication of suetonius illustrious men through allusions to suetonius virgil in pliny, letters 5. Librivox recording of the natural history, volume 3, by pliny the elder. Sep 16, 2012 trajans reply to the letter by pliny from 2 days ago. Book i the letters of pliny book i i to septicius clarus 1. I was delighted to find that you are so zealous a student of my uncles books that you would like to possess copies of them all, and that you ask me to give you a complete list of them.
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. The letters of the younger pliny the letters of pliny the younger by pliny the younger part 3 out of 3. The text of books i to ix of the letters rests on three manuscript traditions, the 9book, the 10book and the 8book, known as. Gaius plinius secundus ad 232479, called pliny the elder. Pliny s letters provide a fascinating insight into roman life in the period 97 to 112 ad. The letters of the younger pliny book by pliny the younger. 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. Michael dirda is a fulbright fellowship recipient and pulitzer prizewinning columnist for the washington post book world. Firth 1900 a few words and phrases have been modified. The fate of plinys letters in the late empire jstor. We have a whole set of exchanges of his letters with the emperor trajan on a variety of administrative political matters. 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. He pliny the elder used to say that no book was so bad but some good might be got out of it. Chapter 1 traces plinys autobiographical narrative throughout the letters.
Go, wanton muse, but go with care, nor meet, illtimd, my pliny s ear. These letters are a unique testimony of roman administrative history and everyday life in the 1st century. Pliny the elder has 277 books on goodreads with 3818 ratings. This is the first general introduction to plinys 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. Pliny has accepited his friends advice and collected some of his letters for publication. Perseus provides credit for all accepted changes, storing new additions in a versioning system. These allusions are part of a much wider network of allusions, both within this particular letter and more generally in plinys book 5, that revolves around the theme of unpublished writings. Nonfiction harvard classics pliny the younger letters. The panegyricus is an expanded, published version of plinys oration of thanks to the emperor trajan in 100 ce. The project gutenberg ebook of letters of pliny, by pliny this ebook is for the use of.
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