In the following translation the teubner text, edited by keil, has been followed. 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. Originally intended as letters for historian tacitus, to describe and perhaps glorify the. Afterwards, when i was preparing to go into the bath, twenty days from the first attack of. 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.
Gaius plinius caecilius secundus, usually known as pliny the younger, was born at como in 62 a. This is a lively new translation by eminent scholar peter walsh, based on the oxford classical text and drawing on the latest scholarship. Traianus plinio 1 nihil opus sit, mi secunde carissime, ad continendas custodias plures commilitones converti. 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. A short book that consists of a few pages of history of the eruption of vesuvius in ad 79, minibiographies of pliny the elder, pliny the younger, and the historian tacitus. 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. Rhiannon ash fellow and tutor in classics, merton college, oxford university discusses pliny and the genre of letter writing in the ancient world, with particular reference to letter 6. This post belongs to a serialized translation and commentary of pliny the youngers letters 6. Throughout, you can see that pliny derives great pleasure from reading. 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. Tis no matter which i begin with, so take them as follows. The two letters written by pliny the younger describing. He was only eight years old when his father, caecilius, died, and he was adopted by his. Letters of pliny by pliny the younger free at loyal books.
These letters concern an episode which marks the first time the roman government recognized christianity as a. Choose from 500 different sets of pliny flashcards on quizlet. To calvisius pay a penny, and ill tell you a golden tale. 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. Perseus provides credit for all accepted changes, storing new additions in a versioning system.
Gaius or caius plinius caecilius secundus, born gaius or caius plinius caecilius 6163 in como ca. So the letter which you asked me to write on my uncles death has made you eager to hear. In the letter he discusses bad manners at roman dinner parties. Some more information about his career is provided by an inscription at comum. Passer, deliciae meae puellae catullus 2 vivamus, mea lesbia, atque. Chapter 2 undertakes detailed study of book 6 as an artistic entity. The letters of pliny the younger gaius plinius caecilius secundus are presented here in the english translation by j. See key to translations for an explanation of the format. Cornelius paifus is plinys meaning here is uncertain, ference to book ii. The historians request this post belongs to a serialized translation and commentary of pliny the youngers letters 6. Pliny book 2, letter 1 student commentary pliny book 2, letter 6 english translation pliny book 2, letter 6 latin text pliny book 2, letter 20 english. 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. Primary sources letters of pliny the younger and the.
Pliny the younger simple english wikipedia, the free. Victor in paris in 1500, where it was collated and foliated, and still complete then. Chapter 1 traces plinys autobiographical narrative throughout the letters. In his introduction, walsh considers the political background of the letters, the span of plinys career, the range of topics covered in the letters, and plinys literary style. Verania, thc wife of that piso who was adopted by galba, lay extremely ill. The homepage for plinys natural history the historia naturalis of c.
The text of books i to ix of the letters rests on three manuscript traditions, the 9book, the 10book and the 8book, known as. Pliny the younger and as in mens bodies, so in government, that disease is most serious which proceeds from the head. Plinii caecilii secundi epistularum liber primus i c. Perseveremus in ea consuetudine quae isti provinciae est, ut per publicos servos custodiantur. The works subject area is thus not limited to what is today understood by natural history.
The second book is a typical medley of twenty pieces addressed to a range of. 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. With an english translation by william melmoth, rev. Mynors 1963, in the bibliotheca augustana pliny was born in comum in 61 or 62 a. Firth 1900 a few words and phrases have been modified. Click on the l symbols to go the latin text of each letter. 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. May show signs of minor shelf wear and contain limited notes and highlighting. 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. The project gutenberg ebook of letters of pliny, by pliny this ebook is for the use. Such a man was my uncle, as his own books and yours will prove.
Click on a word to bring up parses, dictionary entries, and frequency statistics. Letters and panegyricus, 2 vols, cambridge, ma the same translation. Plinys natural history is an astonishingly ambitious work that ranges from astronomy to art and from geography to zoology. Pliny book 1 pliny book 1, letter 1 english translation pliny book 1, letter 1 latin text. Pliny himself defines his scope as the natural world, or life. Then follows a translation of the two letters that pliny the younger, an eyewitness to. The letters by gaius plinius caecilius secundus librarything. You have constantly urged me to collect and publish the more highly finished of the letters that i may have written. 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 elder.
The comments at the bottom of the letters have been added from various sources. Of these, letters 16 and 20 are the most famous and longest ones, written to the historian. Plinys uncle, pliny the elder, helped raise and educate him and they were both witnesses to the eruption of vesuvius on august 24th, 79 ad. Collegi non servato temporis ordine neque enim historiam componebam, sed ut quaeque in manus 2 venerat. Ancestor of all the 10book mss, and originally complete. At any rate, the latin text and the holland translation have each been.
Natural history, with an english translation by pliny the. Pay a penny, and ill tell you a golden tale nay, two or three, for one brings to my mind another. Superest ut nec te consilii nec me paeniteat obsequii. Letters of pliny the younger and the emperor trajan. One wonders if he would have included pliny the youngers information.
Complete letters ebook by pliny the younger rakuten kobo. Marcus aquilius regulus was a monster, a legacy hunter in addition to his wellknown role as a professional denouncer in court under nero and domitian, in short, an. It is true that he perished in a catastrophe which. Read complete letters by pliny the younger available from rakuten kobo. An index to the letters on this site arranged by book and letter number. 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. Letters of pliny, by gaius plinius caecilius secundus. 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. An xml version of this text is available for download, with the additional restriction that you offer perseus any modifications you make. This work is licensed under a creative commons attributionsharealike 3.
The twentieth letter of the second book of the younger plinys collection of letters a text that purports to have been sent to one calvisius rufus leaves little doubt. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. A cloud, from which mountain was uncertain, at this distance but it was. Now the day begins, with a still hesitant and almost lazy dawn. 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. 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. Plinys letters provide a fascinating insight into roman life in the period 97 to 112 ad.
Used items may not include supplementary materials such as cds or access codes. First think of the impudence of the man who came to a sick woman, to whose husband he was an enemy, to her herself by whom she was hated. William melmoth in harvard classics series introductory note. I know that immortal fame awaits him if his death is recorded by you.
944 454 793 1140 1055 1427 29 934 413 829 273 592 441 476 130 254 825 606 995 891 414 1231 1114 699 1218 393 561 152 317 757 304 649 820 1314 594 641 1370 1476 190 686 664