Pliny book 1, letter 1 english translation pliny book 1, letter 1. The comments at the bottom of the letters have been added from various sources. That fannius was a public man added value to his work even while impeding its progress. Primary sources letters of pliny the younger and the. Thus pliny meditates on the antithesis of voluptates and opera epistles 5. It is the usual though inequitable method of the world, to pronounce an action to be either right or wrong, as it is attended with good or ill success. Chapters 3 and 4 ar e more instr uctive on this point. Slide 15 jacqueline carlon discusses this letter in her book plinys women. Pliny the poet volume 42 issue 2 debra hershkowitz.
These letters concern an episode which marks the first time the roman government recognized christianity as a. Notice that god doesnt promise elders an earthly reward. Istria on the internet relevant nonistrians pliny the. For example, whitton highlights links between the portrait of the sophist isaeus in ep. An object in possession seldom retains the same charm that it had in pursuit. One wonders if he would have included pliny the youngers information. This volume brings together some of the best and most influential work to be published on the epistles of pliny the younger in recent decades.
Pliny relates that he saw marcus servilius nonianus junior officer. Iv first of all, in 105 pliny was at rome in the spring. Covering historical, autobiographical, and literary aspects of the epistles and their reception, the 19 classic articles included here offer a wide and representative range of approaches to pliny, from prosopography and social history to. Pliny the elder born gaius plinius secundus, ad 2379 was a roman author, naturalist and natural philosopher, a naval and army commander of the early roman empire, and friend of emperor vespasian spending most of his spare time studying, writing, and investigating natural and geographic phenomena in the field, pliny wrote the encyclopedic naturalis historia natural history, which. Any text of book x depends on the early editions, notably those of avantius a and of aldus a published in 1 st.
Perseus provides credit for all accepted changes, storing new additions in a versioning system. Firth 1900 a few words and phrases have been modified. The dream prompted pliny to begin forthwith a history of all the wars between the romans and the germans. Pliny himself defines his scope as the natural world, or life. Nov 19, 2012 excerpt in codex vaticanus latinus reginensis 251, pp. Plinys dates are pinned to the eruption of mount vesuvius in 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. Books 33 through 35 deal with ancient greece painting and sculpture and the artists who created those works.
Pliny book 3, letter 2 english translation pliny book 3, letter 2. Plinys great encyclopedia of nature and art in 37 books, the historia naturalis, is the only one of his works that has been preserved. He probably accompanied his fathers friend, pomponius, on an expedition against the chatti a. The letters of pliny the younger kindle edition by pliny. Istria on the internet relevant nonistrians pliny the elder. He pliny the elder used to say that no book was so bad but some good might be got out of it. Like the ceo, trajan replies succinctly with his decisions. His family consists of three children two of which are sons, whom he. These allusions are part of a much wider network of allusions, both within this particular letter and more generally in plinys book j, that revolves around the theme of unpublished writings. He reminded the emperor that september was full of holidays 10. Pliny s great encyclopedia of nature and art in 37 books, the historia naturalis, is the only one of his works that has been preserved.
Letters of pliny the younger and the emperor trajan. Chronologically, it is suggested that books 1 to 3 were written between 97 and 102. The two letters, as translated by professor cynthia damon of amherst college and are part of her web site for classics 36 pompeii and herculaneum. 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. In this world of instant communication we forget the vast distances letters had to travel in the past and therefore the care that their authors put into writing them. Neither the younger nor the elder pliny mention the names. Sep 12, 20 pliny recognized tacitus skill when he told his friend, your histories will be immortal epistles 7, 3. The praetorship of licinius nepos indicates the year 5.
In his natural history pliny the elder had described pompeii as follows. An xml version of this text is available for download, with the additional restriction that you offer perseus any modifications you make. Pliny the elders natural history is published in many volumes covering a number of topics, which he differentiates by books. Persian lettersfootnotes wikisource, the free online. Pliny is shocked that the people walk out in the middle of recitations. 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. This is an oration in praise of trajan and his life in 95 chapters. Gaius plinius secundus ad 232479, called pliny the elder. The project gutenberg ebook of letters of pliny, by pliny this ebook is for the use of. Pliny the elder died in ad 79, while attempting the rescue, by ship, of a friend and his family, in stabiae, from the eruption of mount vesuvius, which already had destroyed the cities of pompeii and herculaneum. Pliny the elder project gutenberg selfpublishing ebooks. Pliny is no exception to the rule, his letters are teeming with light and a love of life and contemplation.
For the duration of the mandate, observe that plinys predecessor julius ferox is attested both in 101 and in 103 cil 6. Click on the l symbols to go the latin text of each letter. These are like corporate emails and i found them fascinating. Their ultimate source is a fragmentary inscription cil v 1 3442 found in a field in. Pliny the younger refers to tacituss reliance upon his uncles book, the history of the german wars. Letters of pliny, by gaius plinius caecilius secundus. Mynors 1963, in the bibliotheca augustana pliny was born in comum in 61 or 62 a. Pliny s father took him to rome to be educated in lawmaking. Plinys uncle, pliny the elder, helped raise and educate him. Hunting became a key piece in roman culture during the reign of augustus after the imperial period of the first century a. 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. Pliny attributes the unfinished state of fanniuss book to his need to economize his time for writing it amidst a schedule of judicial obligations.
Like the director of an overseas subsidiary, pliny writes to trajan for advice and direction. He pliny the elder used to say that no book was so. Spending most of his spare time studying, writing or investigating natural and geographic phenomena in the field, he wrote an encyclopedic work. In ad 46, at about age 23, pliny entered the army as a junior officer, as was the custom for young men of equestrian rank. Throughout, you can see that pliny derives great pleasure from reading. Ancestor of all the 10book mss, and originally complete. Gaius plinius secundus ad 232479, called pliny the elder, was a roman author, a naturalist and natural philosopher, a naval and army commander of the early roman empire, and a friend of emperor vespasian. The letters of the younger pliny penguin classics 9780140441277. Letter xcvi is plinys famous letter concerning the christians. Spending most of his spare time studying, writing, and investigating natural and geographic phenomena in the field, pliny wrote the encyclopedic naturalis historia natural history, which. Natural history pliny project gutenberg selfpublishing. The younger was so named because he was the son through adoption of pliny the elder, a natural historian and allaround smart guy. Pliny s uncle, pliny the elder, helped raise and educate him.
The letters of pliny the younger gaius plinius caecilius secundus are presented here in the english translation by j. Victor in paris in 1500, where it was collated and foliated, and still complete then. Those that give details of plinys life at his country villas are important. Plinys panegyricus and the historia augusta article pdf available. Literature was taken much more seriously in the time of the emperor. The post is duly registered on the inscription ils 2927. 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. Hunting with a notebook in pliny the youngers personal letter entitled, hunting with a notebook, pliny cohesively connects two vastly different things. Gaius plinius caecilius secundus, born gaius caecilius or gaius caecilius cilo, better known as pliny the younger, was a lawyer, author, and magistrate of ancient rome.
The content of this section of the letters evolves over time. This is not the only time pliny expresses his opinion of a contemporary and still extant poet. Pliny was the governor of bithynia modern day turkey in asia minor. 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 quotes 50 quotes quotes of famous people. Pliny the elder born gaius plinius secundus, ad 2379 was a roman author, naturalist and natural philosopher, a naval and army commander of the early roman empire, and friend of emperor vespasian. Pliny the younger wrote hundreds of letters, of which 247 survive and are of great historical value. Gaius plinius secundus, 23 79 ce was a roman author, naturalist and natural philosopher, a naval and army commander of the early roman empire, and friend of the emperor vespasian. The works subject area is thus not limited to what is today understood by natural history. You have constantly urged me to collect and publish the more highly finished of the letters that i may have written. Gaius plinius secundus ad 23 august 25, ad 79, 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. 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. This work is licensed under a creative commons attributionsharealike 3. The letters by gaius plinius caecilius secundus librarything.
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