His letters are arranged in ten books, of which the tenth consists entirely of letters to and from the emperor trajan. Plinys letter to trajan christian history institute. A sixthcentury fragment of the letters of pliny the younger a study of six leaves of an uncial manuscript preserved in the pierpont morgan library new york. 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. This final book was, significantly, not intended for publication. Pliny the younger, latin in full gaius plinius caecilius secundus, born 6162 ce, comum italydied c. I know that immortal fame awaits him if his death is recorded by you. See key to translations for an explanation of the format. The project gutenberg ebook of a sixthcentury fragment of the letters of pliny the younger, by elias avery lowe and. Yes, indeed, you have, if you will write and say whether any one of my friends in. Victor in paris in 1500, where it was collated and foliated, and still complete then. The younger pliny was born in 61 or 62 ce, the son of lucius caeci.
The letters of the younger pliny the letters of pliny the younger by pliny the younger part 3 out of 3. Letters of pliny by pliny the younger free at loyal books. Pliny has a gift for description and a versatile prose style, and more than any of his contemporaries he gives an unprejudiced picture of rome as he knew it. Mar 22, 2012 this is the first general introduction to pliny s 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 saw himself as a writer and you can see that in his carefully thoughtout pleasing phrases and sentences. 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. This website and its content is subject to our terms and conditions. The younger pliny was consul suffectus from september to october.
Plinys letters book iii, london merrill merrill, e. Ancestor of all the 10 book mss, and originally complete. You have often urged me to collect and publish any letters of mine which were composed with some care. Trajans reply to the letter by pliny from 2 days ago. Perseus provides credit for all accepted changes, storing new additions in a versioning system. Definitely recommended to those who are interested in looking into our ancient past. 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 field of ancient knowledge, based on. Have you any equivalent to send me for a letter like this.
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. The letters of the younger pliny by pliny the younger. Gibson, reading the letters of sidonius by the book, in j. Book i the letters of pliny book i i to septicius clarus 1. The letters of the younger pliny the letters of pliny the. This post belongs to a serialized translation and commentary of pliny the youngers letters 6. I have now made a collection, not keeping to the original order as i was not writing. Chapter 1 traces plinys autobiographical narrative throughout the letters. The smell of sulfur this post belongs to a serialized translation and commentary of pliny the youngers letters 6. Previous part 2 the greeks say, ignorance makes a man bold.
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. Crop of pliny the younger and his mother at misenum, 79 ad, by angelica kauffmann 1785. It is my practice, my lord, to refer to you all matters concerning which i am in doubt. Pliny s letter is the earliest pagan account to refer to early christians and provides a key description of roman administrative process and problems. The works subject area is thus not limited to what is today. 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. The historians request this post belongs to a serialized translation and commentary of pliny the youngers letters 6. Click on the l symbols to go the latin text of each letter. Naturalis historia is a book about the whole of the natural world in latin by pliny the elder, a roman author and naval commander who died in 79 ad 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. His family consists of three children two of which are sons, whom he. This work is licensed under a creative commons attributionsharealike 3. Pliny and the panegyricus by betty radice the younger pliny was consul suffectus from september to october, a.
Volume i of the natural history of gaius plinius secundus. For who can better give guidance to my hesitation or inform my ignorance. Here pliny dictates his most famous letter as he and his mother observe the eruption of vesuvius. The correspondence between pliny and emperor trajan shows that the roman empire, as a government entity, did not at this time seek out christians for prosecution or persecution. Pliny in this letter internet history sourcebooks fordham university. Book 1, letter 3 pliny is shocked that the people walk out in the middle of recitations. Primary sources letters of pliny the younger and the. Gibson and ruth morello frontmatter more information reading theletters of pliny the younger. In this letter, pliny is writing about events that happened more than a half century earlier. Her choice of a glorious death over living in widowhood in greatly reduced. Librivox recording of the natural history, volume 3, by pliny the elder.
Online shopping from a great selection at books store. This comprehensive general commentary on the nine books of the younger plinys 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. 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. A summary of the iliads telling of achilles killing hector. Each letter, of course, can be received separately and thus forms a selfcontained unit, but it also has a certain function within the larger frame of the collection. Chapter 1 traces pliny s autobiographical narrative throughout the letters. The project gutenberg ebook of letters of pliny, by pliny this ebook is for the use of. 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. He wrote part of a history of rome, which was continued by the elder pliny.
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. Apr 27, 2012 this website and its content is subject to our terms and conditions. The letters of the younger pliny are the chief contemporary source for the ill documented reign. Sep 16, 2012 trajans reply to the letter by pliny from 2 days ago. 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. These letters concern an episode which marks the first time the roman government recognized christianity as a. Regulus but soon redeemed by the consular success of book 3, see. It is often assumed that pliny the younger refers to his uncle and adoptive father. This was a delightful read, with much that is quotable. 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. Essays and criticism on pliny the youngers the letters of pliny the younger critical evaluation.
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. I therefore do not know what offenses it is the practice to punish or investigate, and to what extent. Tes global ltd is registered in england company no 02017289 with its registered office at 26 red lion square london wc1r 4hq. The loeb classical library edition of pliny the younger is in two volumes. These letters concern an episode which marks the first time the roman. Pliny was a civil servant who served as governor of bithynia, in the north of asia minor modern turkey, from 1111 ad. Letters of pliny, by gaius plinius caecilius secundus. Choose from 500 different sets of pliny letter translation flashcards on quizlet. Index of the letters of the younger pliny the letters of pliny the younger. The younger pliny was consul suffectus from september to. You have constantly urged me to collect and publish the more highly finished of the letters that i may have written.
Merrill, on the eightbook tradition of plinys letters in verona, classical. 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. Naturalis historia latin for natural history is an encyclopedia published circa ad 7779 by pliny the elder. Letters of pliny the younger and the emperor trajan. Pliny was also a prolific letterwriter, who numbered among his correspondents such eminent figures as tacitus, suetonius and the emperor trajan, as well as a wide circle of friends and family. Here he met christians for the first time and was not sure how they should be dealt with. Arrived in italy in the renaissance and was owned by coluccio salutati, whose hand made the addition.
The letters exchanged by pliny and trajan concerning christians have. The younger pliny was born in 61 or 62 ce, the son of lucius caec. 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. Author pliny the elder country ancient rome subject natural history, ethnography, art, sculpture, mining, mineralogy genre encyclopaedia, popular science publication date 7779 7779 the natural history is a book about the whole of the. Ioo, and delivered in the senate his official gratiarum actio to the emperor trajan for his appointment. Pliny says in the letters, though charged with even stronger emotional feelinghe will concede nothing to what mommsen called the sombre but intelligent despotism of domitian, who is not even given credit for suppressing the mimes pan. Gaius plinius caecilius secundus, usually known as pliny the younger. Firth 1900 a few words and phrases have been modified. With an english translation by william melmoth, rev. Naturalis historia naturalis historia, 1669 edition, title page. He used to say that there was no book so bad that it was not useful at some point. Literature was taken much more seriously in the time of the emperor claudius.
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 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. Summary and main characters of the iliad book xxiv. The indices for books i and ii, if arranged in general like that of book iii, must have occupied four pages. Right away the younger pliny tells us that this letter is a response to tacitus request for information to help with his.
620 230 901 1484 1384 408 724 1329 1437 1115 849 1208 899 978 645 865 1183 142 727 770 652 1382 391 58 923 388 54 45 508 718 1392 1114 1086 901 1023 64 734 291 1212