Choose expedited shipping if available for much faster delivery. He wrote a number of books, but the natural history is the only one that survives. Pliny was a civil servant who served as governor of bithynia, in the north of asia minor modern turkey, from 1111 ad. Jun 24, 2010 while the first nine books of plinys letters follow a roughly chronological orderthe author disingenuously maintains hes just selected them casually, almost at randombook 10 is made up of official correspondence exchanged during his tenure as governor of bithynia part of modernday turkey. He was at misenum at the time of the eruption of vesuvius in 79 described in two famous letters when the elder pliny died. Read in english by andrew coleman the largest surviving body of pliny s work is his epistulae letters, a series of personal missives directed to his friends, associates and the emperor trajan. 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. 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.
Nam lacus piscem, feras silvae quibus lacus cingitur, studia altissimus iste secessus affatim suggerunt. The last was written during his tour of administration of bithynia, during which he may well have died. 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. This work is licensed under a creative commons attributionsharealike 3.
While this book does contain a lot of first hand information about life in imperial rome especially the legal system and the elaborate network of favors, obligations, and patronage in the senatorial class its not especially readable, being a collection of letters written by pliny and, near the end, by the emperor trajan to pliny. 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. Selected letters from pliny the youngers epistulae. The letters of the younger pliny by pliny the younger. Plinys letter to trajan christian history institute. They were both witnesses to the eruption of vesuvius on 24 august 79 ad. Pliny the younger, latin in full gaius plinius caecilius secundus, born 6162 ce, comum italydied c. The epistulae are later copies of a series of personal missives by pliny the younger directed to his friends and associates. After this war, pliny returned to rome, probably with publius pomponius secundus. Comprehensive commentary makes this volume ideal for use on its own, without supplementary materials.
Borrow ebooks, audiobooks, and videos from thousands of public libraries worldwide. Epistulae, letters vol i book ibook vi 1 of 2 translations. Pliny s letters are important as a social document of his times. Book 10, letter 111 such grants are technically illegal, but the official cannot be expected to return a 20year old grant now. Pliny responded with a narrative extending from the early afternoon. He revered his uncle, pliny the elder, and provides sketches of how his uncle worked on the naturalis historia. Pliny chase 18201886, american scientist, mathematician. 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. Letters of pliny, by gaius plinius caecilius secundus. These letters are a unique testimony of roman administrative history and. Letters of pliny by pliny the younger free at loyal books. Letters on a variety of topics offer insights into the roman society and culture of pliny s time. Having never been present at any trials of the christians, i am unacquainted with the method and limits to be observed either in.
Gaius plinius caecilius secundus, born gaius caecilius or gaius caecilius cilo 61 c. Perseus provides credit for all accepted changes, storing new additions in a versioning system. 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. The younger pliny was born in 61 or 62 ce, the son of lucius caecilius of comum como and the elder plinys sister. A prominent lawyer and administrator, pliny was also a prolific letterwriter, who numbered among his correspondents such. The style is very different from that in the panegyricus, and some commentators maintain that pliny initiated a new genre. The numbering of the letters in this book has been changed slightly to bring it into line with the most recent editions. A reconstruction of the transmission history of epp. Firth 1900 a few words and phrases have been modified. The numbering of the letters in this book has been changed slightly to bring it. This penguin classics edition is translated with an introduction by betty radice. His latest book, on conan doyle, was published in 2011 by. Short biographies of the elder and younger pliny, setting the context for the vesuvian letters. These letters are a unique testimony of roman administrative history and everyday life in the 1st century.
A series of personal missives by pliny the younger directed. It is a rule, sir, which i inviolably observe, to refer myself to you in all my doubts. 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. You have constantly urged me to collect and publish the more highly finished of the letters that i may have written. The older man, gaius plinius secundus, is called pliny the elder. During this time, pliny the elder saw some remarkable sights, including the thermal spas at weisbaden. Pliny the elder 23 ad79 ad, ancient roman nobleman, scientist, historian, and author of naturalis historia plinys natural history pliny the younger died 1, ancient roman statesman, orator, writer, and pliny the elders nephew and adopted son. Book 10, letter 110 the city of amisus is trying to reclaim a large grant it gave 20 years ago to a city official, who spent the money on city business.
Michael dirda is a fulbright fellowship recipient and pulitzer prizewinning columnist for the washington post book world. The novel begins shortly before nikki is set to begin school at westchester day school. A portion of your purchase of this book will be donated to nonprofit organizations. Plinys uncle, pliny the elder, helped raise and educate him. Here he met christians for the first time and was not sure how they should be dealt with. He also wrote his first book which was a kind of military manual on horseriding and spearthrowing. Tales from a notsofabulous life is a young adult novel by rachel renee russell which recounts 14yearold nikki maxwells first month andahalf in a new school where she must handle bullies, boys, and an art competition. 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.
The blog posts about the vesuvius eruption are on hold while i complete my book, pliny and the destruction of vesuvius routledge, 2021. 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. This book is a reproduction of the original book published in 1855 and may have some imperfections such as marks or handwritten notes. First in diary series thick with materialism, thin on plot. Read in english by andrew coleman the largest surviving body of plinys work is his epistulae letters, a series of personal missives directed to his friends, associates and the emperor trajan. The text of books i to ix of the letters rests on three manuscript traditions, the 9 book, the 10 book and the 8 book, known as. Pliny the youngers ninebook epistles is a masterpiece of roman prose. Pliny the elder has 277 books on goodreads with 3804 ratings. This final book was, significantly, not intended for publication. Nonfiction harvard classics pliny the younger letters. 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. So he wrote the following letter to emperor trajan reporting what he had done so far and asking for guidance. These letters are a unique testimony of roman administrative history and everyday life in the 1st century ce. Pliny the elders most popular book is natural history.
Click on the l symbols to go the latin text of each letter. An xml version of this text is available for download, with the additional restriction that you offer perseus any modifications you make. Book 10, letter 96 pliny is unsure how he should deal with the. Often mined as a historical and pedagogical sourcebook, this collection of private letters is now finding recognition as a rich and rewarding work in its own right. Pliny the youngers nine book epistles is a masterpiece of roman prose. An object in possession seldom retains the same charm that it had in pursuit. Gaius plinius caecilius secundus, usually known as pliny the younger, was born at como in 62 a. They tell us about the man himself and his wide interests, and about his many friends, including tacitus, martial and suetonius. Pliny the younger was born in novum comum como, northern italy, the son of lucius caecilius cilo, born there, and wife plinia marcella, a sister of pliny the elder. The text of books i to ix of the letters rests on three manuscript traditions, the 9book, the 10book and the 8book, known as. Letters on a variety of topics offer insights into the roman society and culture of plinys time. Its an encyclopedia of what passed for scientific information in that time. Book x of the letters contains his correspondence with trajan during this period, and includes letters about the early christians. Pliny the elders sister, plinia, married a man named caecilius, from the northern italian town of comum.