He was educated at home and then in rome under quintilian. Also preserved is his panegyricus, a speech praising trajan. Pliny uses the word scrinium, a kind of desk or box for keeping books and manuscripts. However, only the first half of this book is without significant typos. The younger pliny was born in 61 or 62 ce, the son of lucius caecilius of comum como and the elder pliny s sister. I got pliny the youngers letter to trajan from the notes to eusebius ecclesiastical history, book iii, ch. Pliny s 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. 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.
I am no latinist and know little of ancient rome, so it was a delight to find such an approachable translation. Pliny s 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. Epistulae x letters 10, also known as the correspondence with trajan is a book of letters by the roman lawyer and author pliny the younger to the emperor trajan between 109 and 111 ce. A total of 107 letters exchanged between them while he was abroad constitute the tenth book of his epistulae, prefaced by fourteen more addressed to trajan earlier in pliny s career. The letters of pliny the younger is a deserved classic an intimate glimpse of the daily life of an upperclass roman citizen in the late first century a. Neither the younger nor the elder pliny mention the names. My uncle, pliny the elder, died in a terrible incident which also left our region in ruins. This work is licensed under a creative commons attributionsharealike 3.
You desire to know in what manner i dispose of my day in summer time at my tuscan villa. And perhaps pliny, who had been in office continuously for nine years, simply wanted to live a bit more quietly. Pliny read and dictated in a sedan chair as he moved about urban areas. The letters of pliny the younger gaius plinius caecilius secundus are presented here in the english translation by j.
Pliny the younger has 144 books on goodreads with 6474 ratings. Pliny the youngers most popular book is the letters of the younger pliny. However one must take care when purchasing this loeb pliny wrote 10 books of letters and a panegyricus, but this edition only contains the first 7 books of his letters. No evidence exists, however, that pliny s friends from northern italy knew tacitus, nor do pliny s letters hint that the two men had a common background. The letters of pliny the younger this site contains a selection of letters by pliny the younger, which i used in teaching latin 301 the world of pliny the younger at bates college in maine. Click on the l symbols to go the latin text of each letter.
Their ultimate source is a fragmentary inscription cil v 1 3442 found in a. Many of his vast circle of associates are visible elsewhere among the rich literary and epigraphic sources surviving for the flavian and trajanic periods, and in. Pliny book 1 pliny book 1, letter 1 english translation pliny book 1, letter 1 latin text pliny book 1, letter 6 english translation pliny book 1, letter 6 latin text pliny book 1, letter 9 english translation. Book x of the letters contains his correspondence with trajan during this period, and includes letters about the early christians. An index to the letters on this site arranged by topic. Correspondence, latin letters, translations into english, latin authors, omens, translations into finnish, biography. Pliny was an energetic man, hugely desirous of literary immortality, who wrote his books in the interstices of a full career as a soldier and an administrator.
Erit autem vel hoc maxime corrigendum, quod qui damnati ad poenam erant, non modo ea sine auctore, ut scribis, liberati sunt, sed etiam in condicionem 2 proborum ministrorum retrahuntur. To a certain extent, the letters are comparable to the building erected by rich romans. Top american libraries canadian libraries universal library community texts project gutenberg biodiversity heritage library childrens library. An xml version of this text is available for download, with the additional restric. An index arranged by book and letter number to all the letters on this site. As a university graduate in ancient roman history, i particularly love pliny s letters for the insight they provide on a wide range of issues from the ancient world. The first 9 contain 247 personal letters, and the tenth is his official correspondence with trajan from bithynia. His letters are arranged in ten books, of which the tenth consists entirely of letters to and from the emperor trajan. The book is rambling and discursive, full of vignettes, asides, and diatribes.
These letters are a unique testimony of roman administrative history and everyday life in the 1st century. Definitely recommended to those who are interested in looking into our ancient past. See key to translations for an explanation of the format. The table below is a summary based on modern names for topics. You have constantly urged me to collect and publish the more highly finished of the letters that i may have written. We would like to show you a description here but the site wont allow us. 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 younger 9 pliny the younger or gaius plinius caecilius secundus 62c. Valentine, ne weather conditions weather underground. The wee lassie in its original form lapstrake white cedar, elm ribs, oak keel, no seats, and one thwart abaft the beam was 10. Pliny book 9, letter 23 reports that, when he was asked if he was italian or provincial, he gave an unclear answer, and so was asked if he was tacitus or pliny. Pliny the younger was the governor of bithynia and pontus on the black sea coast of anatolia, having arrived there around september 111 as the representative of emperor trajan. I have spent these several days past among my papers with the most pleasing tranquillity imaginable.
Pliny served as an imperial magistrate under trajan reigned 98117, and his letters to trajan provide one of the few surviving records of the relationship between the imperial office and provincial. A collection of letters from about 1900 years ago might be dusty, out of date and a mere curiosity, but the letters of pliny are far from this. With an english translation by william melmoth, rev. 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. Perseus provides credit for all accepted changes, storing new additions in a versioning system. In these letters, we can see how he stressed his ties with the emperor and the army. Search for other veterinary specialty services in valentine on the real yellow. Letter 96 is the most famous of the collection, and it contains the earliest external account of christian worship, and details what was to become the standard roman policy toward. Start your 48hour free trial to unlock this the letters of pliny the younger study guide and get instant access to the following critical essays. Pliny the younger the eruption of vesuvius letter 6. You will ask how that can possibly be in the midst of rome. Pliny the younger wrote hundreds of letters, of which 247 survive and are of great historical value. Pliny likely wrote the letters from amisus before his term ended in january 1. Sears 1888 book woodcraft extolled the solo camping trip, and his articles for forest and stream magazine often mentioned rushton and his canoes.
He was at misenum at the time of the eruption of vesuvius in 79 described in two famous letters when the elder pliny died. The original source is pliny the younger, epistles 10. Qui igitur intra hos proximos decem annos damnati nec ullo idoneo auctore liberati sunt, hos oportebit poenae suae reddi. Ward veterinary services hc 15, valentine, ne 69201. Pliny devised a summarium, or list of contents, at the beginning of the work that was later interpreted by modern printers as a table of contents. Books by pliny the younger author of the letters of the. Pliny book 7, letter 9 english translation pliny book 7, letter 9 latin text pliny book 8, letter 21 english translation pliny book 8, letter 21 latin text roman social life pliny book 1, letter 10 english translation pliny book 1, letter 10 latin text. Some are addressed to reigning emperors or to notables such as the historian tacitus. Valentine, ne three day weather forecast accuweather. Call us at 800 82354 or request a quote below and one of our sales representative will get in touch with you very soon. The letters of books 1 9, selected, rewritten, and arranged with care by their author, were published in his lifetime. An xml version of this text is available for download, with the additional restriction that you offer perseus any modifications you make.
Firth 1900 a few words and phrases have been modified. In 103, he published three books, containing a part of his correspondence. The letters of pliny the younger kindle edition by pliny. Shuddering to remember this post belongs to a serialized translation and commentary of pliny the youngers letters 6. The letters of the younger pliny by pliny the younger. Lets hope that our talking about him will immortalize him.
702 524 462 1049 1389 347 208 869 1408 1255 1404 159 869 1531 1342 426 1102 1316 551 1111 565 780 138 135 294 510 503 760 905 1195 970 1075 1121 559 1015