This work is licensed under a creative commons attributionsharealike 3. 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. The letters of pliny the younger contained in this volume provide intermediate and. These posts are part of a book project that intends to understand the scholarly and popular reception of those letters. For an index with links to all the letters on this site arranged by topic, click here. 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. The blog posts about the vesuvius eruption are on hold while i complete my book, pliny and the destruction of vesuvius routledge, 2021. Gibson, 9780521842921, available at book depository with free delivery worldwide. See key to translations for an explanation of the format. A prominent lawyer and administrator, pliny was also a prolific letterwriter, who numbered among his correspondents such. Chapter 1 traces pliny s autobiographical narrative throughout the letters. 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.
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. An object in possession seldom retains the same charm that it had in pursuit. I know that immortal fame awaits him if his death is recorded by you. The origin of christianity in that region is not known, but it has not been associated with apostle pauls travels. The letters, on which today his fame mainly rests, were largely written with a view to publication, and were arranged by pliny himself. Plinys letter is the earliest pagan account to refer to early christians and provides a key description of roman administrative process and problems. The two letters written by pliny the younger describing. This penguin classics edition is translated with an introduction by betty radice. A comprehensive introduction to pliny the youngers epistulae, complete with extensive. 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 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. The project gutenberg ebook of letters of pliny, by pliny this ebook is for the use of. Gibson, reading the letters of sidonius by the book, in j. Selected letters from pliny the youngers epistulae.
The text of books i to ix of the letters rests on three manuscript traditions, the 9book, the 10book and the 8book, known as. Titles of familiar handbooks and journals will be given by their usual initials. The letters of the younger pliny by pliny the younger. This post belongs to a serialized translation and commentary of pliny the youngers letters 6. Pliny the younger wrote hundreds of letters, of which 247 survive and are of great historical value. Chapters 4 to 7 study thematic letter cycles within the collection, including those on plinys famous country vil. Christopher whittons commentary on plinys epistles 2 reinforces the. An index to the letters on this site arranged by book. A comprehensive introduction to pliny the youngers epistulae, complete with extensive commentary. It would be a long story, and of no importance, were i to recount too particularly by what accident i who am not at all fond of society supped lately with a person, who in his own opinion lives in splendour combined with economy.
The first fourteen letters of this book are dated from the period preceding plinys appointment as governor his official title was that of legatus augusti pro praetore consulari potestate of bithynia and pontus, probably between 110 and 112 ce. An index to the letters on this site arranged by book and letter number. The last was written during his tour of administration of bithynia, during which he may well have died. 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. Short biographies of the elder and younger pliny, setting the context for the vesuvian letters two letters. They thus lack the spontaneity of ciceros impulsive utterances, but to most modern readers who are not special students of roman history they are even more interesting. Click on the l symbols to go the latin text of each letter. 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. Gibson and ruth morello frontmatter more information. 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. There follows the commentary in about 440 pages on books i.
The second book is a typically varied yet taut suite of miniatures, including among its twenty letters the trial of marius priscus and plinys famous portrait of his laurentine villa. We have a whole set of exchanges of his letters with the emperor trajan on a variety of administrative political matters. Syme suggested historia 6 1957 482483 that when pliny recom mended. Letters of pliny by pliny the younger full audio book.
The post is duly registered on the inscription ils 2927. Pliny served as an imperial magistrate under trajan reigned 98117, 2 and his letters to trajan provide one of the few surviving records of the. This post begins a serialized translation and commentary of pliny the youngers letters 6. Lxv to tacitus your request that i would send you an account of my uncles death, in order to transmit a more exact relation of it to posterity, deserves my acknowledgments. Pliny the younger was governor of pontusbithynia from 1111 ad. Chapters 4 to 7 study thematic letter cycles within the collection, including those on. The epistles of pliny oxford readings in classical. Book x of the letters contains his correspondence with trajan during this period, and includes letters about the early christians. This edition, the first to address a complete book of epistles in over a century, presents a latin text together with an introduction and commentary intended for. Firth 1900 a few words and phrases have been modified.
Choose from 500 different sets of pliny letter translation flashcards on quizlet. Modestus, he explained, in a letter of his, which was read to domitian, had. You have constantly urged me to collect and publish the more highly finished of the letters that i may have written. This was the disaster that buried pompeii, herculaneum, and other sites. Pliny book 1, letter 10 student commentary pliny book 1. Documentation in the following pages has been kept to a minimum. Selected letters internet history sourcebooks project. Pliny likely wrote the letters from amisus before his term ended in january 1. 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. Chapter 2 undertakes a detailed study of book 6 as an artistic entity. For the duration of the mandate, observe that plinys predecessor julius ferox is.
For the duration of the mandate, observe that plinys predecessor julius ferox is attested both in 101 and in 103 cil 6. If nevertheless they were attracted either by the speed of the horses or by the skill of the drivers, then it would not be without reason. It is true that he perished in a catastrophe which. Book 6 had awarded the emperor, newly returned from victory in. Pliny the younger was the governor of bithynia et pontus on the black sea coast of anatolia turkey. The younger pliny was born in 61 or 62 ce, the son of lucius caecilius of comum como and the elder plinys sister. Student commentary pliny book 2, letter 6 english translation pliny book 2, letter 6 latin text pliny book 2, letter 20 english translation.
Chapter 1 traces plinys autobiographical narrative throughout the letters. He is currently completing a biography of pliny, man of high empire, and a commentary on pliny, letters book 6. 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. The tenth book of pliny the youngers correspondence gathers only letters exchanged between pliny and the emperor trajan. A reconstruction of the transmission history of epp. He is coeditor with ruth morello of both reimagining pliny the younger arethusa special number 36. The style is very different from that in the panegyricus, and some commentators maintain that pliny initiated a new genre. The two letters written by pliny the younger describing the. These letters are a unique testimony of roman administrative history and everyday life in the 1st century.
They tell us about the man himself and his wide interests, and about his many friends, including tacitus, martial and suetonius. In a separate introduction to book x are discussed. Perseus provides credit for all accepted changes, storing new additions in a versioning system. 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. We see pliny describe his consideration for his modest wife 6. 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. Chapter 2 undertakes detailed study of book 6 as an artistic entity. Learn pliny letter translation with free interactive flashcards. 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. 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. Some are addressed to reigning emperors or to notables such as the historian tacitus. 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. This final book was, significantly, not intended for publication.
Now the day begins, with a still hesitant and almost lazy dawn. Pliny book 1 pliny book 1, letter 1 english translation pliny book 1, letter 1 latin text. Reading the letters of pliny the younger book depository. Letters of pliny, by gaius plinius caecilius secundus. Christopher whitton is lecturer in classics at the university of cambridge and fellow of emmanuel college. He plans to work next on a commentary on pliny, letters book 6. Introductions for each letter guide students in understanding and interpreting the text. Aug 27, 20 2 by which i marvel all the more that so many thousands of men desire to see running horses so childishly, over and over again, and to see people standing on the chariots. 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. A standby of latin instruction for many years letter 6. An xml version of this text is available for download, with the additional restriction that you offer perseus any modifications you make.
He was educated at home and then in rome under quintilian. The epistulae are later copies of a series of personal missives by pliny the younger directed to his friends and associates. Pliny s letters are important as a social document of his times. Nonfiction harvard classics pliny the younger letters.