For the younger pliny can be found doing something essentially similar to the. The best of what to eat, see and do in silicon valley and the sf peninsula. 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. 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. Starting with the index in pliny chapter 2 the roman paratext. A serious quarrel among scholars concerning its genuineness arose between the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th. My dear tacitus, you ask me to write you something about the death of my uncle so that the account you transmit. Pliny the younger the eruption of vesuvius letter 6. Pliny the younger, latin in full gaius plinius caecilius secundus, born 6162 ce, comum italydied c. The two letters written by pliny the younger describing the. Books by pliny the younger author of the letters of the. In her introduction she examines the shrewd, tolerant and occasionally pompous man who emerges from these letters.
Plinys uncle, pliny the elder, helped raise and educate him. The letters, on which today his fame mainly rests, were largely written with a view to publication, and were arranged by pliny himself. Gaius plinius caecilius secundus, usually known as pliny the younger, was. Gaius plinius caecilius secundus, born gaius caecilius or gaius caecilius cilo 61 ad ca. Handbound at the 7 r the letters op the younger pliny. The comments at the bottom of the letters have been added from various sources. Verania, thc wife of that piso who was adopted by galba, lay extremely ill. 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 christians. Both pliny the elder and the younger were witnesses to the eruption of vesuvius in 79 ad, in which the former died. Pliny the younger was governor of pontusbithynia from 1111 ad. This was the disaster that buried pompeii, herculaneum, and other sites.
See key to translations for an explanation of the format. He was at misenum at the time of the eruption of vesuvius in 79 described in two famous letters when the elder pliny died. Ad 611, a prominent lawyer and administrator, was also a prolific letterwriter. You have constantly urged me to collect and publish the more highly finished of the letters that i may have written. 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. Some more information about his career is provided by an inscription at comum. The project gutenberg ebook of letters of pliny, by pliny this ebook is for the. I know that immortal fame awaits him if his death is recorded by you. The two letters written by pliny the younger describing. We have a whole set of exchanges of his letters with the emperor trajan on a variety of administrative political matters.
The letters of pliny the younger kindle edition by pliny. The letters of pliny the younger, translated by william melmoth and revised by f. These letters are a unique testimony of roman administrative history and everyday life in the 1st century. Letters and panegyricus i, books 17 loeb classical library volume i. This free kindle book is a fantastic buy for people interested in history and in the ideas of rather intelligent individuals such as pliny the younger. Letters of pliny, by gaius plinius caecilius secundus. Pliny the younger wrote hundreds of letters, of which 247 survive and are of great historical value. Pliny the younger wrote hundreds of letters, many of which still survive and are of great historical value. 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. This work is licensed under a creative commons attributionsharealike 3. He was only eight years old when his father caecilius died, and he was adopted by his uncle, the.
This post begins a serialized translation and commentary of pliny the youngers letters 6. 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. This penguin classics edition is translated with an introduction by betty radice. Letters of pliny the younger to the historian tacitus. Ad 611 was also a prolific letter writer, who numbered among his correspondents such eminent figures as tacitus. Pliny book 2, letter 1 student commentary pliny book 2, letter 6 english translation pliny book 2, letter 6 latin text pliny book 2, letter 20 english. The letters of pliny the younger gaius plinius caecilius secundus are presented here in the english translation by j. Definitely recommended to those who are interested in looking into our ancient past. Sep 03, 2018 this reading is from book 10, letters 96 to trajan from pliny and 97 reply by the emperor trajan. Barry mosers extraordinarily detailed and evocative relief engravings decorate this translation of pliny the younger s two famous letters to tacitus about the eruption of mount vesuvius in a. Betty radice was an honorary fellow of st hildas college, oxford and vicepresident of the classical association. Click anywhere in the line to jump to another position.
Book i 2 book ii 78 book iii 158 book iv 242 book v 322 book vi 396. 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. 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. Gaius plinius caecilius secundus, born gaius caecilius or gaius caecilius cilo 61 c. 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. Pliny s letters are important as a social document of his times. The letters of pliny the younger by pliny the younger. Pliny s uncle, pliny the elder, helped raise and educate him and they were both witnesses to the eruption of vesuvius on 24 august 79 ad. Epistulae pliny the epistulae are a series of personal missives by pliny the younger directed to his friends and associates. My uncle, pliny the elder, died in a terrible incident which also left our region in ruins. 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. Chapter 1 traces plinys autobiographical narrative throughout the letters.
Pliny served as an imperial magistrate under trajan reigned 98117, 1 and his letters to trajan provide one of the few surviving records of the. The last was written during his tour of administration of bithynia, during which he may well have died. The original source is pliny the younger, epistles 10. Roman senator, nephew of pliny the elder, governor of bithynia pontus 109111, author of a famous collection of letters. Pliny the younger author of the letters of the younger pliny. Letters of pliny by pliny the younger full audio book. Some are addressed to reigning emperors or to notables such as the historian tacitus. The subjectmatter, too, lent itself to this kind of emulation a 2 plinys letters.
Click on the l symbols to go the latin text of each letter. Chapter 1 traces pliny s autobiographical narrative throughout the letters. He is known to have been there two years, and is presumed to have died there before the end of 1. Pliny responded with a narrative extending from the early afternoon. The sixth book of letters is perhaps best known for plinys detailed account of the eruption of mount vesuvius in august of 79 ce, during which his. The collection includes his wellknown letters about the eruption of vesuvius 6. The style is very different from that in the panegyricus, and some commentators maintain that pliny initiated a new genre. 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.
Their ultimate source is a fragmentary inscription cil v 1 3442 found in a field in. The loeb classical library edition of pliny the younger is in two volumes. If you enjoyed the letters of the younger pliny, you might like tacitus the annals. Contents preface page vii abbreviations ix imaginary plan of the laurentine villa xii introduction 1 1 epistles in brief 1 2 plinys world 6 3 a book of letters 11 4. Pliny the younger has 144 books on goodreads with 6474 ratings. Plinys uncle, pliny the elder, helped raise and educate him and they were both witnesses to. These posts are part of a book project that intends to understand the scholarly and popular reception of those letters. 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. Among the many of pliny the younger s letters that describe rome in the first century ce are two letters that describe the destruction of pompey because of the eruption of mount vesuvius which. His nine books of personal letters were selected by pliny himself and published during his lifetime, while his official correspondence with trajan was published as a tenth book after his death and contains a celebrated exchange of letters on the early christians.
Buy a cheap copy of the letters of the younger pliny book by pliny the younger. It is some years since rome has had such a splendid sight to remember as the public funeral of verginius rufus, one of our greatest and most distinguished citizens whom we can also count a fortunate one. She was a renowned translator of both latin and greek. The younger pliny was born in 61 or 62 ce, the son of lucius caecilius of comum como and the elder pliny s sister. 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.
Pliny the younger 6 pliny the younger or gaius plinius caecilius secundus 62c. Neither the younger nor the elder pliny mention the names. Book x of the letters contains his correspondence with trajan during this period, and includes letters about the early christians. The epistulae are later copies of a series of personal missives by pliny the younger directed to his friends and associates.
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. I got pliny the younger s letter to trajan from the notes to eusebius ecclesiastical history, book iii, ch. Pliny the younger 9 pliny the younger or gaius plinius caecilius secundus 62c. To calvisius pay a penny, and ill tell you a golden tale. Firth 1900 a few words and phrases have been modified. 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. 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. However, only the first half of this book is without significant typos. Open library is an initiative of the internet archive. Pliny had recently been appointed imperial governor legatus augusti of bithynia et pontus. His letters are arranged in ten books, of which the tenth consists entirely of letters to and from the emperor trajan. Pliny the younger s most popular book is the letters of the younger pliny. Cambridge core classical literature reading the letters of pliny the younger by roy k. The letters of the younger pliny book by pliny the younger.
These letters are a unique testimony of roman administrative history and everyday life in the 1st century ce. The letters of the younger pliny by pliny the younger. 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. Gaius plinius caecilius secundus was a prolific letterwriter, and has one of our earliest attestations to christians in a secular work of antiquity. The letters of pliny the younger with observations on each letter. The relationship of the elder plinys prefatory letter to the main body of the. 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.
He was educated at home and then in rome under quintilian. Letters of pliny by pliny the younger free at loyal books. A prominent lawyer and administrator, pliny was also a prolific letterwriter, who numbered among his correspondents such. Tis no matter which i begin with, so take them as follows. Chapter 2 undertakes detailed study of book 6 as an artistic entity.