Chambers, pliny the youngers character as revealed through his letters 1998 stanley e. Page 477 it was not at that distance discernible from what mountain this cloud issued, but it was found afterwards to ascend from mount vesuvius. 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. Betty radice, letters of the younger pliny viking press 1976 betty radice, pliny letters and panegyricus harvard univ pr 1969 p. The younger pliny was born in 61 or 62 ce, the son of lucius caec. Pliny, martial and regulus, or the problem of lacking approval in lifetime scholars usually date book 19 of the letters to the period of 96108 ad5. This was a delightful read, with much that is quotable. Tis no matter which i begin with, so take them as follows. 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.
Through plinys letters we are provided with extremely useful information that give us a better understanding of what exactly occurred on that day in august 79 ad. Pliny the younger, latin in full gaius plinius caecilius secundus, born 6162 ce, comum italydied c. 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. The text of books i to ix of the letters rests on three manuscript traditions, the 9book, the 10book and the 8book, known as. Firth 1900 a few words and phrases have been modified. You have to wait until the end of the book to see the breezy roman way he makes the decision to execute a couple of christian women. A strange cloud this post belongs to a serialized translation and commentary of pliny the youngers letters 6. Merrill, on the eightbook tradition of plinys letters in verona, classical. The first reference to plinys own activities as a poet is to be found in book 4, which sherwinwhite dates to 1045 ad6. The loeb classical library edition of pliny the younger is in two volumes. 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. Chapter 2 undertakes detailed study of book 6 as an artistic entity.
The two letters written by pliny the younger describing. 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. He was at misenum at the time of the eruption of vesuvius in 79 described in two famous letters when the elder pliny died. This penguin classics edition is translated with an introduction by betty radice. Hoffer, the anxieties of pliny the younger american philological. To calvisius pay a penny, and ill tell you a golden tale. The younger pliny was born in 61 or 62 ce, the son of lucius caecilius of comum como and the elder pliny s sister. We asked experts from our global future councils for their take on the world in 2030, and these are the results. He used to say that there was no book so bad that it was not useful at some point. Click on the l symbols to go the latin text of each letter. Michael dirda is a fulbright fellowship recipient and pulitzer prizewinning columnist for the washington post book world. 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.
An xml version of this text is available for download, with the additional restriction that you offer perseus any modifications you make. Cambridge core classical literature reading the letters of pliny the younger by roy k. Pliny saw himself as a writer and you can see that in his carefully thoughtout pleasing phrases and sentences. 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. I cannot give you a more exact description of its figure than by resembling it to that of a pinetree, for it shot up a great height in the form of a trunk, which extended itself at the top into a sort of branches. Regulus filius amisit, hoc uno malo indignus, quod nescio an malum putet. The project gutenberg ebook of the natural history of pliny, volume 1 of 6, by pliny the elder this ebook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the united states and most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. Letters of pliny, by gaius plinius caecilius secundus. At this time, pliny already had reached the peak of his political career. She was later banished, by domitian, but returned after his death and became a friend of pliny. Gibson and ruth morello frontmatter more information reading theletters of pliny the younger. Quis enim potest melius vel cunctationem meum regere vel ignorantiam instruere.
Arria was by no means a political innocent and would certainly have shared the blame for her husbands role in the conspiracy. This final book was, significantly, not intended for publication. Pliny the younger, nephew of the great naturalist pliny the elder, was a roman orator. The project gutenberg ebook of the natural history of. The works subject area is thus not limited to what is today understood by. The younger pliny was born in 61 or 62 ce, the son of lucius caecilius of comum como and the elder plinys sister.
His letters are arranged in ten books, of which the tenth consists entirely of letters to and from the emperor trajan. Chapter 1 traces plinys autobiographical narrative throughout the letters. Download pdf the letters of pliny the younger free. 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. 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. 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.
The nook book ebook of the plinys letters, books 1 and 2. He was educated at home and then in rome under quintilian. Arrived in italy in the renaissance and was owned by coluccio salutati, whose hand made the addition. The smell of sulfur this post belongs to a serialized translation and commentary of pliny the youngers letters 6. But, with the receipt of plinys letter, tacitus evidently was intrigued with plinys closing comment and wrote back requesting a second letter describing not only the. A summary of the iliads telling of achilles killing hector.
Definitely recommended to those who are interested in looking into our ancient past. A witness to the eruption of vesuvius, pliny the younger 61 1 ad was a successful politician, public servant, and advisor to the emperor trajan. His letters prove to be a reliable primary source and is used for the reference of scientific as well as historic experts who wish to. Summary and main characters of the iliad book xxiv. This work is licensed under a creative commons attributionsharealike 3. A prominent lawyer and administrator, pliny was also a prolific letterwriter, who numbered among his correspondents such. Verania, thc wife of that piso who was adopted by galba, lay extremely ill. And now, you will read this narrative without any view of inserting it in your history, of which it is not in the least worthy. 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. See key to translations for an explanation of the format. See all 2 formats and editions hide other formats and editions.
His latest book, on conan doyle, was published in 2011 by princeton university press. 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. Trajans reply to the letter by pliny from 2 days ago. Here pliny dictates his most famous letter as he and his mother observe the eruption of vesuvius. Crop of pliny the younger and his mother at misenum, 79 ad, by angelica kauffmann 1785. Essays and criticism on pliny the youngers the letters of pliny the younger critical evaluation. In this letter, pliny is writing about events that happened more than a half century earlier. The letters of the younger pliny by pliny the younger. You will say that this is all very sad and pitiful, but that a man who defiled his profession of letters by the guilt of incest deserves to suffer. Gaius plinius caecilius secundus, usually known as pliny the younger, was born at como in 62 a.