Sep 16, 2012 trajans reply to the letter by pliny from 2 days ago. Librivox recording of letters of pliny by pliny the younger. Book 10, letter 96 pliny is unsure how he should deal with the. The pious affection you bore, most sacred emperor, to your august father induced. The text of books i to ix of the letters rests on three manuscript traditions, the 9book, the 10book and the 8book, known as. Pliny the younger was governor of pontusbithynia from 1111 ad. Get exclusive access to content from our 1768 first. It has occurred to you that a company of firemen could be established in nicomedia, following the example of several cities. Book 10, letter 111 such grants are technically illegal, but the official cannot be expected to return a 20year old grant now. A range of latin passages for translation and comprehensio. He was educated at home and then in rome under quintilian. Trajan appointed pliny the younger, a distinguished senator and literary man, as governor of bithynia a province suffering from previous maladministration.
Hoffer, the anxieties of pliny the younger american philological. Perseus provides credit for all accepted changes, storing new additions in a versioning system. 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 book by pliny the younger.
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 younger pliny was born in 61 or 62 ce, the son of lucius caecilius of comum como and the elder plinys sister. Selections from plinys letters by pliny the younger. Chambers, pliny the youngers character as revealed through his letters 1998 stanley e. A prominent lawyer and administrator, pliny was also a prolific letterwriter, who numbered among his correspondents such. One of the first things that pliny the younger writes about, is how great his uncle was. Letters and panegyricus i, letters books ivii by pliny the younger vi, 16 and vi, 20 summary. The younger pliny was born in 61 or 62 ce, the son of lucius caecilius of comum como and the elder pliny s sister. The comments at the bottom of the letters have been added from various sources. It is a rule, sir, which i inviolably observe, to refer myself to you in all my doubts. Letters of pliny by pliny the younger free at loyal books.
This final book was, significantly, not intended for publication. We have a whole set of exchanges of his letters with the emperor trajan on a variety of administrative political matters. Buy a cheap copy of the letters of the younger pliny book by pliny the younger. Letters of pliny, by gaius plinius caecilius secundus. Roman literary life book 1, letter 1 pliny has accepited his friends advice and collected some of his letters for publication. 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. Pliny, the younger is also know as plinius caecilius secundus, gaius. This collection of letters contains an assortment of intimate personal correspondence with friends on various topics and book ten of this collection contains his. But we should remember that your province and especially those cities have been troubled by factions of this sort. These letters are a unique testimony of roman administrative history and everyday life in the 1st century ce. The manuscripts of plinys letters by dora johnson in the course of collecting notes for a monograph on the classi fication of the eightbook mss of plinys letters i have been able to make a fairly complete list of these mss, which, supplemented by. Gaius plinius caecilius secundus, born gaius caecilius or gaius caecilius cilo 61 c. The letters of pliny the younger provide gripping insight into roman life and the last hours of a city.
Betty radice, letters of the younger pliny viking press 1976 betty radice, pliny letters and panegyricus harvard univ pr 1969 p. 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 letters of the younger pliny penguin classics pdf. 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 analyse the eruption. The original source is pliny the younger, epistles 10. Plinys letters are important as a social document of his times. The uniqueness of plinys addressee in book 10, for example, can account not only for the consolidation in one book of all the letters to that addressee but also for the fact that most if not all of this correspondents replies are preserved alongside the letters of pliny. Click on the l symbols to go the latin text of each letter. 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 governors. 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. You very justly, sir, express the fear that the lake may drain itself dry if its waters are turned into the river and so into the sea, but i fancy that i have discovered a way to meet this difficulty.
The uniqueness of pliny s addressee in book 10, for example, can account not only for the consolidation in one book of all the letters to that addressee but also for the fact that most if not all of this correspondents replies are preserved alongside the letters of pliny. 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. Pliny on himself alpha classics by pliny the younger and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. Jul 03, 2010 the letters of pliny the younger provide gripping insight into roman life and the last hours of a city. Giocondo discovered a manuscript in paris of plinys tenth book of letters, containing his correspondence. Ad 611 was also a prolific letterwriter, who numbered among his correspondents such eminent figures as tacitus. He was at misenum at the time of the eruption of vesuvius in 79 described in two famous letters when the elder pliny. For the lake might be brought right up to the river by means of a canal, and yet it need not be turned into it, but, by leaving a margin between them, the waters of both may be practically joined without actually being so. Firth 1900 a few words and phrases have been modified.
The introduction and letters really helps one become acquainted with pliny the man and value the live he lived nearly 2000 years ago. The last was written during his tour of administration of bithynia, during which he may well have died. He states that his uncle pliny the elder had the unusual ability to be able to write something worth reading and be able to do something worth. 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. Melmonths translation of plinys letters, was first pub. Epistulae x letters 10, also known as the correspondence with trajan is a book of letters by the roman lawyer and author pliny the. Through pliny s 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. 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. Cluvius rufus, consular senator and imperial historian, d.
If you enjoyed the letters of the younger pliny, you might like tacitus the annals. Letters of pliny by pliny the younger full audio book. Book x of the letters contains his correspondence with trajan during this period, and includes letters about the early christians. Definitely recommended to those who are interested in looking into our ancient past. 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. 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. Having never been present at any trials of the christians, i am unacquainted with the method and limits to be observed either in. 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. He states that his uncle pliny the elder had the unusual ability to be able to write something worth reading and be able to do something worth recording. An unsuspected shared enthusiasm for pliny led to a. Pliny gives a character description of the syrian philosopher, euphrates, who acts as his spiritual adviser. This penguin classics edition is translated with an introduction by betty radice.
This comprehensive general commentary on the nine books of the younger pliny s private letters which cover nearly aspect of roman life except warfareoffers a selfcontained discussion of each letter or group of associated letters and their rich array of information about the authors social, political, and legal life and times. 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. Gibson and ruth morello frontmatter more information acknowledgements this book began as a conversation on a train on the way back from a conference in 1998. Book 1, letter 3 pliny is shocked that the people walk out in the middle of recitations. 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. Chapter 2 undertakes detailed study of book 6 as an artistic entity. Literature was taken much more seriously in the time of the emperor claudius. The pious affection you bore, most sacred emperor, to your august father induced you. The letters, on which today his fame mainly rests, were largely written with a view to publication, and were arranged by pliny himself.
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. An xml version of this text is available for download, with the additional restriction that you offer perseus any modifications you make. Pliny the youngers epistle to trajan i got pliny the youngers letter to trajan from the notes to eusebius ecclesiastical history, book iii, ch. 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 letters of the younger pliny by pliny the younger. Project muse the social economy of plinys correspondence. This is the first general introduction to pliny s 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. This work is licensed under a creative commons attributionsharealike 3. Pliny the younger, or gaius plinius caecilius secundus, was the nephew and adopted son of pliny the elder, the author of the famous and importantly influential natural history in thirtyseven. The 10th book contains addresses to emperor trajan on sundry official problems and the emperors replies. Pliny the younger wrote hundreds of letters, of which 247 survive and are of great historical value. 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.
The numbering of the letters in this book has been changed slightly to. Letters of pliny by pliny the younger full audio book great. 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. The letters of pliny the younger gaius plinius caecilius secundus are presented here in the english translation by j. The fragment consists of six vellum leaves, or twelve pages, which apparently formed part of a gathering or quire of the original volume. Pliny s letters are important as a social document of his times. Chapter 1 traces plinys autobiographical narrative throughout the letters.
The numbering of the letters in this book has been changed slightly to bring it into line with the most recent editions. Some are addressed to reigning emperors or to notables such as the historian tacitus. Plinys letters have not lost their currency partly because the social topics are still timely, whether they are property values going up in tuscany, scandals over the acceptance of bribes or the adultery of public figures, an invitation to dinner, the playing of a prank, or just plain gossip. 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.
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