In the next post, we will begin translating letter 6. One of the famous seven hills upon which rome was situated. Pliny the younger, the roman governor of bithynia and pontus now in modern turkey wrote a letter to emperor trajan around ad 112 and asked for counsel on dealing with the early christian community. 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. Superest ut nec te consilii nec me paeniteat obsequii.
He was the governor in the roman province of bithynia modern day turkey when a number of christians were brought into his court. Pliny was a civil servant who served as governor of bithynia, in the north of asia minor modern turkey, from 1111 ad. Go, wanton muse, but go with care, nor meet, illtimd, my plinys ear. My dear tacitus, you ask me to write you something about the death of my uncle so that the account you transmit. A copy printed in 1472 by nicolas jenson of venice is held in the library at wells cathedral.
Ideo dilata cognitione, ad consulendum te decucurri. Pliny himself defines his scope as the natural world, or life. You have often urged me to collect and publish any letters of mine which were composed with some care. This volume is from the second edition, printed in 1472. The works subject area is thus not limited to what is today understood by natural history. See key to translations for an explanation of the format. As pliny suspected, it did not satisfy tacitus curiosity, because the historian requested a followon. 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. Letters of pliny by pliny the younger free at loyal books.
Literature was taken much more seriously in the time of the emperor claudius. 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. Naturalis historia by pliny the elder, published by nicolas jenson, 1472 often described as the first encyclopedia, naturalis historia natural history was the leading authority in medieval europe on a wide range of subjects including but not limited to botany. Plinys letter to trajan christian history institute. Pliny the younger was governor of pontusbithynia from 1111 ad. 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. Plinius caecilius secundus, gaius catalogus translationum et. He, by sage minerva taught, gives the day to studious thought, and plans that eloquence divine, which shall to future ages shine, and rival, wondrous tully. Book i the letters of pliny book i i to septicius clarus 1.
In book iii he covers the geography of the iberian peninsula and italy. Roman senator and writer, gaius plinius caecilius secundus otherwise known as pliny the younger, who was seventeen years old at the time of the eruption, had witnessed the vesuvius eruption of 79 ad from the home of his uncle in misenum and managed to write a very. Letters of pliny, by gaius plinius caecilius secundus. The first ten books of plinys great work were probably put in their present shape. Chapter 1 traces plinys autobiographical narrative throughout the letters. Each volumes lead letter is painstakingly decorated or illuminated a work of art in itself. 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 the letters of pliny the younger by pliny the younger part 3 out of 3. It is an important source for contemporary life, particularly. 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. A prominent lawyer and administrator, pliny was also a prolific letterwriter, who numbered among his correspondents such. 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. 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.
Pliny s letter is the earliest pagan account to refer to early christians and provides a key description of roman administrative process and problems. Originally intended as letters for historian tacitus, to describe and perhaps glorify the. Plinys uncle, pliny the elder, helped raise and educate him and they were both witnesses to the eruption of vesuvius on 24 august 79 ad. Primary sources letters of pliny the younger and the. The thirtyseven volume classic is the only surviving work of pliny the.
This was a delightful read, with much that is quotable. In the year 112, pliny the younger was faced with a dilemma. 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. An xml version of this text is available for download, with the additional restriction that you offer perseus any modifications you make. Nonfiction harvard classics pliny the younger letters. The letters of pliny the younger gaius plinius caecilius secundus are presented here in the english translation by j. Volume i of the natural history of gaius plinius secundus. The illuminated page from the university of readings copy of the 1472 edition of plinys.
Gaius plinius caecilius secundus, usually known as pliny the younger, was born at como in 62 a. You have constantly urged me to collect and publish the more highly finished of the letters that i may have written. Multi enim omnis aetatis, omnis ordinis, utriusque sexus etiam vocantur in periculum et vocabuntur. 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. With bessarions death at the end of 1472, restraint was cast aside and a series of. The route taken by pliny the elder in his rescue mission during the eruption.
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. Roman senator and writer, gaius plinius caecilius secundus otherwise known as pliny the younger, who was seventeen years old at the time of the eruption, had witnessed the vesuvius eruption of 79 ad from the home of his uncle in misenum and managed to write a very accurate account some 25 years later. The letters of the younger pliny by pliny the younger. Gaius plinius secundus, commonly known as pliny the elder ad 2379. The style is very different from that in the panegyricus, and some commentators maintain that pliny initiated a new genre. This penguin classics edition is translated with an introduction by betty radice. From this time on 1472 a veritable flood of editions almost entirely in folio. Ancestor of all the 10 book mss, and originally complete.
Victor in paris in 1500, where it was collated and foliated, and still complete then. Letters of pliny the younger to the historian tacitus. We have a whole set of exchanges of his letters with the emperor trajan on a variety of administrative political matters. Pliny hoped to squelch this dangerous superstition. Visa est enim mihi res digna consultatione, maxime propter periclitantium numerum. Often described as the first encyclopedia, naturalis historia natural history was the leading authority in medieval europe on a wide range of subjects including but not limited to botany, zoology, geography, mineralogy, medicine, and anthropology. This work is licensed under a creative commons attributionsharealike 3. Natural history pliny project gutenberg selfpublishing.
Naturalis historia naturalis historia, 1669 edition, title page. Letters of pliny the younger and the emperor trajan. Collegi non servato temporis ordine neque enim historiam componebam, sed ut quaeque in manus 2 venerat. An object in possession seldom retains the same charm that it had in pursuit. Museums oldest natural history book now accessible online. Historia naturalis has one illuminated page and thirtyseven illuminated initial letters. Sep 16, 2012 trajans reply to the letter by pliny from 2 days ago. Note on the text 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. Selections from plinys letters by pliny the younger. I have now made a collection, not keeping to the original order as i was not writing history, but taking them as they came to my hand. In books iii to vi, pliny moves to the earth itself.
These letters are a unique testimony of roman administrative history and everyday life in the 1st century. Chapters 4 to 7 study thematic letter cycles within the collection, including those on. This page is the beginning of book 2 on the nature of. Gibson and ruth morello frontmatter more information contents acknowledgements page ix list of abbreviations xi map. He used to say that there was no book so bad that it was not useful at some point. Beginning of book 10, on the nature of birds, including the ostrich. Reading the letters of pliny the younger an introduction. Chapter 2 undertakes detailed study of book 6 as an artistic entity. The museums library and archives has digitised its oldest book, historia. Details caii plynii secundi naturalis historiae liber i biodiversity. The letters of the younger pliny the letters of pliny the. 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. The present volume is particularly interesting in light of tichtls socalled tagebuch, a copy of avicenna, canon medicinae, book iii padua.
Trajans reply to the letter by pliny from 2 days ago. 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. 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. This final book was, significantly, not intended for publication. Plinii caecilii secundi epistularum liber primus i c. Presumably the printed i indicated which letter the artist should illustrate. Click on the l symbols to go the latin text of each letter. Perseus provides credit for all accepted changes, storing new additions in a versioning system. Pliny saw himself as a writer and you can see that in his carefully thoughtout pleasing phrases and sentences.
Here he met christians for the first time and was not sure how they should be dealt with. The horrid barbarity which the slaves of larcius macedo, a person of praetorian rank, lately exercised upon their master, is so extremely tragical, that it deserves to be the subject of something more considerable than a private letter. 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. Naturalis historia by pliny the elder, published by nicolas jenson, 1472. Previous part 2 the greeks say, ignorance makes a man bold. The epistulae are later copies of a series of personal missives by pliny the younger directed to his friends and associates. This comprehensive general commentary on the nine books of the younger plinys private letterswhich 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. Jul 07, 2010 the present volume is particularly interesting in light of tichtls socalled tagebuch, a copy of avicenna, canon medicinae, book iii padua. Author pliny the elder country ancient rome subject natural history, ethnography, art, sculpture, mining, mineralogy genre encyclopaedia, popular science the natural history is a work by pliny the elder. The letters of the younger pliny penguin classics by pliny the younger and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at.
Altamura, medievali e umanistici della biblioteca nazionale di. Firth 1900 a few words and phrases have been modified. You would have heard the wails of women, the shrieks of infants, shouts gaius plinius caecilius secundus, born gaius caecilius or gaius caecilius cilo 61 ad ca. These letters concern an episode which marks the first time the roman government recognized christianity as a.
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