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 novel begins shortly before nikki is set to begin school at westchester day school. Epistulae, letters vol i book ibook vi 1 of 2 translations. 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. 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. 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. After this war, pliny returned to rome, probably with publius pomponius secundus. Book x of the letters contains his correspondence with trajan during this period, and includes letters about the early christians. Nam lacus piscem, feras silvae quibus lacus cingitur, studia altissimus iste secessus affatim suggerunt. 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. This work is licensed under a creative commons attributionsharealike 3. Choose expedited shipping if available for much faster delivery. An object in possession seldom retains the same charm that it had in pursuit.
Plinys letter to trajan christian history institute. He wrote a number of books, but the natural history is the only one that survives. Perseus provides credit for all accepted changes, storing new additions in a versioning system. Pliny s letters are important as a social document of his times. Comprehensive commentary makes this volume ideal for use on its own, without supplementary materials. 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. Firth 1900 a few words and phrases have been modified. This penguin classics edition is translated with an introduction by betty radice. Borrow ebooks, audiobooks, and videos from thousands of public libraries worldwide. Pliny the younger, latin in full gaius plinius caecilius secundus, born 6162 ce, comum italydied c. 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. 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.
Pliny responded with a narrative extending from the early afternoon. The last was written during his tour of administration of bithynia, during which he may well have died. It is a rule, sir, which i inviolably observe, to refer myself to you in all my doubts. Selected letters from pliny the youngers epistulae. The numbering of the letters in this book has been changed slightly to bring it. This book is a reproduction of the original book published in 1855 and may have some imperfections such as marks or handwritten notes. This final book was, significantly, not intended for publication. Click on the l symbols to go the latin text of each letter. Gaius plinius caecilius secundus, born gaius caecilius or gaius caecilius cilo 61 c.
Pliny the youngers ninebook epistles is a masterpiece of roman prose. 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. An xml version of this text is available for download, with the additional restriction that you offer perseus any modifications you make. Book 10, letter 96 pliny is unsure how he should deal with the. Letters of pliny, by gaius plinius caecilius secundus. They were both witnesses to the eruption of vesuvius on 24 august 79 ad. See key to translations for an explanation of the format. The blog posts about the vesuvius eruption are on hold while i complete my book, pliny and the destruction of vesuvius routledge, 2021.
Short biographies of the elder and younger pliny, setting the context for the vesuvian letters. The text of books i to ix of the letters rests on three manuscript traditions, the 9book, the 10book and the 8book, known as. First in diary series thick with materialism, thin on plot. The style is very different from that in the panegyricus, and some commentators maintain that pliny initiated a new genre. Nonfiction harvard classics pliny the younger letters.
Having never been present at any trials of the christians, i am unacquainted with the method and limits to be observed either in. These letters are a unique testimony of roman administrative history and. The letters of the younger pliny by pliny the younger. During this time, pliny the elder saw some remarkable sights, including the thermal spas at weisbaden. Pliny the younger was born in novum comum como, northern italy, the son of lucius caecilius cilo, born there, and wife plinia marcella, a sister of pliny the elder.
A prominent lawyer and administrator, pliny was also a prolific letterwriter, who numbered among his correspondents such. The younger pliny was born in 61 or 62 ce, the son of lucius caecilius of comum como and the elder plinys sister. Book 10, letter 111 such grants are technically illegal, but the official cannot be expected to return a 20year old grant now. 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. They tell us about the man himself and his wide interests, and about his many friends, including tacitus, martial and suetonius. 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. Pliny the elder has 277 books on goodreads with 3804 ratings. Michael dirda is a fulbright fellowship recipient and pulitzer prizewinning columnist for the washington post book world. 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. Pliny chase 18201886, american scientist, mathematician.
You have constantly urged me to collect and publish the more highly finished of the letters that i may have written. Tales from a notsofabulous life is a young adult novel by rachel renee russell which recounts 14yearold nikki maxwells first month andahalf in a new school where she must handle bullies, boys, and an art competition. A portion of your purchase of this book will be donated to nonprofit organizations. Here he met christians for the first time and was not sure how they should be dealt with. He revered his uncle, pliny the elder, and provides sketches of how his uncle worked on the naturalis historia. Pliny was a civil servant who served as governor of bithynia, in the north of asia minor modern turkey, from 1111 ad. Often mined as a historical and pedagogical sourcebook, this collection of private letters is now finding recognition as a rich and rewarding work in its own right.
Pliny the elders sister, plinia, married a man named caecilius, from the northern italian town of comum. Pliny the elder 23 ad79 ad, ancient roman nobleman, scientist, historian, and author of naturalis historia plinys natural history pliny the younger died 1, ancient roman statesman, orator, writer, and pliny the elders nephew and adopted son. He also wrote his first book which was a kind of military manual on horseriding and spearthrowing. These letters are a unique testimony of roman administrative history and everyday life in the 1st century ce. Selected letters from pliny the youngers epistulae commentary by jacqueline carlon jacqueline carlon oxford greek and latin college commentaries. 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. Plinys uncle, pliny the elder, helped raise and educate him. Short biographies of the elder and younger pliny, setting the context for the vesuvian letters two letters. A series of personal missives by pliny the younger directed. The older man, gaius plinius secundus, is called pliny the elder.
A reconstruction of the transmission history of epp. Gaius plinius caecilius secundus, usually known as pliny the younger, was born at como in 62 a. He was educated at home and then in rome under quintilian. Letters of pliny by pliny the younger free at loyal books. Click anywhere in the line to jump to another position. Its an encyclopedia of what passed for scientific information in that time. 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. Letters on a variety of topics offer insights into the roman society and culture of pliny s time. 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. Pliny the youngers nine book epistles is a masterpiece of roman prose. Pliny the elders most popular book is natural history. The epistulae are later copies of a series of personal missives by pliny the younger directed to his friends and associates.
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