While the first nine books of plinys letters follow a roughly chronological order the author disingenuously maintains hes just selected them casually, almost at random book 10 is made up. 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. Firth 1900 a few words and phrases have been modified. Chapter 1 traces plinys autobiographical narrative throughout the letters. Fresh doubts on authenticity of plinys letter about the. Pliny the younger wrote hundreds of letters, of which 247 survive and are of great historical value. The numbering of the letters in this book has been changed slightly to bring it into line with the most recent editions. Primary sources letters of pliny the younger and the. 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.
The comments at the bottom of the letters have been added from various sources. 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. Plinius traiano imperatori letter 40 letter 41 traianus plinio c. Nonfiction harvard classics pliny the younger letters. This final book was, significantly, not intended for publication. Sep 16, 2012 trajans reply to the letter by pliny from 2 days ago. The letters of the younger pliny penguin classics pdf. The letters of the younger pliny book by pliny the younger.
Ad 611 was also a prolific letterwriter, who numbered among his correspondents such eminent figures as tacitus. These letters are a unique testimony of roman administrative history and everyday life in the 1st century ce. Mynors 1963, in the bibliotheca augustana pliny was born in comum in 61 or 62 a. See key to translations for an explanation of the format. These letters are a unique testimony of roman administrative history and everyday life in the 1st century. Buy a cheap copy of the letters of the younger pliny book by pliny the younger. 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. We have a whole set of exchanges of his letters with the emperor trajan on a variety of administrative political matters. Click anywhere in the line to jump to another position.
Plinys letters are important as a social document of his times. The younger pliny was consul suffectus from september to october. Chapter 2 undertakes detailed study of book 6 as an artistic entity. The epistulae are later copies of a series of personal missives by pliny the younger directed to his friends and associates. An xml version of this text is available for download, with the additional restriction that you offer perseus any modifications you make. Some are addressed to reigning emperors or to notables such as the historian tacitus. Pliny on himself alpha classics by pliny the younger and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. 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. 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 the elders sister, plinia, married a man named caecilius, from the northern italian town of. This penguin classics edition is translated with an introduction by betty radice.
I am no latinist and know little of ancient rome, so it was a delight to find such an approachable translation. Letters of pliny by pliny the younger free at loyal books. These letters concern an episode which marks the first time the roman government recognized christianity as a. Pliny served as an imperial magistrate under trajan reigned 98117, 2 and his letters to trajan provide one of the few surviving records of the. One of the first things that pliny the younger writes about, is how great his uncle was. 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. Letters, volume 1 letters, winifred margaret lambart hutchinson letters, winifred margaret lambart hutchinson issue 55. Plinys uncle, pliny the elder, helped raise and educate him. The letters of pliny in book 10 were isolated from trajans and other correspondence. The text of the remainder of plinys letters was divided up into fifteen sections about the same length as. Plinys letter to trajan christian history institute.
Pliny the younger quotes author of the letters of the. Definitely recommended to those who are interested in looking into our ancient past. Click on the l symbols to go the latin text of each letter. 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.
These two letters are the most famous, in which pliny the younger encounters christianity for the first time. 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. 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. Perseus provides credit for all accepted changes, storing new additions in a versioning system. Pliny the youngers letters are rare descriptions of roman administrative process and problems. Jul 03, 2010 while the first nine books of pliny s letters follow a roughly chronological order the author disingenuously maintains hes just selected them casually, almost at random book 10 is made up. Pliny s letters are important as a social document of his times. 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. Letters and panegyricus i, letters books ivii by pliny the younger vi, 16 and vi, 20 summary. They tell us about the man himself and his wide interests, and about his many friends, including tacitus, martial and suetonius. Plinys letter describing the christians allows modern scholars to accurately conceive of the christian experience in rome. This collection of letters contains an assortment of intimate personal correspondence with friends on various topics and book ten of this collection contains his. 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.
So he wrote the following letter to emperor trajan reporting what he had done so far and asking for guidance. Summaries those marked with an asterisk are a few of the more. The style is very different from that in the panegyricus, and some commentators maintain that pliny initiated a new genre. The older man, gaius plinius secundus, is called pliny the elder. Librivox recording of letters of pliny by pliny the younger. It is a rule, sir, which i inviolably observe, to refer myself to you in all my doubts. Trajans reply to the letter by pliny from 2 days ago. Plinys letter 96 called the pt the plinian testimonium was separated from the others. Pliny the younger was governor of pontus and bithynia from 1111 ce. The letters, on which today his fame mainly rests, were largely written with a view to publication, and were arranged by pliny himself. Book 10, letter 111 such grants are technically illegal, but the official cannot be expected to return a 20year old grant now. The letters of pliny the younger gaius plinius caecilius secundus are presented here in the english translation by j. 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.
A collection of letters from about 1900 years ago might be dusty, out of date and a mere curiosity, but the letters of pliny are far from this. The last was written during his tour of administration of bithynia, during which he may well have died. Letters and panegyricus i, letters books ivii by pliny the younger vi, 16 and vi, 20 summary one of the first things that pliny the younger writes about, is how great his uncle was. Book 10, letter 96 pliny is unsure how he should deal with the. Letters of pliny, by gaius plinius caecilius secundus. A prominent lawyer and administrator, pliny was also a prolific letterwriter, who numbered among his correspondents such eminent figures as. The younger pliny was born in 61 or 62 ce, the son of lucius caecilius of comum como and the elder pliny s sister. This post belongs to 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. The younger pliny was born in 61 or 62 ce, the son of lucius caecilius of comum como and the elder plinys sister. Book x of the letters contains his correspondence with trajan during this period, and includes letters about the early christians.
They were both witnesses to the eruption of vesuvius on 24 august 79 ad. Pliny was a civil servant who served as governor of bithynia, in the north of asia minor modern turkey, from 1111 ad. Here i cover only the first six short books of plinys letters he wrote 10 in all. This work is licensed under a creative commons attributionsharealike 3. The text of the remainder of plinys letters was divided up into fifteen sections about the same length as the pt. They are some of the few nonchristian sources about the legal status and treatment of christians. Here he met christians for the first time and was not sure how they should be dealt with. He wrote a number of books, but the natural history is the only one that survives. 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. 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 younger pliny was consul suffectus from september to. He was at misenum at the time of the eruption of vesuvius in 79 described in two famous letters when the elder pliny died.
An object in possession seldom retains the same charm that it had in pursuit. Letters of pliny by pliny the younger full audio book. Having never been present at any trials of the christians, i am unacquainted with the method and limits to be observed either in. Its an encyclopedia of what passed for scientific information in that time. He was educated at home and then in rome under quintilian. 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. 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 letters of the younger pliny by pliny the younger. Chapter 1 traces pliny s autobiographical narrative throughout the letters. The introduction and letters really helps one become acquainted with pliny the man and value the live he lived nearly 2000 years ago. Dec 04, 2003 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. All of his letters would fit into a comfortable volume. 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. Letters of pliny the younger and the emperor trajan.
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