Learn pliny letter translation with free interactive flashcards. This is a lively new translation by eminent scholar peter walsh, based on the oxford classical text and drawing on the latest scholarship. 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. Gaius plinius caecilius secundus, known as pliny the younger, was the son of a landowner from comum in northern italy. The comments at the bottom of the letters have been added from various sources. In a followup letter to tacitus, the younger pliny recalls his own adventures back at misenum. Perseus provides credit for all accepted changes, storing new additions in a versioning system.
My lettersfor now there is no need for you to writewill have shown you how pleased i. 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. Primary sources letters of pliny the younger and the. Some more information about his career is provided by an inscription at comum. 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. Gaius plinius caecilius secundus, born gaius caecilius or gaius caecilius cilo 61 c. This custom, however, of anointing themselves, is inveighed against by the satirists as in the number of their luxurious indulgences. Aug 27, 20 2 by which i marvel all the more that so many thousands of men desire to see running horses so childishly, over and over again, and to see people standing on the chariots. Click on a word to bring up parses, dictionary entries, and frequency statistics. Pliny to cornelius tacitus thank you for asking me to send you a description of my uncles death so that you can leave an accurate account of it for posterity1. In the letter he discusses bad manners at roman dinner parties. 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. William melmoth in harvard classics series introductory note.
Do go, says he, and call on pliny in the morningearly in the morning. Especially noteworthy among the letters are two in which he describes the eruption of mount vesuvius in 79 during which his uncle pliny the elder died epistulae vi. The letters of pliny the younger gaius plinius caecilius secundus are presented here in the english translation by j. These commentaries provide rather complete comments on grammar and full vocabulary lists unless otherwise noted. The correspondence between pliny and emperor trajan shows that the roman empire, as a government entity, did not at this time seek out christians for prosecution or persecution. Letters of pliny the younger to the historian tacitus. Letters of pliny the younger and the emperor trajan.
The two letters written by pliny the younger describing the. These, and a wealth of other experiences, make pliny the youngers letters a fascinating lens. The project gutenberg ebook of letters of pliny, by pliny this ebook is for the use. Pliny s letters provide a fascinating insight into roman life in the period 97 to 112 ad. Translation is eschewed in favor of describing the grammar of difficult passages more. If ever polite literature flourished at rome, it certainly flourishes now. Dec 06, 2012 this begins a series of posts that will translate and comment upon pliny the youngers two letters 6. This post belongs to a serialized translation and commentary of pliny the youngers letters 6. This comprehensive ebook presents the complete works of pliny the younger, with beautiful illustrations, informative introductions and the usual delphi bonus material.
This modern translation of the ten books of pliny s letters provides a wealth of information on the social and political history of rome at the turn of the first century, including pliny s famous account of the destruction of pompeii and his celebrated correspondence with the emperor trajan about the early christians. Choose from 500 different sets of pliny letter translation flashcards on quizlet. 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. 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. The romans used to lie or walk naked in the sun, after anointing their bodies with oil, which was esteemed as greatly contributing to health, and therefore daily practised by them. 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. Complete letters ebook by pliny the younger rakuten kobo. Click on the l symbols to go the latin text of each letter. If nevertheless they were attracted either by the speed of the horses or by the skill of the drivers, then it would not be without reason. But just as then, when we wished to explain the meaning and bearing of our. In his introduction, walsh considers the political background of the letters, the span of pliny s career, the range of topics covered in the letters, and pliny s literary style. Definitely recommended to those who are interested in looking into our ancient past. You have constantly urged me to collect and publish the more highly finished of the letters that i may have written. After his fathers death pliny was brought up by his uncle, pliny the elder.
These letters concern an episode which marks the first time the roman government recognized christianity as a. These posts are part of a book project that intends to understand the scholarly and popular reception of those letters. Use the dictionary lookup tool to examine difficult latin words and find every. Vesuvius in ad 79the disaster that buried pompeii, herculaneum, and other sites. Most of these commentaries started out as assignments in latin classes at the university of. Pliny in this letter internet history sourcebooks fordham university. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. Read complete letters by pliny the younger available from rakuten kobo. This work is licensed under a creative commons attributionsharealike 3.
Letters of pliny, by gaius plinius caecilius secundus. Choose from 103 different sets of latin pliny 6 epistula flashcards on quizlet. Cornelius paifus is plinys meaning here is uncertain, ference to book ii. An xml version of this text is available for download, with the additional restriction that you offer perseus any modifications you make. Thank you for asking me to send you a description of my uncles death so that you can leave an accurate account of it for posterity1. Learn latin pliny 6 epistula with free interactive flashcards. Pliny the younger wrote hundreds of letters, of which 247 survive and are of great historical value. The student, three volumes, afterwards split up into six on account of their. The style is very different from that in the panegyricus, and some commentators maintain that pliny initiated a new genre. Gaius plinius caecilius secundus, usually known as pliny the younger, was born at como in 62 a. I know that immortal fame awaits him if his death is recorded by you. Commentaries on latin letters the university of vermont. Pliny s letter is the earliest pagan account to refer to early christians and provides a key description of roman administrative process and problems.