The project gutenberg ebook of letters of pliny, by pliny this ebook is for the use of anyone anywhere at. Translations of ancient texts are taken or adapted from h. You will ask how that can possibly be in the midst of rome. Gaius plinius secundus ad 232479, called pliny the elder was a roman author, a naturalist and natural philosopher, a naval and army commander of the early roman empire, and a friend of emperor vespasian. Nihil novum nihil varium, nihil quod non semel spectasse sufficiat. These posts are part of a book project that intends to understand the scholarly and popular reception of those letters. Circenses erant, quo genere spectaculi ne levissime quidem teneor. Pliny the younger becomes a member of the college of augurs 103104. For the original article on pliny see dsb, see vol. They are mentioned by cicero and pliny the younger in their stories. Pliny s haunted house the younger pliny tells a ghost story about rattling chains, a haunted house no one wants, and a secret only the ghost can reveal.
You have constantly urged me to collect and publish the more highly finished of the letters that i may have written. Philemon hollands english translation of 1601 has influenced literature ever since. Gaius plinius caecilius secundus, usually known as pliny the younger, was born at como in 62 a. Aug 28, 2014 rhiannon ash discusses pliny s depiction of his uncle, pliny the elder the ocr latin gcse set text, avunculus meus.
The natural history there is no book so bad that some good cannot be got out of it, pliny the elder used to say, and he read everything that he could obtain. An ancient ghost story by pliny the younger, page 1. The translation is that of william melmoth 1746, as slightly revised, with proper deference to the latin original, by r. The works subject area is thus not limited to what is today understood by natural history. Pliny the elders natural history is published in many volumes covering a number of topics, which he differentiates by books. French translation of by the book the official collins englishfrench dictionary online. See key to translations for an explanation of the format. I have spent these several days past among my papers with the most pleasing tranquillity imaginable. Pliny the elder has 277 books on goodreads with 3818 ratings. Hammonds pliny the youngers views on government,z and its connection with the coinlegends of the period with their emphasis on security, liberty restored, and good fortune. Plinys natural history is an extraordinarily important document in the history of western science.
A letter from pliny to tacitus about the eruption of mt vesuvius terms in this set 22 1 petis ut tibi avunculi mei exitum scribam, quo verius tradere posteris possis. Philemon hollands english translation of 1605 has influenced literature ever since. Letters of pliny by pliny the younger free at loyal books. Natural history pliny project gutenberg selfpublishing. Pliny himself defines his scope as the natural world, or life.
This political message has inspired several articles, notably k. Of these, letters 16 and 20 are the most famous and longest ones, written to the historian tacitus and describing the eruption of mount vesuvius when he was a boy in august of 79 ce, as well as the death of his uncle, pliny. Pliny the elders most popular book is natural history. French translation of by the book collins englishfrench. Antoine du pinets translation of pliny the elder jstor. 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.
It is followed by books 36 geography, 7 man, 8 11 animals, 1217 botany, 1819 agriculture. Petrarch corrected some of the worst texts, but translation was difficult, for instance because pliny had introduced nonlatin words and described longforgotten techniques. Primary sources letters of pliny the younger and the. Printed copies the work was one of the first classical manuscripts to be printed, having been so at venice in 1469 by johann and wendelin of speyer, but j. 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. I ingenuously own therefore, i so much the more covet a place in them. The natural history of pliny, volume 1 of 6 by the elder pliny free. The romans, it is well attested, viewed greek medicine and doctors with.
Pliny the elder, tireless researcher and writer, is author of the encyclopedic natural history, in 37 books, an unrivaled compendium of roman knowledge. The table below is a summary based on modern names for topics. Letters of pliny, by gaius plinius caecilius secundus. Naturalis historia is a book about the whole of the natural world in latin by pliny the elder, a roman author and naval commander who died in 79 ad.
Letters and panegyricus, 2 vols, cambridge, ma the same translation scarcia scarcia, r. The first word file below gives the text of the extracts in wheelocks latin reader from pliny the youngers letters, with interlinear glossing in english and some notes and illustrations added. 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. 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 letters of the younger pliny by pliny the younger. Plinys haunted house plinys haunted house the younger.
Pliny the younger, panegyricus loeb classical library. Theres even a ghost breaker or exorcist for later writers or film makers to build upon. 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. The french translators offer no assistance in solving the difficulty, and holland renders it, this west wind which from behind gaul bloweth upon india, is very. The french have pre j or shorthand writer notarius book iii. This penguin classics edition is translated with an introduction by betty radice. 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 natural history became a model for later encyclopedias and scholarly works as a result of its breadth of subject matter, its referencing. Buy the letters of pliny the younger penguin classics by pliny, the. The letters of pliny the younger gaius plinius caecilius secundus are presented here in the english translation by j. The younger pliny was consul suffectus from september to. The text of ashen sky contains fascinating background information, including short biographical information about tacitus, pliny the elder and pliny the younger. Mynors 1963, in the bibliotheca augustana pliny was born in comum in 61 or 62 a. Page 431 the name which these stones bear, originates, it is said, in the peculiar tint of their brilliancy, which, after closely approaching the colour of wine, passes off into a violet without being fully pronounced. What happens in each of the 24 books of the iliad by homer.
His guardian is known to have been lucius verginius rufus, famed for quelling a revolt against nero. Latin teacher rose williams has rewritten this story in a form suitable for classroom use. Pliny s dates are pinned to the eruption of mount vesuvius in ad 79 and a statement of his nephew that he died in his 56th year, which would put his birth in ad 23 or 24 pliny was the son of an equestrian gaius plinius celer and his wife marcella. Click on the l symbols to go the latin text of each letter. Their ultimate source is a fragmentary inscription cil v 1 3442 found in a field in.
Pliny the younger pliny, the younger an online book about this author is available, as is a wikipedia article pliny, the younger. Gaius plinius cecilius secundus, known as pliny the elder, was a roman scholar, encyclopedist, and. Franz lidz, new york times if you were writing a biography of gaius plinius caecilius secundus. Dec 06, 2012 this begins a series of posts that will translate and comment upon pliny the youngers two letters 6. Theres no reason why you should look down upon this type of studying. French translation of ebook the official collins english french dictionary online. This edition of book 31 and 37 is part of the first modern translation of pliny the elders natural history into german, together with a commentary. Konig commentary together with a contribution by w. He wrote the encyclopedic naturalis historia natural history, which became. Neither the younger nor the elder pliny mention the names. Pliny the elder died in ad 79 in stabiae while attempting the rescue of a friend and his family by ship from the eruption of mount vesuvius, which had already destroyed the cities of pompeii and herculaneum.
In book iii he covers the geography of the iberian peninsula and italy. Born in comum, italy, the son of a landowner named lucius caecilius and his wife plinia, pliny the younger was also a nephew of pliny the elder. I know that immortal fame awaits him if his death is recorded by you. Pliny s natural history in the loeb library pliny, natural history, with an english translation by h. In the following translation the teubner text, edited by keil, has been followed. The natural history was one of the first ancient european texts to be printed, in venice in 1469. Pline le jeune devient membre du college des augures 103104. Pliny the younger becomes a member of the college of augurs 103104 pline le jeune devient membre du college des augures 103104 they are mentioned by cicero and pliny the younger in their stories ils sont mentionnes par ciceron ou pline le jeune dans leurs recits pliny the younger, suetonius and tacitus are the first three pline le jeune, suetonius et tacitus sont les 3. These letters concern an episode which marks the first time the roman government recognized christianity as a. 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. For plinys mastery of prose apart 46 it is in the interstice between. The digital loeb classical library extends the founding mission of james loeb with an interconnected, fully searchable, perpetually growing virtual library of all that is important in greek and latin literature.
The work, which was largely complete by 77 ce, is divided into 37 books. Firth 1900 a few words and phrases have been modified. In books iii to vi, pliny moves to the earth itself. The first full french version translated by du pinet was issued at lyons in. An xml version of this text is available for download, with the additional restriction that you offer perseus any modifications you make. Stan read it but did not understand it the only latin he understood was the genus names in his bird classification book apparebat eidolon senex. In the bude edition, pliny the elder now occupies three linear feet on a single.
To annius severus, out of a legacy that fell to me i bouglit lately. Perseus provides credit for all accepted changes, storing new additions in a versioning system. Pliny s natural history is an astonishingly ambitious work that ranges from astronomy to art and from geography to zoology. Pliny the younger, suetonius and tacitus are the first three. This begins a series of posts that will translate and comment upon pliny the youngers two letters 6. Books 33 through 35 deal with ancient greece painting and sculpture and the artists who created those works. Pliny the elder, tireless researcher and writer, is author of the encyclopedic natural history, in 37 books, an unrivaled compendium of roman knowledge the contents of the books are as follows. The younger pliny was consul suffectus from september to october. Mingling acute observation with often wild speculation, it offers a fascinating view of the world as it was understood in the first century ad, whether describing the danger of diving for sponges, the first waterclock, or the use of asses milk to remove wrinkles.
His nephew pliny the younger gives an indication how devoted his uncle was to reading and studying. Pliny the younger refers to tacituss reliance upon his uncles book, the history of the german wars. A prominent lawyer and administrator, pliny was also a prolific letterwriter, who numbered among his correspondents such. Pliny the youngers depiction of pliny the elder for ocr. Letters of pliny the younger and the emperor trajan. Shuddering to remember this post belongs to a serialized translation and commentary of pliny the youngers letters 6. Vesuvius in ad 79the disaster that buried pompeii, herculaneum, and other sites. Pliny the younger, latin in full gaius plinius caecilius secundus, born 6162 ce, comum italydied c. Naturalis historia is an early encyclopedia published circa ad 7779 by pliny the elder.
Free kindle book and epub digitized and proofread by project gutenberg. The comments at the bottom of the letters have been added from various sources. The shadow of vesuvius is the definitive guide to plinydom. Plinys natural history project gutenberg selfpublishing. As you are an exemplary instance of tender regard to your family in general, and to your late excellent brother in particular, whose warm attachment you returned with an equal fondness. Below is the story by pliny the younger, as translated by william melmoth. This is in the form of a covering letter from pliny, to accompany the gift of his treatise on natural history to his friend vespasian caesar i. Pliny the younger translation french englishfrench. Starting with the index in pliny chapter 2 the roman paratext. Pliny the younger pliny, the younger the online books page. 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. Epistulae vi letters 6 is the sixth of ten books of letters by the roman lawyer and author pliny the younger, mainly written around 106 to 107 ce. Pliny the elder, roman savant and author of the celebrated natural history, an encyclopedic work of uneven accuracy that was an authority on scientific matters up to the middle ages.
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