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SELECTIONS FROM PLINY'S LETTERS
Letter 1, Book I, 1
C. Plinius Septicio suo S.
Frequenter hortatus es ut epistulas, si quas paulo curatius scripsissem, colligerem publicaremque. Collegi non servato temporis ordine (neque enim historiam componebam), sed ut quaeque in manus venerat. Superest ut nec te consilii nec me paeniteat obsequii. Ita enim fiet ut eas quae adhuc neglectae iacent requiram, et si quas addidero, non supprimam. Vale.
Dedication, to Septicius Clarus
Septicius Clarus was an equestrian of Pliny's generation who rose to the praetorian prefecture under Hadrian, c. 119 A.D. By dedicating the book to Clarus, as Sherwin-White notes, Pliny avoided offending any senator. The dedication resembles the prefatory letters attached some books of Martial's epigrams and to Statius' Silvae. The other books do not begin with such introductions.
Grammar points for Latin students:
Review:
New:
Vocabulary:
- hortor, -ari, hortatus sum urge, exhort
- paulo a little
- supersum, -esse be left, remain
- paenitet, -ere (2) regret impersonal verb with accusative of the person who feels regret and genitive of the thing he/she regrets
- obsequium compliance
Project Topics:
- Roman letter writers
- The formulas of letter writing
- The dating of Pliny's letters
Notes on I.1 [based on Sherwin-White, Westcott] The letter is important for the chronology of Pliny's letters.
1. epistulas, siquas paulo curatius scripsissem: cf. VII.9,8, volo epistulam diligentius scribas and IX.28,5 litteras curiosius scriptas
IX.2, 1-4 compares his own letters to Cicero's, but distinguishes them from scholasticas...atque ut ita dicam umbraticas litteras
2-4. collegi non servato temporis ordine...sed ut quaeque in manus venerat,
Dates of publication:
Syme--no book published before 105
Sherwin-White 104-105 earliest probable publication date for first published books
five letters in book I dated by historical context to 96-98
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