A Dictionary of Greek and Roman biography and mythology. By various writers. Ed. by William Smith. Illustrated by numerous engravings on wood.

4 l PLINIUS. PLINIUS.
Thestius, and brother of Althaea, was killed by Africa, though in what capacity, or at what period,
Meleager. (Apollod. i. 7. ~ 10; MELEAGER.) we are not informed (It. N. vii. 3). At the age
2. A son of Phineus, by Cleopatra. (Apollod. of about 23 he went to Germany, where he served
iii. 15. ~ 3; Schol. ad Soph. Antig. 980.) under L. Pomponius Secundus, of whom he after3. One of the sons of Aegyptus (Hygin. Fab. wards wrote a memoir (Plin. Jun. Ep. iii. 5), and
170.) [L. S.] was appointed to the command of a troop of cavally
C. PLI'NIUS SECUNDUS, the celebrated (praefectus alae) (Plin. Jun. 1. c.). It appears
author of the Historia Naturalis, was born A. D. 23, from notices of his own that he travelled over nlost
having reached the age of 56 at the time of his of the frontier of Germany, having visited the
death, which took place in A. D. 79. (Plin. Jun. Cauci, the sources of the Danube, &c. It was proEpist. iii. 5.) The question as to the place of his bably in Belgium that he became acquainted with
birth has been the subject of a voluminous and ra- Cornelius Tacitus (not the historian of that name,
ther angry discussion between the champions of H. N. vii. 16). It was in the intervals snatched
Verona and those of Novum Comum (the modern from his military duties that he composed his
Como). That he was born at one or other of these treatise de Jaculatione equestri. (Plin. Jun. I. c.)
two towns seems pretty certain; Hardouin's no- At the same time he commenced a history of the
tion, that he was born at Rome, has nothing to Germanic wars, being led to do so by a dream iu
support it. The claim of Comum seems to be, on which he fancied himself commissioned to underthe whole, the better founded of the two. In the take the task by Drusus Nero. This work he
life of Pliny ascribed to Suetonius, and by Euse- afterwards completed in twenty books.
bins, or his translator Jerome, he is styled Novo- Pliny returned to Rome with Pomponins (A. D.
comensis. Another anonymous life of Pliny (ap- 52), and applied himself to the study of jurispruparently of late origin and of no authority) calls dence. He practised for some time as a pleader,
him a native of Verona; and it has been thought but does not seem to have distinguished himself
that the claim of Verona to be considered as his very greatly in that capacity. The greater part of
birth-place is confirmed by the fact that Pliny the reign of Nero he spent in retirement, chiefly,
himself (Praef. init.) calls Catullus, who was a no doubt, at his native place. It may have been
native of Verona, his conterraneus. On the other with a view to the education of his nephew that he
hand, it has been urged with more discerning cri- composed the work entitled Studiosus, an extensive
ticism, that as the two towns were both situated treatise in three books, occupying six volumes, in
beyond the Padus in Gallia Cisalpina, and at no which he marked out the course that should be
very great distance from each other, this somewhat pursued in the training of a young orator, from the
barbarous word is much better adapted to intimate cradle to the completion of his education and his
that Catullus was a fellow-count-yman of Pliny, entrance into public life. (Plin. Jun. 1. c.;
than that he was afellow-towmsman. In a similar Quintil. iii. 1. ~ 21.) Towards the end of the
manner the younger Pliny, who was undoubtedly reign of Nero he wrote a grammatical work in
born at Novum Comum, speaks of Veronenses nostri eight books, entitled Dubius Sermo, confutations of
(Epist. vi. ult.). Of two Veronese inscriptions which were promised by various professed gramwhich have been adduced, one appears to be spu- marians, Stoics, dialecticians, &c.; though ten'
rious. The other, which is admitted to begenuine, years afterwards, when the Historia Natlualis waes
is too mutilated for its tenour to be ascertained. published, they had not appeared. (Plin. II. NV.
It appears to have been set up by a Plinius Se- i. Praef. ~ 22.) It was towards the close of the
cundus, but whether the author of the Natural reign of Nero that Pliny was appointed procurator
History or not, there is nothing to show. Nor in Spain. He was here in A. D. 71, when his
would it in any case be decisive as to the birth- brother-in-law died, leaving his son, the younger
place of Pliny. That the family of the Plinii be- Pliny, to the guardianship of his uncle, who, on
longed to Novum Comum is clear from the facts account of his absence, was obliged to entrust the
that the estates of the elder Pliny were situated care of him to Virginius Rufus. Pliny returned
there, and that the younger Pliny was born there, to Rome in the reign of Vespasian, shortly before
and from several inscriptions found in the neigh- a. D. 73, when he adopted his nephew. He had
bourhood relating to various members of the family. known Vespasian il the Germanic wars, and the
Of the particular events in the life of Pliny we emperor received him into the number of his most
know but little; but for the absence of such mate- intimate friends. For the assertion that Pliny
rials for biography we are in some degree compen- served with Titus in Judaea there is no authority.
sated by the valuable account which his nephew IIe was, however, on intimate terms with Titus, to
has left us of his habits of life. He came to Rome whom he dedicated his great work. Nor is there
while still young, and being descended from a any evidence that he was ever created senator by
family of wealth and distinction, he had the means Vespasian. It was doubtless at this period of his
at his disposal for availing himself of the instruction life that he wrote a continuation of the history of
of the best teachers to be found in the imperial Aufidius Bassus, in 31 books, carrying the narrative
city. In one passage of his work (ix. 58) he downi to his own times (H.N. praef. ~ 19). Of
speaks of the enormous quantity of jewellery which his manner of life at this period an interesting
he had seen worn by Lollia Paulina. That must account has been preserved by his nephew (pio'st.
have been before A. D. 40, in which year Caligula iii. 5). It was his practice to begin to spend a
married Cesonia. It does not appear necessary to portion of the night in studying by candle-light, at
suppose that at that early age Pliny had already the festival of the Vulcanalia (towards the end of
been introduced at the court of Caligula. The August), at first at a late hour of the night, in
strange animals exhibited by the emperors and winter at one or two o'clock in the morning.
wealthy Romans in spectacles and combats, seem Before it was light he betook himself to the emperor
early to have attracted his attention (comp. H. V. Vespasian, and after executing such commissions
ix. 5). He was for some time on the coast of as he might be charged with, returned home and