PLINY THE ELDER. 



Account of his Life and Works. 



Introductory Remarks— Notice respecting Pliny by Suetonius — 

 Account of'his Habits, as given by his Nephew, Pliny the Younger 

 — Various Particulars of his Life— His Death occasioned by an 

 Eruption of Vesuvius — Buffon's Opinion of the Writings of Pliny 

 —Judgment < f Cuvier on the same Subject — Brief Account of 

 the Historia Naturalis, including Extracts respecting the Wolf, 

 the Lion, and other Animals— Cleopatra's Pearls — History of a 

 Raven — Domestic Fowls — General Remarks. 



Between the death of Aristotle and the birth of 

 the celebrated naturalist whose life and writings we 

 now proceed to delineate, there elapsed nearly three 

 centuries and a half. It was in the reign of Tiberius, 

 in the 77^th year of Rome and the 20th of the 

 Christian era, that Pliny was born. Some assert 

 that he w^as a native of Verona ; others maintain 

 that Comum was his birthplace ; while Hardouin 

 labours to prove that the honour belongs to Rome. 

 Of his history little, except the circumstances of 

 his death, is known that could afford any interest 

 to those who look into biographies for marvellous ad- 

 ventures, although it would appear that he had tra- 

 velled extensively, having visited Germany, Spain, 

 the coast of Africa, and perhaps Britain, Egypt, and 

 Judea. There are only two brief notices respecting 

 him to be found among the ancient writers, be- 

 sides those contained in the works of his nephew, 



