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MEMOIRS AND REMAINS OF EMINENT PERSONS. 
ED 
MEMOIR OF 
CAIUS PLINIUS SECUNDUS* 
THE ELDER. 
By DUNCAN FORBES, M.D. 
&¢ Avunculus meus, idemque per adoptionem pater, 
bistorias, & quidem religiosissime scripsit. "—C. 
Plinii Epist. 4d. v. epist. wiij.” 
[Some time ago, I announced to the public, 
through the medium of your Magazine, that 
I was engaged on a translation of Phiny’s 
Natural History, to be accompanied with 
criticaland scientificnotes and illustrations ; 
and, more lately, I availed myself of the 
same channel ot literary communications, 
to inform those who maybe disposed to 
lend me their countenance in the execution 
of this arduous enterprise, that I had issued 
proposals for publishing by subscription, 
the first yolume of my translation, contain- 
ing ‘* A Life of the Authur; a prelimi- 
nary Dissertation an the Rise and Progress 
of Natural History, from its Infancy to its 
present State of comparative Maturity; a 
Translation of the First Fqur Books of 
Pliny’s Natural History, illustrated by 
critical and scientific Notes; and a large 
Appendix, comprehending biographical no- 
tices of all the Authors, both Greek and 
Roman, quoted by Pliny in thecurious and 
interesting Table of Contents of his His- 
tory, contained in the First Book, and to 
whose writings he confesses himself in- 
debted for all the information relative to 
the kingdoms of Nature, with which his 
own observations and experience had not 
supplied him, digested in an alphabetical 
arrangement.” 
‘Ihave yet again to request you to afiord 
me an opportunity of turning the attention 
of the literary and philosophica} world to an 
undertaking, contessedly attended with 
great, but certainly not with insurmount- 
able, difficulties; and which, if success- 
fully accomplished, would unquestionably 
-prove a great acquisition to the stock of 
nglish literature. With this view, I 
send you, for insertion in your very excel- 
lent and widely-extended Misceliany, the 
following brief outline of a Biographical 
Memoir of Pliny, interspersed with a few 
* «© Fuit illi,” says Harduin, ‘§ pranomen 
Caius, nomen Plinius, cognomen Secundus; Pli- 
nius ex patre, Secundusex matre; quamdrem 
Pomponius Secundus vates affinis ei fuit, natus 
similiter ex Pomponio patre, et matre Se- 
cunda, Plinii Secundi matertera.* Caius 
was his first name, his second name was 
Pliny, and his last or surname was Se- 
cundus. He was called Pliny from his 
father, Secundus frow his mother; wherefore 
Pomponius Seeundus, the poet, was his near 
telation, being the son of Pomponius,and $e- 
cuadda, the aynt of Plinius gecundus, 
short critical strictures on his great and ine” 
comparable work. } : 
FHXILIS illustrious ancient philosopher 
was a,physician as well as a natura- 
list: he was descended of a noble family, 
and born at Verona;* he flourished under 
the reigns of Vespasian and Titus, both 
of whom cultivated his acquaintance, and 
honored him with their intimacy and 
friendship. He was not only an accome 
plished scholar, but a gallant soldier, and 
an enlizhtened politician, equally conspi- 
cuous in the camp and in the cabinet. 
“« Before day-break,” observes his ne-= 
phew, ‘‘ he used to wait on Vespasian, 
who likewise chose that season to trans 
act business: when he had finished the 
affairs which that empefor committed to 
his charge, he returned home again to his 
studies.”t Although his life was comps- 
ratively short, and although he was con~ 
stantly occupied with the duties of his ime 
portant and multifarious public situations, 
he was a very voluminous writer; and, 
when we consider that he was incessant. 
ly engaged in some active service of the 
state, we must be astonished at the in- 
dustry which enabled him to compose so 
many volumes on such diversified and 
difficult subjects. : 
Pliny the Younger, the nephew of our 
Jearned naturalist, in his epistle to Mz- 
cen.{ has left us the following account of 
his uncle’s works. 
“T am extremely pleased,” observes 
he to his correspondent, “ that you read 
my uncle’s works so diligently as to wish 
to have a complete collection of them, 
and, for that purpose, desire me to send 
you an account of all the treatises which 
he composed; I will point them cut to 
you in the order in which they were 
written; for, however immaterial that 
may seem, it is a sort of information not 
at all unacceptable to men of letters.”§ 
: ae The 
*’ Barduin, the very learned commentator 
and editor of Pliny’s History, contends that he 
was born at Rome; but Verona is generally 
regarded as his native city. 
+ ‘ Ante lucem ibat ad Vespasianum ime 
~peratorem; nam ile quoque noctibus utebaw 
tur: inde ad delegatum sibi otficium. Reversus 
domuin, quod reliquum erat temporis,. studiis 
reddebat."——Caii Plin. Epist. liv. iitepist. v. 
} Ibid. ioci. a 
§&  Pergratum est mihi, quod tam dili- 
genter libros avunculi mei lectitas, ut habere 
omnes velis, qu@rasque qui sint omnes. 
Fungar indicis partibus, atque ctiam quo sigt 
ordine scripti, notum tibi faciam,” &c.. - 
