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meum restituere coeperunt, longe numerosius laxiusque quam fuerat, et iam aliquantum erogaverunt, periculum est ne parum utiliter; inconpositum enim et sparsum est. Praeterea architectus, sane aemulus eius a quo opus inchoatum est, adfirmat parietes quamquam viginti et duos pedes latos inposita onera sustinere non posse, quia sint caemento medii farti nec testaceo opere praecincti. Claudiopolitani quoque in depresso 5 loco, inminente etiam monte, ingens balineum defodiunt magis quam aedificant, et quidem ex ea pecunia. quam buleutae additi beneficio tuo aut iam obtulerunt ob introitum aut nobis

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inconpositum, badly planned.

sane aemulus, who is, it is true, a rival. This restrictive or concessive force of 'sane' is very common in Tacitus.

viginti et duos pedes latos, an enormous and probably unprecedented thickness. Even the walls of the great rotunda of the Pantheon, which have to support the massive dome, are barely twenty feet wide; Middleton's Ancient Rome, p. 340.

quia sint caemento medii farti. This was the universal method of constructing walls under the empire, and the remains of the basilica of Constantine, and baths of Caracalla at Rome prove how immensely strong such walls were. The concrete in fact becomes one solid mass with at least as much grip and force as solid stone. The walls at Richborough show on a small scale what sort of walls the Romans could make in this way. If these walls of the gymnasium were not safe, it was not because they were made of concrete, but more likely because the concrete was bad.

nec testaceo opere praecincti, not faced with brickwork. This again was no sufficient reason. Professor Middleton shows that the walls were often made of

9 addit, B.
addunt, Ald.

concrete alone and unfaced, and that the brick facing had little or no structural importance, Ancient Rome, p. 32. The bricks in fact only entered the concrete to the depth of a few inches.

§ 5. balineum; see on Ep. 23.

Claudiopolitani, Claudiopolis, situated in the interior of Bithynia north of the Olympus range, and in the territory of the Mariandyni, Pliny, h. n. v 43. Previous to the reign of Claudius it bore the name of Bithynium, and it was probably only under that emperor that a Greek town-constitution was introduced. Mommsen, Rom. Gesch. v, p. 304. the birthplace of Antinous, it was greatly favoured by Hadrian, and received the cognomen of Hadriana.

As

ex ea pecunia quam buleutae additi beneficio tuo, etc. By the Lex Pompéia, according to which Bithynia was administered, those who entered the ordo decurionum or Bouλý in the ordinary way by the election of the censors had to pay no entrance fee, but those who were appointed by the emperor in excess of the normal number had to pay either one or two thousand denarii, probably according as they were 'adlecti in ordinem decurionum' simply, or 'adlecti inter duovirales,' or 'quinquennalicios.' See infra, Ep. 112; cf. Orell. 2533, 3882, 3816, etc.; and see note on Ep. 4. The Bodleian MS. reads 'addit,' clearly a mistake for 'additi.' Aldus or his printer mistaking buleutae for the subject of 'addit,' altered it to 'addunt.' Additi was first conjectured by Casaubon.

nobis exigentibus. Cf. Ep. 23, 'ex ea pecunia quam revocare a privatis et exigere iam coepi.'

6 exigentibus conferunt. Ergo cum timeam ne illic publica pecunia, hic, quod est omni pecunia pretiosius, munus tuum male conlocetur, cogor petere a te non solum ob theatrum verum etiam ob haec balinea mittas architectum dispecturum utrum sit utilius post sumptum qui factus est quoquo modo consummare opera, ut inchoata sunt, an quae videntur emendanda corrigere, quae transferenda transferre, ne, dum servare volumus quod inpensum est, male inpendamus quod addendum est.

§ 6. munus tuum, because the money came to the town in consequence of the emperor's appointment of decuriones.

haec balinea; on the plur. cf. Ep. ii 8, 2, 'quae sic concupisco, ut aegri vinum balinea fontes'; Ep. vii 28, 2; Orell. 3324, 'balnea virilia”; Juv. i 143, 'Turgidus et crudum pavonem in balnea portas.'

architectum, either an architect or an engineer.

dispecturum.

Cf. supra, Ep. 33, 'dispice an instituendum putes coll. fabr.'

quoquo modo consummare opera, to complete the works as well as may be. ut inchoata sunt, on their present plan.

quae videntur emendanda corrigere, to rectify the points which may seem capable of being set right.

quae transferenda transferre, to remove to a new site whatever needs removal.

servare, to save, i.e. to avoid wasting. quod addendum est, the additional outlay required; cf. Ovid A. A. i 1, 451, 'Sic ne perdiderit non cessat perdere lusor.'

I

XL [XLVIIII]

TRAIANUS PLINIO S.

Quid oporteat fieri circa theatrum quod inchoatum apud Nicaeenses est in re praesenti optime deliberabis et consti

tues.

Mihi sufficiet indicari cui sententiae accesseris. Tunc

§ 1. You can best decide for yourself what should be done about the theatre at Nicaea. Only let me know your decision. When the theatre is completed, it will be your duty to see that the promises of private individuals are fulfilled. § 2. The Greeks have a weakness for gymnasia; hence probably the eagerness of the Nicaeans to construct one. They must, however, be contented with what is sufficient for their requirements. §3. You must decide what advice to give to the citizens of Claudiopolis in reference to the ill-chosen site for their bath. It is impossible that you can be without an architect. Every province has skilled men of this sort, and it is a mistake to think that your quickest course is to get one from Rome, since we get ours usually from Greece.

§ I. circa theatrum. On 'circa,' in the sense of concerning, see Professor Mayor's note on Ep. iii 9, 13, who compares iv 24, 4; vi 21, 6; Paneygr. 20, and 95. It is also found, he says, in Quintilian, Tacitus, Suetonius, and the elder Pliny.

in re praesenti, on the spot, cf. Ep. 8, 3.

cui sententiae accesseris. Accesseris more usually goes with ad and the accusative, except in relation to persons, when it always takes the dative; cf. Cic. Verr. ii 3, 28, 69, 'ad eius conditiones pactionesque accedere,' etc. Cui not utri, because there were three alternatives; see above.

a privatis exigi opera; cf. the constitution in the Digest quoted above on Ep. 38, § 3.

E

E

autem a privatis exigi opera tibi curae sit, cum theatrum, propter quod illa promissa sunt, factum erit. Gymnasiis in- 2 dulgent Graeculi; ideo forsitan Nicaeenses maiore animo constructionem eius adgressi sunt: sed oportet illos eo contentos esse quod possit illis sufficere. Quid Claudiopolitanis circa 3 balineum, quod parum, ut scribis, idoneo loco inchoaverunt, suadendum sit tu constitues. Architecti tibi deesse non possunt. Nulla provincia est quae non peritos et ingeniosos homines habeat; modo ne existimes brevius esse ab urbe mitti, cum ex Graecia etiam ad nos venire soliti sint.

5 illis, Cat.

illi, B. and Ald.

§ 2. gymnasiis indulgent Graeculi ; Cf. the passage in Juv. iii 67-78, especially 'Rusticus ille tuus sumit trechedipna, Quirine, Et ceromatico fert niceteria collo,' etc., and the contemptuous use of Graeculus, omnia novit Graeculus esuriens'; cf. also Cic. Tusc. Disp. i 35, 86, 'ineptum sane negotium et Graeculum.'

maiore animo, with somewhat too great eagerness.

quod possit illis sufficere: with reference to Pliny's statement that they were constructing one 'longe numerosius laxiusque. The Aldine edition reads 'illi,' which can hardly be right. 'Illis' is the conjecture of Catanaeus, while Mommsen suggests tibi, which, however, would seem to require not 'possit sufficere,' but 'videtur sufficere.'

§ 3. suadendum sit; a milder word than tu constitues quid oporteat fieri,' and 'oportet eos contentos esse' above, because there seems to have been no jobbery or structural fault about the bath, though the site was ill-chosen.

architecti tibi deesse non possunt: nulla provincia est, etc. Cf. Ep. 18, ' in omni provincia inveniuntur quis credi possit, et ideo non deerunt tibi,'

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Io sint, B.

sunt, Ald.

Not

science and scientific workmanship were
nearly all in the hands of Greeks.
only musicians, teachers of grammar and
rhetoric, but physicians, sculptors, and
to a large extent painters, belonged to
this nationality. With regard to archi-
tects, Friedländer, vol. iii. p. 265, points
out that Roman architects were com-
paratively numerous. In particular under
Nero, Severus and Celer enjoyed a great
reputation, while Domitian's palace was
built by Rabirius, Mart. vii 56. Pliny
too entrusted the building of a temple of
Ceres near one of his estates to an archi-
tect named Mustius, Ep. ix 39. Trajan's
great architect, Apollodorus of Damascus,
is a striking exception. No doubt, how-
ever, the subordinate architects con-
cerned with the details of the works
were to a very large extent Greeks, in so
far as they were not attached to the
army, as no doubt many of these 'periti
et ingeniosi homines' were. We have
mentioned, C. I. L. vi, 1886, a 'prae-
fectus architectus cui maxima erat cura
publicarum fabricarum.' Out of forty-two
architects mentioned in inscrr. thirteen
are military officials, and of the rest thir-
teen are Roman citizens, thirteen freed-
men, and three slaves. See Friedländer,
iii p. 168.

XLI [L]

De lacu Nicomedensium

C. PLINIUS TRAIANO IMPERATORI

Ι

Intuenti mihi et fortunae tuae et animi magnitudinem con- I venientissimum videtur demonstrari opera non minus aeterni

tate tua quam gloria digna quantumque pulchritudinis tantum 2 utilitatis habitura. Est in Nicomedensium finibus amplissimus lacus per hunc marmora fructus ligna materiae et sumptu modico et labore usque ad viam navibus, inde magno labore, maiore inpendio vehiculis ad mare devehuntur. Hoc opus

multas manus poscit: at eae porro non desunt. Nam et in agris magna copia est hominum et maxima in civitate, certaque spes omnes libentissime adgressuros opus omnibus fruc4 immodico, B. and Ald.

§ 1. Considering the loftiness of your position and your character, it seems most fitting that some works should be suggested to you worthy of your immortal name and glory, and combining beauty and utility. § 2. There is an extensive lake not far from Nicomedeia, by which merchandise of all sorts is with small expense and labour conveyed by boat to the high road, from which point it has to be carried to the sea in waggons, an expensive and laborious means of transit. The work of connecting this lake with the sea needs many hands, but there are plenty of men in the country, and still more in the city, and the advantages of the scheme are so obvious that all will help. § 3. It only remains for you to send a ground-leveller, or an architect, to see whether the experts of the locality are correct in supposing that the lake is forty cubits above the level of the sea. § 4. I find that a canal was cut by one of the native kings, but whether for purposes of drainage or to connect the lake with the river, I cannot say. It was never finished, as the king was either cut off by death or despaired of the success of the work. § 5. But this makes me all the more anxious that you should accomplish what kings only began.

§ 1. demonstrari, 'should be brought before your notice.' Even apart from Pliny's special mission to Bithynia, the emperor would have to be consulted about any work carried out with_public money. In Dig. 50, 10, 3, 'Publico vero sumptu opus novum sine principis auctoritate fieri non licere constitutionibus declaratur.'

aeternitate tua. Cf. Ep. 59, 'per salutem tuam aeternitatemque petit,' and 83, 'rogatus per aeternitatem tuam salutemque.' The phrase became a regular title of respect like our 'your majesty'; cf. Codex Iustin. xi 9, 2, 'ut inter protectores eiusdem fabricae per

biennium adoraturus aeternitatem nostram suo quisque tempore dirigatur.' In Trajan's time, however, this ceremonial usage of the word was hardly developed. It probably has a reference implied to the customary deification of the emperors after death.

§ 2. amplissimus lacus. This lake, formerly Lake Sophon, now Sabanjah, is situated about ten miles east of Nicomedeia, and is about eight miles long by three wide. Its western extremity is within a few miles of the river Sangarius, which flows into the Euxine. To the south of it are the outlying spurs of the Olympus range, rich in wood and marble-quarries, while the valley of the Sangarius is fertile in corn and fruit. Xen. Anab. vi 4, 4, 6.

ligna materiae, the former wood for fuel or miscellaneous purposes, the latter for architectural uses or shipbuilding.

usque ad viam. This would be the main road running from Nicomedeia eastward to Satala, a town on the upper Euphrates in Armenia Minor. From Nicomedeia it would pass Dusae, Claudiopolis, Crateia, Antinoupolis, Gangra, Amasea, and Neo-Caesarea.

ad mare, the Propontis, on a creek or arm of which Nicomedeia was built.

Hoc opus, etc. Probably something has dropped out here, as, though we can see easily enough what work Pliny means, that seems no reason why he should have failed to specify it. Ernesti suggests the insertion of 'Itaque mari committere cupiunt.'

at eae porro, but these again. There seems no sufficient reason for altering 'porro' into 'pro re,' with Gronovius. Cf. Cic. de Sen. 13, 43, 'saepe audivi a maioribus natu, qui se porro pueros a senibus audisse dicebant.'

in civitate. The civitas was the city regarded as a political body, as opposed to urbs or oppidum, the mere complexus of buildings, with no political implication.

tuosum. Superest ut tu libratorem vel architectum, si tibi 3 videbitur, mittas qui diligenter exploret sitne lacus altior mari, quem artifices regionis huius quadraginta cubitis altiorem esse contendunt. Ego per eadem loca invenio fossam a rege per- 4 cussam: sed incertum utrum ad colligendum umorem circumiacentium agrorum an ad committendum flumini lacum. Est enim inperfecta; hoc quoque dubium, intercepto rege mortalitate an desperato operis effectu. Sed hoc ipso (feres enim me 5 ambitiosum pro tua gloria) incitor et accendor ut cupiam peragi a te quae tantum coeperant reges.

8 operis effectu, B. and Ald.

So Cic. Rep. 6, 13, 13, 'concilia coetusque hominum iure sociati, quae civitates appellantur,' and 1, 26, 41, omnis civitas quae est constitutio populi.' Cf. Wilmann, and Orell. passim and supra, Ep. 38, in Nicomedensem civitatem.'

§ 3. libratorem, properly a civil engineer who measured levels by means of the libra or water-poise; cf. Colum. 8, 17, 4, 'sin autem locus pari libra cum aequore maris est,' and Vitruv. 8, 6, 1, 'libratur autem dioptris aut libris aquariis aut chorobate.' Cf. also Front. Aquaed. 105. Cf. also Wilm. 785 in connection with the aqueduct at Saldae, rogamus te, domine, uti Nonium Datum veteranum legionis III Augustae libratorem horteris veniat Saldas, ut quod relicum est ex opere eius perficiat,' and 1553. In Tac. Ann. ii 20, the reading should probably be 'funditores libritoresque,' not 'libratores.'

architectum. See on Ep. 39, § 6. artifices, a general term for 'masters of any art or science.' Thus used of physicians, Liv. 5, 3; machine-makers, Liv. 29, 35; musicians, Cic. pro Mur. 13, 29; architects, Liv. 42, 3, 'reponendarum tegularum nemo artifex inire rationem potuit.' Cf. supra, Ep. 40, 'nulla provincia est quae non peritos et ingeniosos homines habeat.'

quadraginta cubitis. The cubitus contains 6 palmi or 24 digiti, and was equivalent to 444 millimetres.

§ 4. a rege, by one of the Bithynian kings.

percussam. The verb is used in a

operi affectu, Avant.

similar connection by Frontinus, Strategam. 3, I7

ad colligendum umorem, etc. This had been the original object of the Cloaca Maxima at Rome.

ad committendum flumini lacum. Lake Sabanjah is described by travellers as a fine piece of water, among the reeds of which are snipe, duck, and even woodcock. At present it is connected with the Sangarius on the east, and also with the Gulf of Ismid on the west. This, however, could not have been so in Pliny's time, as both he and Trajan are rather anxious about the effects of connecting it with the sea on that side. The river mentioned here as the possible object of the ancient dyke, and again in Ep. 61, 'ne commissus flumini atque ita mari,' would seem to be a river rising in what are now called the Gûk hills and flowing in a north-easterly direction to the Gulf of Ismid. A canal from the lake might strike this about half-way to Nicomedeia. Whether the present river connecting the lake with Nicomedeia is Pliny's canal carried out I have not been able to discover.

intercepto rege mortalitate. For the omission of utrum, cf. Ep. 30. On the use of mortalitas' for death, cf. Tac. Ann. vi 50, 'mortalitatem explevisse,' and Dig. 23, 4, 2, 'non esse servandum pactum contra dotem cum mariti mortalitas intervenit.'

operis effectu, the accomplishment of the work. Cf. Liv. xxi 7.

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