Editing Pliny the Elder (section)

===Literary interlude===
At the earliest time that Pliny could have left the service, [[Nero]], the last of the [[Julio-Claudian dynasty]], had been emperor for two years. He did not leave office until AD 68, when Pliny was 45 years old. During that time, Pliny did not hold any high office or work in the service of the state. In the subsequent [[Flavian dynasty]], his services were in such demand that he had to give up his law practice, which suggests that he had been trying not to attract the attention of Nero, who was a dangerous acquaintance.

Under Nero, Pliny lived mainly in Rome. He mentions the map of [[Kingdom of Armenia (antiquity)|Armenia]] and the neighbourhood of the [[Caspian Sea]], which was sent to Rome by the staff of Corbulo in 58.<ref>{{cite book | title=Natural History | chapter=VI.15}}</ref><ref name=EB1911/> He also witnessed the construction of Nero's [[Domus Aurea]] or "Golden House" after the [[Great Fire of Rome]] in 64.<ref>{{cite book|title=Natural History|chapter=XXXVI.24}}</ref>

Besides pleading law cases, Pliny wrote, researched, and studied. His second published work was ''The Life of Pomponius Secundus'', a two-volume biography of his old commander, Pomponius Secundus.<ref name=PYIII.5/>

Meanwhile, he was completing his monumental work, ''Bella Germaniae'', the only authority expressly quoted in the first six books of the ''[[Annals (Tacitus)|Annales]]'' of [[Tacitus]],<ref name=EB1911/> and probably one of the principal authorities for the same author's ''[[Germania (book)|Germania]]''.<ref name=Gudeman1900/> It disappeared in favor of the writings of Tacitus (which are far shorter), and, early in the fifth century, [[Quintus Aurelius Symmachus|Symmachus]] had little hope of finding a copy.<ref>{{cite book|author=Symmachus|title=Letters|chapter=IV.18}}</ref>

Like Caligula, Nero seemed to grow gradually more insane as his reign progressed. Pliny devoted much of his time to writing on the comparatively safe subjects of [[grammar]] and rhetoric.<ref name=EB1911/> He published a three-book, six-volume educational manual on rhetoric, entitled ''Studiosus'', "The Student". Pliny the Younger says of it: "The orator is trained from his very cradle and perfected."<ref name=PYIII.5/> It was followed by eight books entitled ''Dubii sermonis''<ref name=EB1911/> (''Of Doubtful Phraseology''). These are both now [[Lost literary work|lost work]]s. His nephew relates: "He wrote this under Nero, in the last years of his reign, when every kind of literary pursuit which was in the least independent or elevated had been rendered dangerous by servitude."

In 68, Nero no longer had any friends and supporters. He committed suicide, and the reign of terror was at an end, as was the interlude in Pliny's obligation to the state.