MUSONIUS

RUFUS  , a Roman philosopher of the 1st century A.D., was born in Etruria about A.D . 20-30 . He fell under the ban of Nero owing to his ethical teachings, and was exiled to the island of Gyarus on a trumped-up charge of participation in Piso's conspiracy . He returned under Galba, and was the friend of Vitellius and Vespasian . It was he who dared to bring an accusation against P . Egnatius Celer (the Stoic philosopher whose evidence had condemned his patron and disciple Soranus) and who endeavoured to preach a doctrine of peace and good-will among the soldiers of Vespasian when they were advancing upon Rome . So highly was he esteemed in Rome that Vespasian made an exception in his case when all other philosophers were expelled from the city . As to his death, we know only that he was not living in the reign of Trajan . His philosophy, which is in most respects identical with that of his pupil, Epictetus, is marked by its strong practical tendency . Though he did not altogether neglect logic and physics, he maintained that virtue is the only real aim of men . This virtue is not a thing of precept and theory but a practical, living reality . It is identical with philosophy in the true sense of the word, and the truly good man is also the true philosopher .

Suidas attributes numerous

works to him, amongst others a number of letters to Apollonius of Tyana . The letters are certainly unauthentic; about the others there is no evidence . His views were collected by Claudius (or Valerius) Pollio, who 'wrote 'Axo-µvnuoveGµara Mouowvlov rot, ¢nXoob4,ov, from which Stobaeus obtained his information . See Ritter and Preller §§ 477, 488, 489; Tacitus, Annals, xv . 71 and Histories, iii . 81; and compare articles STOICS and EPICTETUS .