106 The Imperial Government
viewwouldbesupportedifwecouldbesurethatitwasthesameEpaphro-
dituswhoencouragedJosephusinthewritingof hisAntiquities,completed
in93–94.ForJosephusdescribesthismanas‘‘takingspecialpleasureinthe
experiencesof history,conversantashehimself hasbeenwithlargeaffairs
andvaryingturnsoffortune.’’^4
It is unfortunately not clear whether Epictetus was in Rome as earlyas
thereignof Nero.HedoeshoweverreferinhisDissertationstoanumber
ofincidentsinthatreign—thereplyofDemetriustheCynicwhenthreat-
ened with death by Nero,^5 a discussion between Paconius Agrippinus and
Florus(L.MestriusFlorus,thepatronofPlutarch?)^6 astowhetherthelatter
should take part in a theatrical performance put on by Nero,^7 the scene at
theexecutionofPlautiusLateranusin65,^8 aconversationbetweenThrasea
PaetusandMusoniusRufusonthedangersofdeathandexile,^9 orthecalm
reactionof PaconiusAgrippinustothenewsof hisexilein66.^10 Thereare
alsosomestories(discussedbelow)abouthismaster,Epaphroditus,oneof
whichisexplicitlydatedtobeforetheexecutionofLateranus.Suchstories
mightindicatethatEpictetuswasalreadyinRome;but,especiallyasmost
ofthembelongintheStoicmartyrtradition,theycannotproveit.
Allthatwecanbesureof isthathewasinRomeintheFlavianperiod,
whenhewasafriendanddiscipleofMusoniusRufus.^11 Hetellsananecdote
ofMusonius’reactiontothenewsofGalba’sdeath^12 andrecordsaconversa-
tionbetweenhimselfandMusoniusinwhichtheyreferredtotheburning
oftheCapitolin69(orpossiblytheburningin80),^13 andanotherwherethey
talkedaboutthecrueltyofEpaphroditus.^14 Thenthereareacoupleofrefer-
- Jos.AJ1,8.Thequestionoftheidentificationcannotbeformallydecided.Th.Frank-
fort,‘‘Ladatedel’autobiographiedeFlaviusJosèpheetdesoeuvresdeJustusdeTibériade,’’
Rev. Beige de Phil. et d’Hist.39(1961):52,esp.56–57,showsthattherearenofirmchrono-
logicalgroundsfordismissingtheidentification. - 1,25,22.Thiscouldhavebeenonanyoneofanumberofoccasionsbetween60and
66.SeePIR^2 D39.
6.PIR^1 M380;P-W,s.v.‘‘Mestrius’’(3). - 1,2,12–18.
- 1,1,19.Cf.Tac.,Ann.15,60,1–2.
- 1,1,26–27.
- 1,1,28–32fr.21Schenkl.CompareTac.,Ann.16,33,3andseePIR^1 P16.
- See Cora E. Lutz, ‘‘Musonius Rufus, ‘The Roman Socrates,’’’Yale Class. Stud.10
(1947):3,esp.8–9. - 3,15,14.
- 1,7,32.Cic.,de amicitia37andPlut.,Tib. Grac.20,4,quotedbySouilhéadloc.,do
notsufficetoprovethat‘‘burningtheCapitol’’wasaproverbialexpression. - 1,9,29–30.ThiscouldofcoursedatetobeforethebanishmentofMusoniusin65.