114 The Imperial Government
WiththatwecancometoastoryrelatedbyEpictetus,oneofthebestand
mostrevealinganecdotesinthework.Itconcernsamanolderthanhimself,
Epictetus says,who had earlier passed through Nicopolis on his way back
fromexile(theoccasionwasveryprobablythereturnofexilesin96afterthe
abolitionoftheacta[officialacts]ofDomitian).SpeakingtoEpictetushehad
inveighedagainsthisformerlifeandexpressedhisresolvetopasstherestof
histimeinpeaceandquiet.‘‘AssoonasyoucatchawhiffofRome,’’Epicte-
tushadsaid,‘‘youwillforgetallthis.Andifadmission[parodos]tothecourt
isgranted,inyouwillrush,rejoicingandthankingGod.’’Themandenied
it.ButbeforeheevenreachedRome,messages(pinakides)fromtheemperor
reachedhim.Heforgothisresolution,andgainedpostafterpost.Heisnow,
saysEpictetus,praefectus annonae(theprefectinchargeofthesupplyofcorn
andotherfood)inRome.^68
Itisunfortunatelydifficulttoidentifytheprefectinofficeabout108.Sul-
piciusSimilis,laterpraetorianprefectattheendofTrajan’sreignandunder
Hadrian,wouldbesuitable,inthatherosefrombeingamerecenturionat
somepointinTrajan’sreign^69 totheprefectureoftheAnnonaandthen,be-
tweenMarchandAugust107,tothatof Egypt.^70 The identification is not
quiteimpossible,thoughSulpicius’periodattheAnnonawouldbealittle
too early forcomfort—or might the first book,which contains this story,
belongin107,andthethird,whichhasthedialoguewithMaximus,insay
thewinter^71 of107–8?ThedifficultywouldremainthatthemaninEpicte-
tusseemstobeofhigherrankthancenturion.Otherwiseweknowonlyof
RutiliusLupuswhoisattestedinthispostonaninscriptiondatabletobe-
tween103and111,^72 beforemovingtoEgyptin113.Butifanidentification
isdifficult,thereisaslightcompensationinthatthefollowingpassagepor-
traystheprefectreceivingapetitiontoallowtheexportofsomegrain,‘‘I
beseechyoutoallowmetoexportasmallquantityofcorn’’^73 —whichadds
alittletotheratherscantyevidenceonhisfunctions.
ItwasoneofthestrikingpeculiaritiesoftheEmpireasapoliticalsystem
thatthepersonaljudgementsandactionsoftheemperoraffectednotonly
- 1,10,2–6.
- Dio69,19,1.
- P-W,s.v.‘‘Sulpicius’’(104).SeeA.Stein,Die Praefekten von Ägypten(1950),53–55.
- Notein3,7,3(Maximus)‘‘duringthewinter,’’and3,9,3(themanfromCnossus—
seebelow)‘‘afterthewinter.’’
72.AE1940,38.SeeStein(n.70),55–58. - 1,10,10.TheprevioussentenceperhapsalsoreferstotheprefectsoftheAnnona—
‘‘Forwhatelsedotheydobutalldaylongcastupaccounts,dispute,consultaboutabitof
grain,abitofland...’’