Editing Gaius Musonius Rufus (section)

==Life==
The son of a Roman [[Eques (ancient Rome)|eques]] of the name of Capito, Musonius Rufus was born in [[Volsinii]], [[Etruria]]<ref> Suda μ 1305, ''Musonius''</ref> about 20–30 AD. By the time of [[Nero]], he was already famous in [[Rome]], where he taught [[Stoicism|Stoic]] philosophy. He was associated with the [[Stoic Opposition]] against the perceived tyranny of Nero.  He followed [[Rubellius Plautus]] into exile when Plautus was banished by Nero (60 AD).<ref>Tacitus, Annals, xiv. 59</ref> He returned to Rome after Plautus' death (62 AD), but as a consequence of his practising and teaching [[Stoicism]], he became an object of suspicion and dislike at Nero's court, and was accordingly banished to the island of [[Gyarus|Gyaros]] (65 AD) on a trumped-up charge of participation in the [[Pisonian conspiracy]].<ref>Tacitus, ''Annals'', xv. 71; Cassius Dio, lxii. 27; Philostratus, ''Vit. Apoll.'', vii. 16</ref> While Gyaros was "harsh and devoid of human culture",<ref>… ''addidit insulam Gyarum immitem et sine cultu hominum esse:'' In the ''[[Annals (Tacitus)|Annales]]'', Tiberius is portrayed as extraordinarily cruel and vengeful, making his hesitance to exile a criminal to Gyaros particularly pointed.</ref> Musonius was able to survive and form a small community of philosophers.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Musonius Rufus and Education in the Good Life|last=Dillon|first=J. T.|publisher=University Press of America|year=2004|isbn=978-0761829027}}</ref> He specifically refers to his time in exile in his ninth discourse, pointing out its advantages for a practitioner of Stoicism.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.thestoiclife.org/the_teachers/musonius-rufus/lectures/09|title=Lecture IX – TheStoicLife.org|website=www.thestoiclife.org|access-date=2019-04-19}}</ref>

He returned under [[Galba]] (68 AD). When [[Marcus Antonius Primus]], the general of [[Vespasian]], was marching upon [[Rome]] (69 AD), he joined the ambassadors that were sent by [[Vitellius]] to the victorious general, and going among the soldiers of the latter, preached about the blessings of peace and the dangers of war, but was soon made to stop.<ref>Tacitus, ''Histories'', iii. 81</ref> When the party of Vitellius gained the upper hand, Musonius was able to accuse, and obtain the conviction of, [[Publius Egnatius Celer]], the Stoic philosopher who had condemned [[Barea Soranus]].<ref>Tacitus, ''Histories'', iv. 10, 40</ref> It was perhaps about this time that Musonius taught [[Epictetus]], his most famous student. So highly was Musonius esteemed in Rome that Vespasian allowed him to remain in Rome when the other philosophers were banished from the city (71 AD),<ref>Cassius Dio, lxv. 13</ref> but eventually he was exiled anyway (perhaps around 75 AD), only returning after Vespasian's death (79 AD). As to his death, we know only that he was dead by 101 AD, when [[Pliny the Younger|Pliny]] speaks of his son-in-law Artemidorus.<ref>Pliny, ''Epistles'', iii. 11</ref>