At the beginning of the series of Augustine’s earliest extant literary works are the three philosophical dialogues Contra Academicos, De beata vita and De ordine, which were composed in the autumn of 386 during Augustine’s otium philosophandi in Cassiciacum. In the introductions of all three works, the marine metaphors are widely used. The author compares human life with a stormy sea and sees as the only salvation the port of philosophy. In beata v. 1. 2 Augutin compares the people to whom philosophy can accommodate with navigantes, which he groups in tria genera. Although the people who belong to the respective group are described in detail, the author does not mention names. This arouses research interest and justifies the attempt to propose a representing person for each group.
The present work sets itself the goal by parallel reading of beata v. 1. 2, with some passages from Cicero’s Epistulae, Tusculanae disputationes and De officiis to make a new proposal. And this in addition to the currently existing assumption that Romanianus, to whom the dialogue Contra Academicos is dedicated, should be considered as a representative of the second group of seafarers. However, the author of the present work now ventures a completely new approach, in which Cicero can be accepted as a representative of this group.