L. Vibu'llius Rufus
a senator and an intimate friend of Pompey, is mentioned on one or two occasions by Cicero before the breaking out of the civil war.
He was a man of resolution and energy, and was much trusted by Pompey, who made him Praefectus Fabrûm in the civil war. When Caesar marched into Italy at the beginning of B. C. 49, Pompey sent Vibullius into Picenum to strengthen his cause in that quarter, but he was unable to effect any thing, as all the towns declared in favour of Caesar, and he accordingly threw himself into Corfinium, which was held by Domitius Ahenobarbus. Vibullius was one of the senators who fell into Caesar's hands on the surrender of Corfinium, and was along with the others dismissed uninjured by the conquerors.
A few days afterwards Pompey sent him into Spain to assist Afranius and Petreius in carrying on war against Caesar.
He was again taken prisoner by Caesar on the conquest of Pompey's troops in that country, and was again pardoned. When Caesar landed in Greece in B. C. 48, he despatched him to Pompey with offers of peace, and Vibullius made the greatest haste to reach Pompey, not from any desire to favour the views of Caesar, but in order to give Pompey the earliest intelligence possible of the arrival of his enemy in Greece. (Cic.
ad Q. Fr. 3.1.5,
ad Att. 7.24, 8.1,2, 11, 15;
Caes. Civ. 1.15,
23,
34,
38,
3.10,
11.)
