In This
Extremity He Applied To Anthony, Who Immediately Came To His Aid With 300
Sail Of Ships.
As Anthony needed land-forces, which, under the present
circumstances, were of no use to Augustus, they agreed to an interchange:
Augustus gave Anthony two legions; and Anthony, on his part, left with
Augustus 100 armed galleys.
In addition to these, Octavia obtained from her
husband twenty small ships, as a reinforcement to her brother.
Augustus, though now superior in naval force to Pompey, (for his ships were
more numerous, as well as larger and stronger, though not so light and
expeditious, nor so well manned,) was not willing to expose himself any
more to the hazards of a sea-fight: he therefore appointed Agrippa
commander-in-chief of his navy, with directions to cruise off Mylae, a city
on the northern coast of Sicily, where Pompey had assembled all his naval
forces. As the possession of this important island was absolutely necessary
to the reduction of Pompey's power, and the relief and supply of the city
of Rome, Augustus, Lepidus, and another general were to invade it in three
different places, while Agrippa was watching Pompey's fleet. The whole of
Augustus's expeditions sailed from different ports of Italy at the same
time; but they had scarcely put to sea, when a violent storm arose, in
which a great number of his ships perished. On this occasion Augustus
behaved with great presence of mind and judgment: his first object and care
was to send Maecenas to Rome, to prevent the disturbances which the
intelligence of this disaster might occasion there:
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