He was now in a dreadful
situation; without ships or money; while the inhabitants of Rome were on
the point of rising against his authority, for want of corn.
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: Maecenas succeeded in
his mission completely. In the meantime Augustus went in person to the
several ports, into which his ships had escaped from the storm, encouraged
and rewarded the workmen, and soon got his fleet refitted and ready for
sea. In his second attempt to invade Sicily, which he put in execution as
soon as his fleet was repaired, he was more successful than in his first;
and Agrippa considerably weakened Pompey's naval forces, by defeating one
of his admirals, from whom he captured thirty galleys. Pompey was still so
formidable at sea, at least to the fears of Augustus, that, when he
appeared unexpectedly on the coast of Sicily with his fleet, the latter was
completely intimidated: apprehending that Pompey would land and attack his
camp, he deserted it and went on board his fleet. Pompey, however, who
always preferred naval enterprizes, attacked the fleet, put it to flight at
the first onset, captured most of the ships, and burnt and sunk the
remainder. Augustus with difficulty escaped in a boat; but, instead of
returning to his camp, in Sicily, he fled to Italy, attended only by one
domestic.
As soon as he recovered from his alarm, he, in conjunction with Lepidus,
determined to attack Messina, in which place Pompey had deposited all his
stores, provisions, and treasure. The city accordingly was closely
invested, both by sea and land. Pompey, in this emergency, challenged
Augustus to decide the war by a sea-fight, with 300 ships on each side.
Augustus acceding to this proposal, both fleets were drawn up in line of
battle, between Mylae and Naulocus; the land forces having agreed to suspend
hostilities, and wait the event of the engagement. Agrippa, who commanded
Augustus's fleet, fought with great bravery, and was as bravely opposed by
Pompey; their respective officers and men emulated their example. For a
considerable time, the event was doubtful; but, at last, Pompey's fleet was
defeated: only seventeen of his vessels escaped, the rest were taken or
burnt. This victory Agrippa obtained at an easy rate, not more than three
of his snips being sunk or destroyed. Augustus, who, according to all
accounts, behaved in a most cowardly manner during the battle, was so fully
sensible of the obligations he was under to Agrippa, that he immediately
honoured him with a blue standard and a rostral crown, that is, a crown,
the flower-work of which represented the beaks of galleys, and afterwards,
when he became emperor, he raised him, by rank and honours, above all his
other subjects. According to Livy, and some other authors, the rostral
crown had never been given in any preceding wars, nor was it afterwards
bestowed; but Pliny is of a different opinion, he says that it was given to
M. Varro, in the war against the pirates, by Pompey.
After this signal and decisive defeat of his fleet, Pompey fled from Sicily
to Asia, where he attempted to raise disturbances; but he was defeated,
taken prisoner, and put to death.
We must now look back to the naval and commercial history of Rome,
immediately after the defeat of the pirates by Pompey the Great. The
immediate consequence of his success against them was the revival of trade
among the people who inhabited the coasts of the Mediterranean; but the
Romans, intent on their plans of conquest, or engaged in civil wars, had
little share in it The very nature and extent, however, of their conquests,
by making them masters of countries which were either commercial, or which
afforded articles of luxury, gradually led them to become more commercial.
Hitherto, their conquests and their alliances had been confined almost
entirely to the nations on the Mediterranean, or within a short distance of
that sea: but Julius Caesar directed his ambition to another district of the
world; and Gaul was added to the Roman dominions.
Transalpine Gaul comprehended Flanders, Holland, Switzerland, and part of
Germany, as well as France, Its situation, having the ocean to the north
and west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the south, was particularly
favourable to commerce; and though, when Caesar conquered it, its
inhabitants in general were very ignorant and uncivilized, yet we have his
express authority, that the knowledge they possessed of foreign countries,
and commodities from abroad, made them abound in all sorts of provisions.
About 100 years before the Christian era, the Romans, under pretence of
assisting the people of Marseilles, carried their arms into Gaul, and
conquered the district to the south of the Rhine.
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