the majority of those holding sovereign power wish no one to display more ability than themselves; and that they attended personally to nearly all such matters as afford them a conquest without effort, but assign the less favorable and more complicated business to others.  And if they ever are forced to entrust some choice enterprise to their assistants, they are irritated and displeased at the latter’s renown.  They do not pray that these subordinates may be defeated and fare badly, yet they do not choose to have them win a complete success and secure glory from it.  His advice therefore was that the man who intended to survive must relieve his masters of the annoyance incident to such undertakings and still reserve for them the successful completion of the work.  As for me, I know that the above is regularly true and that Agrippa paid attention to it, but I am not setting down that on that particular occasion this was the cause of his failure to pursue.  For he was not able, no matter how much he might have desired it, to follow up the foe.

[-5-] While the naval battle was in progress, Caesar, as soon as he perceived that Sextus was gone from Messana and that the strait was destitute of guards, did not let slip this opportunity of the war but immediately embarked on Antony’s vessels and crossed to Tauromenium.  Yet this seizure of the opportunity was not accompanied by good fortune.  No one prevented him from sailing or disembarking, and he constructed his camp, as he had done everything else, at leisure.  When, however, the naval battle had ended, Sextus got back to Messana with speed, and learning of Caesar’s presence he quickly filled the ships with fresh warriors and assailed him with the vessels and also with his heavy-armed men on land.  Caesar did not come out to fight the latter, but sailed out against Sextus through contempt of the few opposing ships and because they had been previously defeated:  then it was that he lost the majority of his fleet and barely avoided destruction himself.  He could not even escape to his own men that were in Sicily but was glad to reach the mainland in safety.  He was himself then in security, but was mightily disturbed at seeing his army cut off on the island.  His confidence was not restored until a fish of its own accord jumped out of the sea and fell at his feet.  By this incident his spirits were invigorated and he believed the soothsayers who had told him that he should make Sicily his slave.

[-6-] Caesar in haste sent for Agrippa to render aid to them, and meantime they were being besieged.  When, provisions began to fail them and no rescuing force appeared, Cornificius their leader became afraid that if he stayed where he was he should in the course of time be compelled by hunger to yield to the besieging party; and he reflected that while he delayed there in that way none of the enemy would come into conflict with him, because he was stronger in point of heavy-armed infantry, but if he should go forward in any direction