his example, so that Antony was no longer equally imbued with courage but was suspicious of everybody.  It was after this that he tortured and put to death Iamblichus, king of some of the Arabians, and others, and delivered Quintus Postumius, a senator, to his servants to be placed on the rack.  Finally he became afraid that Quintus Deillius and Amyntas the Gaul, who happened to have been sent into Macedonia and Thrace after mercenaries, would espouse Caesar’s cause, and he started to overtake them, pretending that he wished to render them assistance in case any hostile force should attack.  And meantime a battle at sea occurred. [-14-] Lucius Tarius,[63] with a few ships was anchored opposite Sosius, and the latter hoped to achieve a notable success by attacking him before Agrippa, to whom the whole fleet had been entrusted, should arrive.  Accordingly, after waiting for a thick mist, so that Tarius should not become aware of their numbers beforehand and flee, he set sail suddenly just before dawn and immediately at the first assault routed his opponent and pursued him, but failed to capture him; for Agrippa by chance met Sosius on the way, so that he not only gained nothing from the victory but perished[64] together with Tarcondimotus and many others.

Antony, because of his conflict and because he himself on his return had been defeated in a cavalry battle by Caesar’s advance guard, no longer thought it well to encamp in two different places, but during the night left the redoubt which was near his opponents and retired to the other side of the narrows, where the larger part of his army had bivouacked.  When provisions also began to fail him because he was cut off from foraging, he held a council to deliberate whether they should remain in position and hazard an encounter or transfer their post somewhere else and make the war a long one. [-15-] After several had given opinions the advice of Cleopatra prevailed,—­that the choicest sites be given in possession of garrisons and that the rest of the force weigh anchor with them for Egypt.  She held this view as a result of being disturbed by omens.  Swallows had built their nests about her tent and on the flagship on which she sailed, and milk and blood together had dripped from beeswax.  Their images with the forms of gods which the Athenians had placed on their Acropolis were hurled down by thunderbolts into the Theatre.  This and the consequent dejection and listlessness of the army began to alarm Cleopatra and she filled Antony with fears.  They did not wish, however, to sail out either secretly or openly as fugitives, for fear they should strike terror to the hearts of their allies, but rather with preparations made for a naval battle, in order that they might equally well force their way through in case there should be any resistance.  Therefore they chose out first the best of the vessels, since the sailors had become fewer by death and desertion, and burned the rest; next they secretly put all their most prized valuables aboard of them by night.  When the boats were ready, Antony gathered his soldiers and spoke as follows:—­