[-9-] Before quite all this had occurred Antony learned that Cornelius Gallus had taken charge of Scarpus’s army and with the men had suddenly marched upon Paxaetonium and occupied it.  Hence, though he wished to set out and follow the summons of the gladiators, he did not go into Syria.  He proceeded against Gallus, believing that he could certainly win over his soldiers without effort; they had been with him on campaigns and were well disposed.  At any rate he could subdue them by main strength, since he was leading a large force both of ships and of infantry upon them.  However, he found himself unable even to hold converse with them, although he approached their wall and shouted and hallooed.  For Gallus by ordering his trumpeters to sound their instruments all together gave no one a chance to hear a word.  Antony further failed in a sudden assault and subsequently met a reverse with his ships.  Gallus by night had chains stretched across the mouth of the harbor under water and took no open measures to guard against them but quite disdainfully allowed them to sail freely in.  When, however, they were inside, he drew up the chains by means of machines and encompassing his opponent’s ships on all sides,—­on land, from the houses, and on the sea,—­he burned some and sank others.  The next event was that Caesar took Pelusium, pretendedly by storm, but really betrayed by Cleopatra.  She saw that no one came to her aid and perceived that Caesar was not to be withstood; most important of all, she heard the message sent to her by Thyrsus, and believed that she was really the object of affection.  Her confidence was strengthened first of all by her wish that it be true, and second by the fact that she had enslaved his father and Antony alike.  As a result she expected that she should gain not only forgiveness and sovereignty over the Egyptians, but empire over the Romans as well.  At once she yielded Pelusium to him.  After this, when he marched against the city, she secretly prevented the Alexandrians from making a sortie, though she pretended to urge them strongly to do so.

[-10-] At the news about Pelusium Antony returned from Paraetonium and in front of Alexandria met Caesar, who was exhausted from travel; he joined battle with him, therefore, with his cavalry and was victorious.  From this success Antony gained courage, as also from his being able to shoot arrows into his rival’s camp carrying pamphlets which promised the men fifteen hundred denarii; so he attacked also with his infantry and was defeated.  Caesar himself voluntarily read the pamphlets to his soldiers, reproaching Antony the while, and led them to feel ashamed of treachery and to acquire enthusiasm in his behalf.  They gained by this in zeal, both through indignation at being tempted and through their attempt to show that they would not willingly gain a reputation for baseness.  Antony after his unexpected setback took refuge in his fleet and prepared to have a combat on the water,