17.  His delay at Sa’mos, and afterwards at A’thens, where he carried Cleopa’tra to receive new honours, proved extremely favourable to the arms of Augustus, who was at first scarcely in a situation to oppose him, had he gone into Italy; but he soon found time to put himself in a condition for carrying on the war, and shortly after declared it against him in form.  At length both sides found themselves in readiness to begin, and their armies were suitable to the greatness of the empire for which they contended. 18.  The one was followed by all the forces of the East; the other drew after him all the strength of the West.  Antony’s force composed a body of one hundred thousand foot, and twelve thousand horse, while his fleet amounted to five hundred ships of war.  Augustus mustered but eighty thousand foot, but equalled his adversary in the number of cavalry; his fleet was but half as numerous as Antony’s; however, his ships were better built, and manned with better soldiers.

19.  The great decisive engagement, which was a naval one, was fought near Ac’tium,[16] a city of Epi’rus, at the entrance of the gulf of Ambra’cia.  Antony ranged his ships before the mouth of the gulf; and Augustus drew up his fleet in opposition.  Neither general assumed any fixed station to command in, but went about from ship to ship, wherever his presence was necessary.  In the mean time the two land armies, on the opposite sides of the gulf, were drawn up, only as spectators of the engagement, and couraged the fleets, by their shouts, to engage. 20.  The battle began on both sides after a manner not practised upon former occasions.  The prows of their vessels were armed with brazen beaks, with which it was usual to drive furiously against each other; but Antony’s ships being large, unwieldy, and badly manned, were incapable of the necessary swiftness, while those of Augustus, from the lightness of their construction, were fearful of the rude encounter:  the battle, therefore, rather resembled a land fight, the ships being brought alongside each other.  They fought with great ardour, without advantage on either side, except from a small appearance of disorder in the centre of Antony’s fleet. 21.  But, all on a sudden, Cleopa’tra determined the fortune of the day.  She was seen flying from the engagement with her sixty sail, struck, perhaps, with the terrors natural to her sex; and, to increase the general amazement, Antony himself precipitately followed, leaving his fleet at the mercy of the conquerors; while the army on land submitted, being thus abandoned by their general.

22.  When Cleopa’tra fled, Antony pursued her in a quinquireme,[17] and coming alongside her ship, entered it without any desire of seeing her.  She was in the stern, and he went to the prow, where he remained silent and melancholy.  In this manner he continued three whole days, during which, either through indignation or shame, he neither saw nor spoke to Cleopa’tra.  The queen’s female