xceptionally liable to suffer it.

[-30-] "Indeed, what need is there to spend time in speaking further of
them, when we have already often made trial of them, not only off Leucas
but also here just the other day, and so far from proving inferior to
them, we have everywhere shown ourselves superior? Hence you should be
encouraged not so much by my words as by your own deeds, and should
desire to put an end forthwith to the whole war. For be well assured that
if we beat them to-day we shall have no further trouble. For in general
it is a natural characteristic of human nature everywhere, that whenever
a man fails in his first contests he becomes disheartened with respect to
what is to come; and as for us, we are so indisputably superior to them
on land that we could vanquish them even if they had never suffered any
injury. And they are themselves so conscious of this truth--for I am not
going to conceal from you what I have heard--that they are discouraged at
what has already happened and despair of saving their lives if they stay
where they are, and they are therefore endeavouring to make their escape
to some place or other, and are making this sally, not with the desire to
give battle, but in expectation of flight. In fact, they have placed in
their ships the best and most valuable of the possessions they have with
them, in order to escape with them if they can. Since, then, they admit
that they are weaker than we, and since they carry the prizes of victory
in their ships, let us not allows them to sail anywhere else, but let
us conquer them here on the spot and take all these treasures away from
them."

Such were Caesar's words. [-31-]After this he formed a plan to let them
slip by, intending to fall upon them from the rear: he himself by fast
sailing expected to capture them directly, and when the leaders had
plainly shown that they were attempting to run away he thought that the
remainder would make no contest about surrendering. He was restrained,
however, by Agrippa, who feared that they might not overtake the
fugitives, who would probably use sails, and he also felt some confidence
of conquering without much effort because meantime a squall of rain with
large quantities of spray had driven in the face of Antony's fleet alone
and had created disturbance all through it. Hence he abandoned this plan,
and after putting vast numbers of infantry aboard the ships himself
and placing all his associates into auxiliary boa