ime these checked the fire
and it seemed to abate; later, especially as the wind came upon it in
great gusts, it shot up more brilliant than ever and was increased by the
fuel. While only a part of a ship was burning, others stood by it and the
men would leap into it and hew down some parts and carry away others.
These detached parts some threw into the sea and others upon their
opponents, in case they could do them any damage. Others were constantly
going to the sound portion of the vessel and now more than ever they used
the grappling irons and the long spears with the purpose of attaching
some hostile ship to theirs and transferring themselves to it; or, if
that was out of the question, they tried to set it on fire likewise.
[-35-] But the hostile fleet was guarding against this very attempt and
none of it came near enough; and as the fire spread to the encircling
walls and descended to the flooring, the most terrible of fates
confronted them. Some, and particularly the sailors, perished by the
smoke before the flame approached them, while others were roasted in the
midst of it as though in ovens. Others were cooked in their armor, which
became red-hot. There were still others, who, before suffering such a
death, or when they were half burned, threw off their armor and were
wounded by the men shooting from a distance, or again were choked by
leaping into the sea, or were struck by their opponents and drowned, or
were mangled by sea-monsters. The only ones to obtain an endurable death,
considering the sufferings round about, were such as killed one another
or themselves before any calamity befell them. These did not have to
submit to torture, and as corpses had the burning ships for their funeral
pyre. The Caesarians, who saw this, at first so long as any of the foe
were still able to defend themselves would not come near; but when the
fire began to consume the ships and the men so far from being able to do
any harm to an enemy could not even help themselves, they eagerly sailed
up to them to see if they could in any way gain possession of the money,
and they endeavored to extinguish the fire which they themselves had
caused. As a result many of them also perished in the course of their
plundering in the flame.

DIO'S ROMAN HISTORY

51

The following is contained in the Fifty-first of Dio's Rome:

How Caesar after his victory at Actium transacted business requiring
immediate attention (chapters 1-4).

Abou