e thereby obliged to go, for the most part,
singly, one after another, in a thin line; afterwards, when the
violence of the wind abated, they endeavoured to stretch over to the
harbour of Corycus, beyond Cyssus.
44. When intelligence was brought to Polyxenidas that the enemy were
approaching, he rejoiced at an opportunity of engaging them, and drew
out the left squadron towards the open sea, at the same time ordering
the commanders of the ships to extend the right division towards the
land; and then advanced to the fight, with his fleet in a regular
line of battle. The Roman commander, on seeing this, furled his sails,
lowered his masts, and, at the same time adjusting his rigging, waited
for the ships which were coming up. There were now about thirty in the
line; and in order that his left squadron might form a front in like
direction, he hoisted his top-sails, and stretched out into the deep,
ordering the others to push forward, between him and the land, against
the right squadron of the enemy. Eumenes brought up the rear; who, as
soon as he saw the bustle of taking down the rigging begin, likewise
brought up his ships with all possible speed. All their ships were by
this time in sight; two Carthaginian vessels, however, which advanced
before the Romans, came across three belonging to the king. As the
numbers were unequal, two of the king's ships fell upon one, and, in
the first place, swept away the oars from both its sides; the armed
mariners then boarded, and killing some of its defenders and throwing
others into the sea, took the ship. The one which had engaged in an
equal contest, on seeing her companion taken, before she could be
surrounded by the three, fled back to the fleet. Livius, fired with
indignation, bore down with the praetorian ship against the enemy. The
two which had overpowered the Carthaginian ship, in hopes of the same
success against this one, advanced to the attack, on which he ordered
the rowers on both sides to plunge their oars in the water, in order
to hold the ship steady, and to throw grappling-irons into the enemy's
vessels as they came up. Having, by these means, rendered the business
something like a fight on land, he desired his men to bear in mind
the courage of Romans, and not to regard the slaves of a king as men.
Accordingly, this single ship now defeated and captured the two, with
more ease than the two had before taken one. By this time the entire
fleets were engaged and interm
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