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But finally Agrippa went off with the best of the ships for a reconnaissance of the enemy. And since he neither saw them all nor did anyone wish to put to sea, he returned and began to prepare to fight on the next day. And the same thing happened also to Demochares, and he too was preparing to attack the enemy, and he also sent for Sextus. And day was already dawning and both fleets sailed against each other and began the 2.411 naval battle. And for a very long time they fought an evenly matched contest, but at last and already towards night Caesar's men prevailed, though they did not pursue. But Caesar, since Sextus had departed from Messene because of the naval battle, crossed over to Tauromenium without danger. And with the naval battle now having ceased, Sextus arrived in haste at Messene, and learning that Caesar had crossed over, he engaged him on land. And Caesar lost the greater part of his fleet and he himself was almost destroyed in addition; for the time being, however, he had been saved onto the mainland. And he was vexed that his army was trapped on the island, and did not regain his courage until a fish, leaping out of the sea, fell of its own accord at his feet; for the seers explained that this meant he would enslave the sea. And Caesar's army was being besieged, and since their provisions failed them and there was no one to help, its commander, Cornificius, burned the boats, as many as had been saved from the naval battle, and he himself led the army towards Mylae. And they suffered many hardships from the enemy following them, both on the rest of the march and especially at the river crossings. And for three days they suffered thus, but on the last day they harassed them in every way, with Sextus also joining them. And they would all have been destroyed, if the enemy had not held back from them, even unwillingly. For Agrippa, having won the naval battle, crossed over to Sicily and sent both grain for the army and help. And Sextus, expecting that Agrippa himself would come there and being afraid, retreated in haste, so that he left behind some equipment 2.412 and provisions in the stronghold, fed by which the men with Cornificius went to Agrippa; whom Caesar won back with praise and gifts. And after this, when Caesar came into Sicily, Sextus encamped opposite him near the Artemisium. And as they were encamped opposite each other and skirmishing, Gallus joined Sextus, and Lepidus with his forces joined Caesar. And Gallus strengthened Sextus, but Lepidus was at odds with Caesar, since he himself wished to co-administer all things with him on an equal basis, while the other used him as a subordinate general in all things. Therefore he even inclined towards Sextus, and communicated with him through secret messages. Caesar, suspecting this, hastened to proceed to battle with Sextus before any revolutionary action could take place. And as a naval battle broke out at sea, and the infantry of both were drawn up on land, while for a long time the naval battle was evenly balanced and matched, the infantry and both armies watched and were in agony; but when the men of Sextus were routed, the one side raised a paean, while the other lamented. And the infantry of Sextus proceeded to Messene, as if they themselves had been defeated along with the fleet, but Caesar received those of the defeated who were cast upon the land and burned as many of the boats as ran ashore. And in this situation Demochares killed himself, while Apollodorus went over to Caesar. And this both others and Gallus and all the cavalry with him and some of the infantry did. 2.413 But Sextus, despairing from this point, and taking his daughter and others, putting both the money and the more valuable of his other possessions into the better ships of those that had been saved, sailed away by night; nor did anyone pursue him, both because he sailed out secretly and because Caesar was in great confusion. For Lepidus, having attacked Messene and being admitted into it, was setting some things on fire and plundering others; then fearing Caesar who was approaching, having encamped on a strong hill, he brought against him as charges all the things in which he thought he was slighted, and

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τέλος δὲ ὁ ̓Αγρίππας σὺν ταῖς ἀρίσταις τῶν νεῶν ἐπὶ κατασκοπὴν τῶν ἐναντίων ἀπελήλυθε. καὶ ὡς ουτε πάντας κατεῖδεν ουτ' ἀναχθῆναί τις ἠθέλησεν, ἐπανῆλθε, καὶ παρεσκευάζετο ὡς πολεμήσων τῇ ἐπιούσῃ. τὰ δ' αὐτὰ καὶ τῷ ∆ημοχάρει συμβέβηκε, καὶ ἡτοιμάζετο κἀκεῖνος ὡς τοῖς πολεμίοις ἐπελευσόμενος, καὶ τὸν Σέξτον δὲ μετεπέμψατο. ἡμέρα τε ηδη ὑπέλαμπε καὶ αμφω τὰ ναυτικὰ ἐπ' αλληλα επλεον καὶ τῆς 2.411 ναυμαχίας ἀπήρξαντο. καὶ ἐπὶ πλεῖστον μὲν ἀγχωμάλως ἠγωνίσαντο, ὀψὲ δ' ουν ποτε καὶ πρὸς νύκτα ηδη οἱ τοῦ Καίσαρος ἐκράτησαν, οὐ μέντοι καὶ ἐπεδίωξαν. Καῖσαρ δὲ τοῦ Σέξτου ἐκ τῆς Μεσσήνης διὰ τὴν ναυμαχίαν ἀπάραντος ἀκινδύνως ἐπεραιώθη πρὸς Ταυρομένιον. ηδη δὲ τῆς ναυμαχίας παυθείσης σπουδῇ πρὸς τὴν Μεσσήνην ὁ Σέξτος ἀφίκετο, καὶ μαθὼν περαιωθέντα τὸν Καίσαρα, προσέμιξεν αὐτῷ κατὰ γῆν. καὶ ὁ Καῖσαρ τοῦ τε ναυτικοῦ τὸ πλεῖον ἀπέβαλε καὶ αὐτὸς ὀλίγου προσδιεφθάρη· τέως δ' ουν εἰς τὴν ηπειρον διασέσωστο. ηχθετο δὲ τοῦ στρατεύματος ἐν τῇ νήσῳ ἀπειλημμένου, καὶ οὐ πρὶν ἀνεθάρσησεν εως ἰχθὺς ἀναθορὼν ἐκ τῆς θαλάσσης αὐτόματος πρὸς τοὺς πόδας αὐτοῦ επεσε· τοῦτο γὰρ οἱ μάντεις δηλοῦν ἐξηγήσαντο οτι δουλώσεται τὴν θάλασσαν. ἡ δὲ τοῦ Καίσαρος στρατιὰ ἐπολιορκεῖτο, καὶ ἐπεὶ τὰ ἐπιτήδεια ἐπέλιπον σφᾶς καὶ ὁ βοηθήσων οὐκ ην, ὁ ταύτης αρχων Κορνουφίκιος τά τε σκάφη οσα ἐκ τῆς ναυμαχίας περισέσωστο εκαυσε καὶ αὐτὸς πρὸς τὰς Μύλας ἀπῆγε τὴν στρατιάν. καὶ πολλὰ ἐκακώθησαν παρὰ τῶν ἐναντίων ἐφεπομένων αὐτοῖς εν τε τῇ αλλῃ πορείᾳ καὶ μᾶλλον ἐν ταῖς τῶν ποταμῶν διαβάσεσι. καὶ ἐπὶ τρεῖς ἡμέρας επασχον ουτως, τῇ δέ γε τελευταίᾳ πάντῃ αὐτοὺς ἐκάκωσαν, προσγενομένου αὐτοῖς καὶ τοῦ Σέξτου. καὶ πάντες αν διεφθάρησαν, εἰ μὴ σφῶν καὶ ακοντες ἀπέσχοντο οἱ πολέμιοι. ὁ γὰρ ̓Αγρίππας νικήσας τὴν ναυμαχίαν ἐς Σικελίαν ἐπεραιώθη καὶ σῖτόν τε τῷ στρατῷ καὶ βοήθειαν επεμψε. καὶ ὁ Σέξτος αὐτὸν τὸν ̓Αγρίππαν ηξειν ἐκεῖ προσδοκήσας καὶ φοβηθείς, σπουδῇ ἀνεχώρησεν, ωστε σκεύη τινὰ 2.412 καὶ ἐπιτήδεια καταλεῖψαι ἐν τῷ ἐρύματι, ἐξ ων τραφέντες οἱ περὶ τὸν Κορνουφίκιον πρὸς τὸν ̓Αγρίππαν ἀπῄεσαν· ους ὁ Καῖσαρ ἐπαίνοις καὶ δωρεαῖς ἀνεκτήσατο. Μετὰ τοῦτο δ' ἐς τὴν Σικελίαν ἐλθόντι τῷ Καίσαρι περὶ τὸ ̓Αρτεμίσιον ὁ Σέξτος ἀντεστρατοπεδεύσατο. ἀντικαθημένων δ' ἀλλήλοις καὶ ἀκροβολιζομένων τῷ μὲν Σέξτῳ ὁ Γάλλος, τῷ δὲ Καίσαρι ὁ Λέπιδος σὺν ταῖς δυνάμεσι προσήνωντο. καὶ ὁ μὲν Γάλλος ἐπέρρωσε τὸν Σέξτον, ὁ δὲ Λέπιδος διηνέχθη τῷ Καίσαρι, αὐτὸς μὲν ἐκ τοῦ ισου συνδιοικεῖν αὐτῷ τὰ πάντα βουλόμενος, ἐκείνου δὲ ὡς ὑποστρατήγῳ αὐτῷ χρωμένου ἐν απασι. διὸ καὶ πρὸς τὸν Σέξτον ἀπέκλινε, καὶ ἐκοινολογεῖτο δι' ἀπορρήτων αὐτῷ. ο ὑπονοήσας ὁ Καῖσαρ εσπευσε πρὶν νεοχμωθῆναί τι διὰ μάχης τῷ Σέξτῳ χωρῆσαι. καὶ ναυμαχίας τε κατὰ θάλασσαν συρραγείσης, καὶ κατὰ γῆν τῶν πεζῶν ἀμφοῖν παρατεταγμένων, ἐπὶ πολὺ μὲν τῆς ναυμαχίας γινομένης ἰσορρόπου τε καὶ ἰσοπαλοῦς τὰ πεζὰ καὶ αμφω στρατεύματα ἐθεῶντο καὶ ἠγωνίων· ἐπεὶ δ' οἱ τοῦ Σέξτου ἐτράποντο, οἱ μὲν ἐπαιάνισαν, οἱ δ' ὠλοφύροντο. καὶ οἱ μὲν τοῦ Σέξτου πεζοὶ πρὸς τὴν Μεσσήνην ἐχώρουν ατε καὶ αὐτοὶ συνηττηθέντες τῷ ναυτικῷ, ὁ δὲ Καῖσαρ τοὺς ἐκπίπτοντας τῶν ἡττωμένων εἰς τὴν γῆν ἐξεδέχετο καὶ τῶν σκαφῶν οσα προσώκειλον ἐνεπίμπρα. κἀν τούτῳ ὁ μὲν ∆ημόχαρις ἑαυτὸν ἀπέσφαξεν, ὁ δ' ̓Απολλόδωρος τῷ Καίσαρι προσεχώρησε. τοῦτο δὲ αλλοι τε καὶ ὁ Γάλλος καὶ οἱ ἱππεῖς οἱ σὺν αὐτῷ πάντες καί τινες τῶν πεζῶν πεποιήκασιν. 2.413 ̔Ο Σέξτος δ' ἐντεῦθεν ἀπογνοὺς καὶ τὴν θυγατέρα καὶ αλλους παραλαβὼν τά τε χρήματα καὶ τῶν αλλων τὰ τιμιώτερα εἰς τὰς ναῦς τὰς κρείττους τῶν σωθεισῶν ἐνθέμενος ἀπῆρε νυκτός· οὐδ' ἐπεδίωξέ τις αὐτόν, οτι τε λάθρᾳ ἐξέπλευσε καὶ ὁ Καῖσαρ ἐν μεγάλῃ γέγονε ταραχῇ. ὁ γὰρ Λέπιδος τῇ Μεσσήνῃ ἐπελθὼν καὶ εἰσδεχθεὶς εἰς αὐτὴν τὰ μὲν ἐνεπίμπρα, τὰ δ' ηρπαζεν· ειτα φοβηθεὶς ἐπελθόντα τὸν Καίσαρα, ἐπὶ λόφον καρτερὸν στρατοπεδευσάμενος, πάντα τε οσα ἐλαττοῦσθαι ἐνόμιζεν ἐπενεκάλει αὐτῷ, καὶ