ABSTRACT
Plutarch's Lives of Noble Grecians and Romanes 297 lacke of water men, his Captaines did presse by force all sortes of men out of Grrece that they could take up in the field, as travellers, muletters, reapers, harvest men, and younge boyes, and yet could they not sufficiently furnishe his gallies: so that the most part of them were empty, and could scant rowe, bicause they lacked water men enowe.1 But on the contrary side, Cresars shippes were not built for pompe, highe, and great, on ely for a sight and bravery, but they were light of yarage,2 armed and furnished with water men as many as they needed, and had them all in readines, in the havens of Tarentum, and Brundusium. So Octavius Cresar sent unto Antonius, to will him to delay no more time, but to come on with his army into Italy: and that for his owne parte he would give him safe harber, to lande without any trouble, and that he would withdraw his armie from the sea, as farre as one horse could runne, until he had put his army a shore, and had lodged his men. Antonius on the other side bravely sent him word againe, and chalenged the combate of him man to man, though he were the elder: and that if he refused him so, he would then fight a battell with him in the fields of Pharsalia, as Julius Cresar, and Pompey had done before. 3 Now whilest Antonius rode at anker, lying idely in harber at the head of Actium, in the place where the citie of Nicopolis standeth at this present:4 Cresar had quickly passed the sea Ionium, and taken a place called Toryne, before Antonius understoode that he had taken shippe. Then began his men to be affraid, bicause his army by land was left behind. But Cleopatra making light of it: And what daunger, I pray you, said she, if Cresar keepe at Toryne?6 The next morning by breake of day, his enemies comming with full force of owers in battell against him, Antonius was affraid that if they came to joyne, they would take and cary away his shippes that had no men ofwarre in them. So he armed all his water men, and set them in order of battell upon the forecastell of their shippes, and then lift up all his rancks of owers towards the element, as well of the one side, as the other, with the prooes against the enemies, at the entry and mouth of the gulfe, which beginneth at the point of Actium, and so kept them in order of battell, as if they had bene armed and furnished with water men and souldiers. Thus Octavius Cresar beeing finely deceyved by this stratageame, retyred presently, and there
