Book 3
101
About the same time G. Cassius came to Sicily I with the Syrian, Phoenician, and Cilician fleets, and as Caesar’s fleet was divided into two parts, the praetor P. Sulpicius at Vibo being in command of one half, and M. Pomponius at Messana of the I other, Cassius hurried with his ships to Messana, before Pomponius could learn of his approach, and n finding him in a state of disorganization, with no surveillance and no fixed order of battle, with the aid of I a strong and favourable wind he sent against the I fleet of Pomponius some merchant-ships loaded with I pine, pitch, tow, and other combustibles and burnt I all thirty-five ships, of which twenty were decked. Such terror was caused by this action that, though there was a legion on guard at Messana, the town I was scarcely defended, and had not some news of Caesar’s victory been brought, just at that time, by relays of horsemen, many were of opinion that it I would have been lost. But news having most I opportunely arrived, the town was defended. Cassius I departed thence to Vibo to the Sulpician fleet, and I our ships having been moored to the shore in the I same way as before, Cassius, with the advantage of I a favourable wind, sent down some merchant-vessels I prepared for burning, and the fleet having caught fire on each wing, five ships were consumed. And when the fire, through the greatness of the wind, spread more widely, some soldiers on the sick list, who had been left from the veteran legions to guard the ships, could not brook the ignominy, but of their own accord boarded the ships and let loose from the land; and making an attack on the Cassian fleet, they captured two quinqueremes, in one of which was Cassius himself, but he was taken off by a boat and escaped; besides this two triremes were sunk. And not long after news arrived of the battle fought in Thessaly, the result being that the Pompeians themselves believed it, for up to that time they thought it was an invention of Caesar’s envoys and friends. So these events having become known, Cassius departed with his fleet from this district.
