Page:Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology (1870) - Volume 3.djvu/502

Rh 490 POMPEIUS. eluded among these murderers, although he had had no share in the deed, and on the establishment of the triumvirate in October was proscribed. His fleet secured him safety ; but as the governors of Gaul and Spain had declared in favour of the tri- umvirs, he had no fixed station on the mainland. He therefore cruised about, plundering the coasts both for the sake of support and with the view of injuring the triumvirs. His numbers gradually- increased ; many of those who had been proscribed by the triumvirs, and multitudes of slaves. Hocked to him ; and he at length felt himself strong enough to take possession of Sicily, which he made his head quarters. The towns of Mylae, Tyndaris, Messana, and Syracuse fell into his power, and the whole island eventually acknowledged his sway. A. Pompeius Bithynicus, who was propraetor of Sicily, had at first repulsed Sextus in his attempts upon Messana, but had afterwards allowed him to obtain possession of the town on condition that they should rule together over Sicily ; but this con- dition was never observed, and Sextus became the real master of the island. Sextus hkewise received support from Q. Cornificius, the governor of Africa. Rome now began to suffer from want of its usual supplies, which were cut off by Sextus ; and accord- ingly Octavian sent against him a fleet commanded by his legate Q. Salvidienus Rufus (b. c. 42). The latter succeeded in protecting the coasts of Italy from the ravages of Pompey's ships, but was de- feated in the straits of Sicily when he ventured upon a naval engagement against the main body of Pom- pey's fleet. This battle was fought under the eyes of Octavian, who departed immediately afterwards for Greece, in order to prosecute the war against Bru- tus and Cassius. Pompey had now become stronger than ever. His naval superiority was incontest- able ; and in his arrogance he called himself the son of Neptune. About this time he put to death Pompeius Bithynicus under pretence of a con- spiracy. While the war was going on in Greece between the triumvirs and the republican party, Pompey remained inactive. This was a fatal mistake. He should either have attacked Italy and caused there a diversion in favour of Brutus and Cassius, or he should have supported the latter in Greece ; for it was evident that if they fell, he must sooner or later fall likewise. But the fall of Pompey was delayed longer than might have been expected. Octavian on his return to Italy was engaged with the Perusinian war ( b. c. 41), and Pompey was thus enabled to continue his ravages upon the coasts of Italy without resistance. The con- tinued misunderstandings between Octavian and Antony, which now threatened an open war, were still more favourable for Pompey. In the be- ginning of B. c. 40 Antony requested the assistance of Pompey against Octavian. Pompey forthwith sent troops into the south of Italy, but was obliged to withdraw them shortly afterwards, upon the re- conciliation of the triumvirs at Brundisium. The triumvirs now resolved to make war upon Pompey ; but as he was in possession of Sicily, Sardinia, and Corsica, and his fleets plundered all the supplies of com which came from Egypt and the eastern provinces, the utmost scarcity prevjiiled at Rome, and a famine seemed inevitable. The Roman po- pulace were not content to wait for the conquest of Pompey ; they rose in open insurrection and de- manded of their new rulers a reconciliation with the POMPEIUS. master of the sea. Octavian thought it more pru- dent to yield, and accordingly a peace was negotiated between the triumvirs and Pompey, through the mediation of Scribonius Libo, the father-in-law of the latter. By this peace, which was concluded at Misenum in B. c. 39, the triumvirs granted to Pompey the provinces of Sicily, Sardinia, Corsica, and Achaia, and promised him the consulship, the augurate, and an indemnification of seventeen and a half millions of denarii for his private for- tune : Pompey, on his part, promised to supply Italy with corn, to protect commerce in the Medi- terranean, and to marry his daughter to M, Mar- cellus, the son of Octavia, the sister of the triumvir. But this peace was a mere farce. Antony refused to give up Achaia ; and Pompey, therefore, recom- menced his piratical excursions. A war was in- evitable : the only thing that could save Pompey was a quarrel between Octavian and Antony. In B. c. 38 Pompey sustained a severe loss in the de- sertion of one of his principal legates, Menas or Menodorus, who surrendered to Octavian Sardinia and Corsica, together with a large naval and mili- tary force [Menas]. This important accession determined Octavian to commence war immediately. He appointed C. Calvisius Sabinus to the command of his fleet, with Menas as his legate. This cam- paign was unfavourable to Octavian. His fleet was twice defeated by Pompey's admirals, first otf Cumae by Menecrates, who, however, perished in the battle, and next off Messana, where his fleet was likewise almost destroyed by a storm. Pompey, however, did not follow up his success ; he re- mained inactive, and lost, as usual, the favourable moment for action. Octavian, on the contrary, made every effort to equip a new fleet. He saw that it was absolutely necessary for him to crush Pompey before he ventured to measure his strength against Antony and Lepidus. He accordingly spent the whole of next year (b. c. 37) in making preparations for the war, and obtained assistance from both his colleagues, Antony and Lepidus. He appointed M. Vipsanius Agrippa to the supreme command of the whole fleet. Just before the break- ing out of hostilities, Menas again played the de- serter and returned to his old master's service, dis- satisfied at having merely a subordinate command assigned to him. By the summer of B. c. 36, all the preparations of Octavian were completed, and the war commenced. He had three large fleets at his disposal ; his own, stationed in the Julian harbour, which he had constructed near Baiae ; that of Antony, under the command of Statiliiis Taurus, in the harbour of Tarentum ; and that of Lepidus, off the coast of Africa. His plan was for all three fleets to set sail on the same day, and make a descent upon three different parts of Sicily. But a fearful storm marred this project ; Lepidus alone reached the coast of Sicily, and landed jit Lilybaeum ; Statilius Taurus was able to put back to Tarentum ; but Octavian, who was surprised by the storm off the Lucanian promontory of Pali- nurura, lost a great number of his ships, and was obliged to remain in Italy to repair his shattered fleet. This was a reprieve to Pompey, who offered sacrifices to Neptune for his timely assistance, but he still remained inactive. Menodorus, who had been already of considerable service to Pompey, again played the traitor and went over to Octavian. As soon as the fleet had been repaired, Octavian again set sail for Sicily. Agrippa defeated Pompoy'a,