« Dio 50.8 | Dio 50.9 | Dio 50.10 | About This Work »
9All alike were excited over these events, yet in that year nothing further took place. For Caesar, on his part, was busy settling matters in Italy, especially when he discovered the presence of money sent by Antony, and so could not go to the front before winter; 2and as for Antony, although he set out with the intention of carrying the war into Italy before they should suspect his movements, yet when he came to Corcyra and ascertained that the advance guard of ships sent to reconnoitre his position was lying off the Ceraunian mountains, he suspected that Caesar himself with all his fleet had arrived, and hence proceeded no farther. 3Instead, he sailed back to the Peloponnesus, the season being already late autumn, and passed the winter at Patrae, distributing his soldiers in every direction in order that they might keep guard over the strategic points and secure more easily an abundance of provisions. 4Meanwhile men were going over voluntarily from each party to the other side, senators as well as others, and Caesar caught a spy, Lucius Messius; but he released him, in spite of his being one of the men who had previously been captured at Perusia, after having first showed him his entire force. 5And Caesar sent Antony a letter, bidding him either withdraw from the sea a day’s journey on horseback and permit him to land in security, on condition that they should join battle within five days, or else cross over to Italy himself on the same understanding. 6He did not, of course, expect that anything would come of it, and indeed Antony made a great deal of fun of him, saying, “Who will be our arbitrator if the compact is transgressed in any way?” But he hoped to inspire his own soldiers with courage and his opponents with terror by making this demand.
« Dio 50.8 | Dio 50.9 | Dio 50.10 | About This Work »