| LIVES OF THE NOBLE | | |
| | | |
| MARCUS | Brutus shippes met with a great aide and supplie of men, | |
| BRUTUS | which were sent them out of Italie, and they overthrewe | |
| Brutus | them in suche sorte, that there scaped but few of them: and | |
| victorie | yet they were so famished, that they were compelled to eate | |
| by sea. | the tackle and sailes of their shippes. Thereuppon they | |
| were verie desirous to fight a battell againe, before Brutus | |
| Wonderfull | should have intelligence of this good newes for him: for it | |
| famine among | chaunced so, that the battell was fought by sea, on the selfe | |
| Caesars soul- | same day it was fought by lande. But by ill fortune, rather | |
| diers by sea. | then through the malice or negligence of the Captaines, this | |
| victory came not to Brutus eare, till twentie dayes after. | |
| The ignor- | For had he knowen of it before, he would not have bene | |
| ance of | brought to have fought a second battell, considering that he | |
| Brutus vic- | had excellent good provision for his armie for a long time, | |
| torie by sea, | and besides, lay in a place of great strength, so as his campe | |
| was his utter | could not be greatly hurt by the winter, nor also distressed | |
| destruction. | by his enemies: and further, he had bene a quiet Lord, | |
| being a conqueror by sea, as he was also by land. This | |
| would have marvelously encoraged him. Howbeit the state | |
| of Rome (in my opinion) being now brought to that passe, | |
| that it could no more abide to be governed by many Lordes, | |
| but required one only absolute Governor: God, to prevent | |
| Brutus that it shoulde not come to his government, kept this | |
| victorie from his knowledge, though in deede it came but a | |
| litle too late. For the day before the last battell was geven, | |
| verie late in the night, came Clodius, one of his enemies into | |
| his campe, who told that Caesar hearing of the overthrow of | |
| his armie by sea, desired nothing more then to fight a battell | |
| before Brutus understoode it. Howebeit they gave no credit | |
| to his words, but despised him so muche, that they would | |
| not vouchsafe to bring him unto Brutus, bicause they thought | |
| it was but a lye devised, to be the better welcome for this | |
| The evill | good newes. The selfe same night, it is reported that the | |
| spirit appear- | monstruous spirit which had appeared before unto Brutus in | |
| ed againe | the citie of Sardis, did now appeare againe unto him in the | |
| unto Brutus. | selfe same shape and forme, and so vanished away, and sayd | |
| never a word. Now Publius Volumnius, a grave and wise | |
| Philosopher, that had bene with Brutus from the beginning | |
| of this warre, he doth make mencion of this spirite, but sayth | |
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