they maintained that the goods of their adversaries in the combat were
sufficient for them; especially they pointed out lands and furniture,
some still being held intact, others that had been sold, of which they
declared the former ought to be given to the men outright and in the
second case the price realized should be presented to them. If even this
did not satisfy them, they tried to secure the affection of them all by
holding out hopes in Asia. In this way it quickly came about that Caesar,
who had forcibly robbed the possessors of any property and caused
troubles and dangers on account of it to all alike, found himself
disliked by both parties; whereas the other two, since they took nothing
from anybody and showed those who were to receive the gifts a way to the
fulfillment of the pledges from already existing assets and without a
combat, won over each of the bodies of men. As a result of this and
through the famine which was trying them greatly at this time, because
the sea off Sicily was in control of Sextus, and the Ionian Gulf was
in the grasp of Gnaeus Domitius Ahenobarbus, Caesar found himself in a
considerable dilemma. For Domitius was one of the assassins, and, having
escaped from the battle fought at Philippi, he had got together a small
fleet, had made himself for a time master of the Gulf, and was doing the
greatest damage to the cause of his opponents.

[-8-] There was not only this to trouble Caesar greatly but also the fact
that in the disputes which had been inaugurated between the ex-soldiers
and the senators as well as the rest of the multitude that possessed
lands,--and these proved very numerous because the contestants were
struggling for the greatest interests,--he could not attach himself to
either side without danger. It was impossible for him to please both. The
one side wished to run riot, the other to be unharmed: the one side to
get the other's property, the other to hold what belonged to it. As
often as he gave the preference to the interests of this party or that,