Augustus's fleet, fought with great bravery, and was as bravely opposed by
Pompey; their respective officers and men emulated their example. For a
considerable time, the event was doubtful; but, at last, Pompey's fleet was
defeated: only seventeen of his vessels escaped, the rest were taken or
burnt. This victory Agrippa obtained at an easy rate, not more than three
of his snips being sunk or destroyed. Augustus, who, according to all
accounts, behaved in a most cowardly manner during the battle, was so fully
sensible of the obligations he was under to Agrippa, that he immediately
honoured him with a blue standard and a rostral crown, that is, a crown,
the flower-work of which represented the beaks of galleys, and afterwards,
when he became emperor, he raised him, by rank and honours, above all his
other subjects. According to Livy, and some other authors, the rostral
crown had never been given in any preceding wars, nor was it afterwards
bestowed; but Pliny is of a different opinion, he says that it was given to
M. Varro, in the war against the pirates, by Pompey.

After this signal and decisive defeat of his fleet, Pompey fled from Sicily
to Asia, where he attempted to raise disturbances; but he was defeated,
taken prisoner, and put to death.

We must now look back to the naval and commercial history of Rome,
immediately after the defeat of the pirates by Pompey the Great. The
immediate consequence of his success against them was the revival of trade
among the people who inhabited the coasts of the Mediterranean; but the
Romans, intent on their plans of conquest, or engaged in civil wars, had
little share in it The very nature and extent, however, of their conquests,
by making them masters of countries which were either commercial, or which
afforded articles of luxury, gradually led them to become more commercial.
Hitherto, their conquests and their alliances had been confined almost
entirely to the nations on the Mediterranean, or within a short distance of