For within me, after making that decision, I told myself that Octavius was seeking not so much victory as Antony's life or freedom. If he had neither, I would comfort myself with the loss of the battle. Finally, my dear Antony, I did what my affection and despair advised me to do, and you did what I expected of your love. Barely had I seen that you were leaving your ship to board a galley to follow me, my heart was surprised by joy. It seemed to me it was I who was winning the battle as I was preserving your life and freedom, and thinking that Octavius would have wanted to exchange his position with mine, I was almost consoled of all my misfortunes. But what gave me most satisfaction on that painful day was seeing Antony prefer me over the desire to defeat his enemies, choosing an unfortunate flight over a possible victory, and ultimately, seeing the Roman Empire less dear to him than Cleopatra. This thought is so sweet that even if our flight places us among the defeated, I cannot apologize for it. And as things turned out, the Battle of Actium will not be as glorious for Octavius as it is for me. He has defeated soldiers who no longer had a chief, but I saw the bravest of all heroes throw down his arms to follow me. Now, to fully justify myself, remember, my dear Antony, that as soon as you detached yourself from your ships, I had a banner put on the stern of mine to show you where to find me. Judge whether this action is criminal, for if I had intended to part from you, I could easily not have signalled it to you since I had sixty sails and you had but a simple galley. If I had betrayed you, I could easily have handed you over to Octavius and thus truly offered him the victory. If I had tried to align myself with the enemies, if the path I took could be suspicious, I would say your suspicions are legitimate. But on the contrary, my flight was only the result of my despair and love. You should complain of circumstances and not accuse me. Besides, do not imagine that this victory is very glorious for Octavius or that your retreat is shameful. You did not run away from your enemies, but rather you followed me. Your soldiers were defeated by Octavius, but you were only defeated by love. If this battle were the first you had fought, your valor could be in question. But your military prowess is so universally known that no one can ignore it. There is hardly any nation without knowledge of the courage you showed in your youth, and indeed, you must have had a great deal since the great Julius Caesar chose you to command the left wing of his army at the famous Battle of Pharsalus, a decisive day for the conquest of the Roman Empire. Moreover, Octavius knows well enough your mastery of both fighting and winning battles. The victory you won against Cassius leaves him no doubt, and even less so the victory you secured against Brutus, for on that occasion, it can be said that you defeated Octavius' conquerors.