+2.+ As the siege was not going on favourably for him, and the enemy
were blockading him with an increasing number of decked vessels, he
felt uncertain and uneasy as to the result. But as the state of affairs
left him no choice, he suddenly put to sea quite unexpectedly to the
enemy; for Attalus expected that he would persist in pushing on the
mines he had commenced. But Philip was especially keen to make his
putting to sea a surprise, because he thought that he would thus be
able to outstrip the enemy, and complete the rest of his passage along
the coast to Samos in security. But he was much disappointed in his
calculations; for Attalus and Theophiliscus (of Rhodes), directly they
saw him putting to sea, lost no time in taking action. And although,
from their previous conviction that Philip meant to stay where he
was, they were not in a position to put to sea quite simultaneously,
still by a vigorous use of their oars they managed to overtake him,
and attacked,—Attalus the enemy’s right wing, which was his leading
squadron, and Theophiliscus his left. Thus intercepted and surrounded,
Philip gave the signal to the ships of his right wing, ordering them
to turn their prows towards the enemy and engage them boldly; while
he himself retreated under cover of the smaller islands, which lay in
the way, with some light galleys, and thence watched the result of
the battle. The whole number of ships engaged were, on Philip’s side,
fifty-three decked, accompanied by some undecked vessels, and galleys
and beaked ships to the number of one hundred and fifty; for he had
not been able to fit out all his ships in Samos. On the side of the
enemy there were sixty-five decked vessels, besides those which came
from Byzantium, and along with them nine _triemioliae_ (light-decked
vessels), and three triremes.
[Sidenote: Incidents in the battle.]
[Sidenote: Loss of Philip’s flagship and admiral.]
[Sidenote: Deinocrates.]
[Sidenote: Dionysodorus.]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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