When reading Adrienne Mayor's Greek Fire, Poison Arrows, and Scorpion Bombs: Biological & Chemical Warfare in the Ancient World, December 2008 paperback edition – a fascinating, gruesome read – I found a very different take from the usual on Caesar and the pirates, and it comes from Polyaenus who wrote Strategemata,
… which was presented to Lucius Verus on the occasion
of his war against the Parthian
Empire. According to the author himself, the dedicatees did indeed
read the books, and there is some evidence that Marcus Aurelius had the
Strategemata
with him during his Marcomannic war.
Polyaenus is interested in the technique of war,
not in history for its own sake. Therefore, he often carelessly confuses
the names of the generals. Yet, there is some structure.
(Polyaenus: Greek-Roman author (second century CE) of a collection of stratagems at livius.org)
There is a complete translation into English at Attalus: Polyaenus: Stratagems, eight books of descriptions of over 800 stratagems; parts of some of the books are lost. One section is on Julius Caesar, with this one on the pirates:
[23] Caesar.
1 #
On his voyage to Nicomedes, Caesar was captured by some Cilician
pirates near Malea. When they demanded a very large sum for his ransom,
he promised to double it. As soon as they had reached Miletus, and
landed there, he dispatched Epicrates a Milesian servant to the
Milesians, asking them to lend him the sum he required; which was
immediately sent. Epicrates was also commanded by Caesar, at the [same time]
when he brought the money, to bring likewise every preparation for a
magnificent feast, together with a water-pot filled with swords, and
wine with mandrake steeped in it. Caesar then paid them the double sum,
as he had promised; and made them partake of the banquet he had
prepared. In high spirits at the large sum they had received, they gave
loose to their appetite, and drank freely of the drugged wine, which
presently sent them to sleep. In that state Caesar ordered them to be
slain, and he immediately repaid the money to the Milesians.
(Book 8 Chapters 1-25: Romans)
But as Jona Lendering writes, "Polyaenus is interested in the technique of war, not in history for its own sake."
N.S. Gill wrote a review of Mayor's book at the time of the hardcover edition. Don't read it if you have a snake phobia!
