- TLN 1903historical topical
“Strike not by land; keep whole; provoke not battle”
Octavius Caesar orders Taurus, his land-force commander, to hold back and not engage Antony on the ground — the sea-battle alone will decide the campaign. This is the historical strategy at Actium (31 BCE), where Octavius and his admiral Agrippa kept their land forces passive while the fleet engaged Antony's ships.
historical The Battle of Actium “prescript of this scroll”
'Prescript' means a written order or directive — the same root as 'prescription.' Octavius has committed his battle plan to writing and hands Taurus the physical document; the word emphasises his characteristic precision and control.
“our fortune lies / Upon this jump”
'Jump' here means a hazard, a critical chance, a moment where everything is staked on a single throw. Octavius is saying that the outcome of the whole war — his fortune — rides on this one engagement at sea. The word was common in Elizabethan English for a dangerous risk or leap.