26

he was expected to have reached Dyrrachium. At that time the Doux of all Illyricum happened to be George Monomachatos, sent by the emperor Botaneiates. And yet previously he had been refusing the commission and was not at all compliant with this service, but the barbarian slaves of the emperor (for they were Scythians, both Borilos and Germanos) were angry with Monomachatos and, always plotting something more terrible against him, denounced him to the emperor. Having concocted whatever they wanted, they so inflamed the emperor's anger against him that he once turned to the empress Maria and said, "I have suspected this Monomachatos to be an enemy of the Roman dominion." 1.16.3 John the Alan, who was a very great friend of Monomachatos, having heard this, and knowing both the Scythians' wrath against him and their frequent reports against him, went to Monomachatos and related everything, both the emperor's words and those of the Scythians, and advised him to deliberate on what was advantageous. But he (for he was sensible), approaching the emperor, snatched up the service to Dyrrachium, charming him with flattering words. And having arranged for Epidamnus and having received in writing the orders for the ducal girdle, with those Scythians, Germanos and Borilos, greatly urging this on, on the second day he departs from the queen of cities, looking towards Epidamnus and the land of Illyria. 1.16.4 But he happens to meet, somewhere around the place called Pege, where a temple has also been built to my lady the virgin and Mother of God, famous among the temples throughout the city of Byzantium, my father Alexios. They saw each other, and Monomachatos begins to speak emotionally to the grand domestic, saying how he is being exiled because of him and his friendship with him, and that the Scythians Borilos and Germanos, who cast an evil eye on everything, have rolled the whole wheel of envy against him and are indeed speciously exiling him from his kin and this dear city. And having recounted in detail everything, how he had been slandered to the emperor and what he had suffered from the slaves, he sought the greatest possible consolation from the domestic of the west, as he was the sort to relieve a soul burdened by misfortunes. And finally, after he had said that God was the avenger of such things and had reminded him to be mindful of his friendship with him, the one set out for Dyrrachium, and left the other to enter the reigning city. 1.16.5 But Monomachatos, having reached Dyrrachium and having heard of the preparation of both, that of the tyrant Robert and the revolt of Alexios, was arranging his affairs in balance and on a scale. And while openly he was opposed to both, he held something deeper than the manifest fight and appearance. For the grand domestic had informed him by letters of what had happened, that deprivation of his eyes had been threatened against him and that on account of this necessity and the contemplated tyranny he was counter-attacking the tyrants, and that he ought to rise up on behalf of his friend and be willing to send to him whatever money he had collected from any source. "For there is need," he says, "of money, and without it nothing necessary can be done." 1.16.6 But he did not send money, but after kindly treating the ambassadors, he gives them letters instead of money, containing such a message as this, that he himself preserves his old friendship to this day and promises to preserve it for the future. But concerning the requested gold, that he himself was also very eager to send whatever money he wished. "But a just matter has restrained me. For having been sent by the emperor Botaneiates and having given him pledges of servitude, I would not seem noble nor a man well-disposed towards emperors, not even to you, if indeed by your commands from the

26

προσδοκήσιμος ἦν τῷ ∆υρραχίῳ προσεσχη κέναι. ∆οὺξ δὲ τηνικαῦτα ἐτύγχανε παντὸς τοῦ Ἰλλυρικοῦ Γεώργιος ὁ Μονομαχάτος παρὰ τοῦ αὐτοκράτορος Βοτα νειάτου ἀποσταλείς. Καίτοι γε πρότερον τὴν ἀποστολὴν ἀπεπέμπετο καὶ οὐδ' ὅλως ἦν εὐπειθὴς πρὸς τὴν λει τουργίαν ταύτην, ἀλλ' οἵ γε βάρβαροι δοῦλοι τοῦ αὐτοκρά τορος (Σκύθαι γὰρ ἦσαν Βορῖλός τε καὶ Γερμανός) ἐνεκότουν τε τῷ Μονομαχάτῳ καὶ ἀεί τι δεινότερον κατ' αὐτοῦ ἐννοοῦντες κατεῖπον αὐτοῦ πρὸς τὸν αὐτοκράτορα. Συρράψαντες ὁπόσα γε καὶ βεβούλοιντο, καὶ τοσοῦτον ἀνέφλεξαν τὸν τοῦ βασιλέως κατ' αὐτοῦ θυμόν, ὡς ἐπι στραφέντα ποτὲ πρὸς τὴν βασιλίδα Μαρίαν ἐρεῖν «ἐχθρὸν τῆς τῶν Ῥωμαίων ἡγεμονίας τὸν Μονομαχάτον τοῦτον ὑπώπτευκα». 1.16.3 Τοῦτο ἀκροασάμενος Ἰωάννης ὁ Ἀλα νός, φίλος ἐς τὰ μάλιστα ὢν τοῦ Μονομαχάτου, γινώ σκων δὲ καὶ τὴν τῶν Σκυθῶν πρὸς αὐτὸν μῆνιν καὶ τὰς συχνὰς κατ' αὐτοῦ εἰσηγήσεις ἅπαντα τά τε τοῦ βασιλέως ῥήματα τά τε τῶν Σκυθῶν πρὸς τὸν Μονομαχάτον ἀπελθὼν ἐξηγεῖται καὶ περὶ τοῦ συμφέροντος βουλεύσασθαι ξυμβου λεύει. Ὁ δὲ (νουνεχὴς γὰρ ἦν) καὶ τῷ βασιλεῖ προσελθὼν προαρπάζει τὴν ἐπὶ τὸ ∆υρράχιον λειτουργίαν λόγοις κολακευτικοῖς καταθέλξας αὐτόν. Καὶ ὡς πρὸς τὴν Ἐπίδαμνον συνταξάμενος καὶ τὰς ἐπὶ τῇ δουκικῇ ζώνῃ προστάξεις ἐγγράφως ἀνειληφώς, ἐπισπευδόντων εὖ μάλα πρὸς τοῦτο τῶν Σκυθῶν ἐκείνων Γερμανοῦ καὶ Βορίλου, εἰς δευτέραν ἡμέραν τῆς βασιλίδος πόλεως ἔξεισι τὴν Ἐπίδαμνον ἀφορῶν καὶ τὴν Ἰλλυρίδα χώραν. 1.16.4 Ἀλλὰ περιτυγχάνει περί που τὴν λεγομένην Πηγήν, ἔνθα καὶ ναὸς ᾠκοδόμηται τῆς ἐμῆς δεσποίνης παρθένου καὶ θεο μήτορος ἐν τοῖς ἀνὰ Βυζαντίδα πόλιν ναοῖς περιβόητος, τῷ ἐμῷ πατρὶ Ἀλεξίῳ. Οἱ δὲ εἶδον ἀλλήλους, καὶ ὁ μὲν Μονομαχάτος ἄρχεται λόγων πρὸς τὸν μέγαν δομέστικον περιπαθῶν καὶ ὡς ὑπερόριος γίνεται δι' ἐκεῖνον καὶ τὴν πρὸς τοῦτον φιλίαν, καὶ ὅτι οἱ Σκύθαι οἱ πᾶσιν ἐποφθαλ μιῶντες Βορῖλος καὶ Γερμανὸς ὅλον τοῦ φθόνου τὸν τροχὸν κατ' αὐτοῦ ἐξεκύλισαν καὶ δὴ τῶν οἰκείων καὶ τῆς φίλης ταύτης πόλεως εὐπροσώπως ἐξορίζουσι. Καὶ πάντα κατὰ μέρος ἐκτραγῳδήσας, ὅσα τε πρὸς τὸν βασιλέα συκοφαν τηθείη καὶ πάθοι παρὰ τῶν δούλων, ἠξιοῦτο παραμυθίας ὅτι πλείστης παρὰ τοῦ δομεστίκου τῆς δύσεως, οἷος ἐκεῖνος ψυχὴν ἐπικουφίσαι βαρυνομένην ταῖς συμφοραῖς. Καὶ τέλος ἐπειπόντος, ὡς ἄρα Θεὸς εἴη τῶν τοιούτων ἐκδικητὴς καὶ ὡς μεμνῆσθαι φιλίας τῆς πρὸς αὐτὸν ὑπομνήσαντος, ὁ μὲν ἐπὶ τὸ ∆υρράχιον ὥρμα, τὸν δ' ἀφῆκεν εἰσδῦναι τὴν βασιλεύουσαν πόλιν. 1.16.5 Ὁ δὲ Μονομαχάτος καταλαβὼν τὸ ∆υρράχιον καὶ ἀμφοτέρων τὴν παρασκευὴν ἀκηκοὼς τήν τε τοῦ τυράννου Ῥομπέρτου καὶ τὴν ἐπανάστασιν Ἀλεξίου, ἐν ζυγῷ καὶ σταθμῷ τὰ κατ' αὐτὸν διετίθετο. Καὶ πρὸς μὲν τὸ φανερὸν ἀντίξως εἶχεν [ἐν] ἀμφοτέροις, εἶχε δέ τι τὰ τῆς προδήλου μάχης καὶ τοῦ φαινομένου βαθύτερον. Ὁ μὲν γὰρ μέγας δομέστικος γράμμασιν αὐτῷ μεμηνύκει τὰ συμπεσόντα, ὅτι τε τῶν ὀμμάτων ἀποστέρησις τούτῳ ἠπείλητο καὶ ὡς ἄρα διὰ ταύτην τὴν ἀνάγκην καὶ τὴν μελετωμένην τυραν νίδα τοῖς τυραννοῦσιν ἀντεπιτίθεται καὶ χρὴ τοῦτον δια ναστῆναι ὑπὲρ τοῦ φίλου καὶ πρὸς αὐτὸν ἐθελῆσαι πέμψαι ὅθεν δήποτε χρῆμα τούτῳ συνειλεγμένον. «∆εῖ δὴ γάρ» φησι «χρημάτων, καὶ ἄνευ τούτων οὐδὲν ἔστι γενέσθαι τῶν δεόντων». 1.16.6 Ὁ δὲ χρήματα μὲν οὐκ ἔπεμψε, φιλο φρονησάμενος δὲ τοὺς πρέσβεις γράμματα τούτοις ἐπιτί θησιν ἀντὶ χρημάτων τοιόνδε νοῦν περιέχοντα, ὡς αὐτὸς μὲν εἰς τὴν τήμερον τὴν ἀρχαίαν φιλίαν διαφυλάττοι καὶ εἰς τὸ ἑξῆς φυλάττειν κατεπαγγέλλοιτο. Περὶ δὲ τοῦ ἐπιτεταγμένου χρυσίου σφόδρα μὲν καὶ αὐτὸν γλίχεσθαι πέμπειν ὁπόσα γε βούλοιτο χρήματα. «Ἀλλὰ γὰρ ἐπέσχε με πρᾶγμα δίκαιον. Καὶ γὰρ πρὸς τοῦ βασιλέως Βοτα νειάτου πεμφθεὶς καὶ τὰς πίστεις τῆς δουλείας αὐτῷ δεδωκὼς οὐ καλὸς ἂν οὐδέ σοι δόξω καὶ εὔνους τὰ εἰς βασιλέας ἀνήρ, εἴ γε τοῖς σοῖς ἐπιτάγμασιν ἐκ τοῦ