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they imposed fasting and sleeping on the ground and the things that follow these, having ordered them for the propitiation of the divine. And having accepted the penances, they eagerly observed them. But not even their own wives could bear to stand outside the penances (for how could they, being husband-loving?), but as volunteers they take up the yoke of repentance. 3.5.6 And it was possible to see the palace at that time full of tears and mourning, a mourning not blameworthy nor one that accused souls of weakness, but praiseworthy and a harbinger of a better joy that is never-ending. And the emperor, such was he in piety, doing something more, within his royal purple had put on sackcloth touching his skin for forty days and nights. And during the nights he lay on the ground, supporting his head only on a stone and mourning as was fitting. Then, in this way, he touches the affairs of the empire with pure hands.

3.6.1 Wishing his mother to be the helmsman rather than himself, he kept his plan submerged for the time being, fearing, lest, if such a thought became known to her, she might even depart from the palace, knowing that she was looking towards a higher life. In all matters that arose, therefore, he did not do even the slightest thing without her counsel; but he had her as a partner in his plans and a helper at the same time, and little by little creeping up on her and making the administration of affairs common, and somewhere also showing openly, that without her mind and judgment the affairs of the empire would be ruined. Thus he held and bound his mother more to himself and restrained and prevented her from her purpose. 3.6.2 For she was looking toward a final station and was considering monasteries, in which she would spend the remaining time of her life with sound reasoning. And she considered these things and constantly prayed to obtain them for herself. But even if she was considering such things in her mind and was gazing altogether towards a higher life, she was also a lover of her child, if ever any other woman was, and somehow she wanted to bear with her son the stormy sea of the empire and to steer the ship as best as possible, whether running before a fair wind or being battered from all sides by the waves, and especially since her son had just taken his seat at the stern and grasped the rudders and had not yet previously conversed with such a sea and waves and winds. By saying these things I allude to the multifaceted and tumultuous trouble of the empire. Therefore, motherly affection held her, and she governed jointly with her son and emperor, and there were times when, taking the reins even alone, she drove the chariot of state without stumbling and without error. For she was otherwise intelligent and the very personification of royal judgment and the rectification of thrones; but on the other hand, the longing for God also drew her away. 3.6.3 But when in the month of August, with the same indiction still running, the crossing of Robert compelled him to march out, bringing the intention of his soul now into the light and into action, he assigned the imperial administration to his mother alone and by a chrysobull edict made what had been decided clear to all. And since it is necessary for one writing history not to pass over crudely the deeds and decrees of good men, but to elaborate on the former, as far as possible, and to set forth what was decreed by them, I too will proceed in this way to set forth the contents of the said chrysobull, having removed only the stylistic embellishments of the scribe. 3.6.4 It is as follows: «Nothing is of equal weight to a sympathetic and child-loving mother, nor is there a stronger protection than her, whether danger is foreseen or some other of the undesirable things might be expected. For if she should give counsel, the counsel will be firm; if she should pray, her prayers will be a support and unconquerable guardians. Such, at any rate, has his hallowed mother and lady also appeared in practice to my majesty from my very incomplete age, having become everything to me, both nurse and tutor. For also to the

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καθυποβάλλουσι νηστείαν καὶ χαμευνίαν καὶ τὰ τούτοις ἐφεπόμενα πρὸς τὴν τοῦ θείου ἐξιλέωσιν ἐπιτάξαντες. ∆εξάμενοι δὲ τὰ ἐπιτίμια προθύμως ἐφύλαττον. Ἀλλ' οὐδὲ αἱ σφῶν αὐτῶν γυναῖκες ἔξω τῶν ἐπιτιμίων ἑστάναι ἠνείχοντο (πῶς γάρ, φίλανδροι οὖσαι;), αὐτόμολοι δὲ τὸν τῆς μετανοίας ζυγὸν ἀναδέχον ται. 3.5.6 Καὶ ἦν ἰδεῖν τὰ βασίλεια τότε δακρύων καὶ πένθους ἀνάμεστα, πένθους οὐκ ἐπιψόγου οὐδ' ἀσθένειαν ψυχῶν κατηγοροῦντος, ἀλλ' ἐπαινετοῦ καὶ χαρᾶς προξένου τῆς κρείττονος καὶ μηδέποτε λυομένης. Ὁ δὲ αὐτοκράτωρ, ὁποῖος ἐκεῖνος τὴν εὐσέβειαν, πλέον τι ποιῶν ἐντὸς τῆς βασιλικῆς ἁλουργίδος σάκκον περιεβέβλητο ἐν χρῷ ψαύοντα τῆς σαρκὸς ἐπὶ τεσσαράκοντα νυχθημέροις. Ἐν δὲ ταῖς νυξὶ χαμεύνης ἔκειτο ἐπὶ πέτρας μόνον ἀνέχων τὴν κεφαλὴν καὶ πενθῶν ὡς εἰκός. Εἶθ' οὕτως τῶν τῆς βασιλείας πραγμάτων ἁγναῖς ἅπτεται χερσίν.

3.6.1 Οἰακοστρόφον δὲ μᾶλλον ἑαυτοῦ τὴν μητέρα βουλό μενος εἶναι τὴν βουλὴν ὑποβρύχιον τέως εἶχε δεδιώς, μὴ τοῦ τοιούτου γνωσθέντος αὐτῇ λογισμοῦ καὶ τῶν βασιλείων ἐξέλθοι, πρὸς ὑψηλότερον βίον γινώσκων αὐτὴν ἀποβλέ πουσαν. Ἐν πᾶσι μὲν οὖν τοῖς προσπίπτουσι βουλῆς αὐτῆς ἄτερ μηδὲ τὸ τυχὸν ἦν ἐνεργῶν· ἀλλὰ κοινωνὸν εἶχε τῶν βουλευμάτων ὁμοῦ καὶ συλλήπτορα, καὶ κατὰ μικρὸν ὑφέρπων αὐτῇ καὶ κοινοποιούμενος τὴν τῶν πραγ μάτων διοίκησιν καί που καὶ φανερῶς ἐνδεικνύμενος, ὡς ἄτερ τῆς ἐκείνης φρενὸς καὶ γνώμης ἀπολεῖται τῆς βασι λείας τὰ πράγματα. Οὕτως εἶχε καὶ ξυνεδέσμει πλέον ἑαυτῷ τὴν μητέρα καὶ τοῦ κατὰ σκοπὸν ἀπεῖργε καὶ ἀπε κώλυεν. 3.6.2 Ἡ μὲν γὰρ πρὸς σταθμὸν ἀπέβλεπεν ἔσχατον καὶ μονὰς διενοεῖτο, ἐν αἷς τὸν ἐπίλοιπον χρόνον μετ' ἔμφρονος λογισμοῦ ἑλκύσει τοῦ βίου. Καὶ ταῦτ' ἐνενόει καὶ ἑαυτῇ διὰ παντὸς ἐπηύχετο τεύξασθαι. Ἀλλ' εἰ καὶ τοιαῦτα κατὰ νοῦν συνδιεσκοπεῖτο καὶ ὅλως πρὸς ὑψηλό τερον ἐνητένιζε βίον, ἀλλ' ἦν καὶ φιλόπαις, εἴπερ τις ἄλλη γυνή, καί πως ἠβούλετο συνδιενεγκεῖν μετὰ τοῦ υἱοῦ τὸ τῆς βασιλείας κλυδώνιον καὶ οὐριοδρομοῦσαν τὴν ναῦν ἢ καὶ πανταχόθεν βαλλομένην τοῖς κύμασιν ὡς ἄριστα οἰακοστροφεῖν καὶ μάλιστα τοῦ παιδὸς ἄρτι ἐπὶ τὴν πρύ μναν καθίσαντος καὶ τῶν οἰάκων ἐφαψαμένου καὶ μήπω πρῴην θαλάττῃ καὶ κύμασι καὶ ἀνέμοις ὡμιληκότος τοιούτοις. Ταῦτα δὲ λέγουσα τὴν τῆς βασιλείας αἰνίττομαι πολυμερῆ καὶ πολυτάρακτον ὄχλησιν. Τὸ τοίνυν μητρῷον πάθος κατεῖχεν αὐτήν, καὶ συνδιεκυβέρνα τῷ υἱῷ καὶ βασιλεῖ καὶ τὰς ἡνίας ἔστιν ὅπου καὶ μόνη παραλαβοῦσα ἀπροσπταίστως τε καὶ ἀναμαρτήτως τὸ ἅρμα τοῦ κράτους ἤλαυνεν. Ἦν γὰρ καὶ φρενήρης ἄλλως καὶ βασίλειος γνώμη αὐτόχρημα καὶ θρόνων κατόρθωσις· ἀνθεῖλκε δὲ ταύτην ἐκ θατέρου καὶ ὁ πόθος ὁ πρὸς Θεόν. 3.6.3 Ἐπεὶ δὲ κατὰ τὸν Αὔγουστον μῆνα ἐπινεμήσεως τῆς αὐτῆς ἔτι τρεχούσης ἡ τοῦ Ῥομπέρτου διαπεραίωσις τοῦτον ἐξελ θεῖν κατηνάγκαζεν, εἰς φῶς ἤδη καὶ ἔργον τὸ τῆς ψυχῆς ἐννόημα ἐξάγων τὴν αὐτοκράτορα διοίκησιν τῇ μητρὶ καὶ μόνῃ ἀπεκληρώσατο καὶ διὰ χρυσοβούλλου λόγου τὰ βεβου λευμένα εἰς προὖπτον πᾶσι κατέστησεν. Ἐπεὶ δὲ τὸν ἱστορίαν συγγράφοντα οὐ παχυμερῶς τὰς τῶν ἀγαθῶν ἀνδρῶν πράξεις καὶ τὰ θεσπίσματα παραπέμπειν χρή, ἀλλὰ τὰς μὲν καταλεπτύνειν, ὡς ἐνόν, τὰ δ' ἐκείνοις δεδογμένα ἐκτίθεσθαι, εἶμι καὶ αὐτὴ τοῦτον τὸν τρόπον τὰ τοῦ ῥηθέντος χρυσοβούλλου ἐκθησομένη τὰς τοῦ γραφέως μόνον κομψείας περιελοῦσα. 3.6.4 Ἔχει δὲ οὕτως «οὐδὲν ἰσοστάσιον μητρὸς συμπαθοῦς καὶ φιλόπαιδος οὔτε ταύτης ἰσχυρότερον φυλακτήριον, κἂν κίνδυνος προορᾶται κἂν ἄλλο τι τῶν ἀπευκταίων ἐλπίζοιτο. Εἰ γὰρ βουλεύσεται αὕτη, πάγιον ἔσται τὸ βούλευμα, εἰ ἐπεύξε ται, στήριγμα ἔσονται αἱ εὐχαὶ καὶ φύλακες ἀκαταγώ νιστοι. Τοιαύτη γοῦν καὶ τῇ βασιλείᾳ μου ἐφάνη ἐξ αὐτῆς τῆς ἀτελοῦς ἡλικίας πρακτικῶς ἡ ἡγιασμένη μήτηρ αὐτῆς καὶ δέσποινα τὰ πάντα μοι γεγονυῖα καὶ τροφὸς καὶ ἀνα γωγός. Καὶ γὰρ τῷ