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he entrusted the civil magistracies, the accounts of the taxes, and the expenditures for the empire to his mother. 3.7.2 And perhaps someone arriving at this point might blame the arrangement, that my father entrusted the administration of the empire to a woman. But if he knew the spirit of the woman and how great she was in virtue and intelligence, and how much capacity for action she possessed, he would abandon blame and change it to wonder. For so skillful was my grandmother in affairs and so resourceful in ordering and establishing a government, that she was able not only to administer the Roman Empire, but also any kingdom anywhere that the sun looks upon. For she was very experienced and knew the natures of many things, and she understood thoroughly how each thing begins and to what it would lead, and what things are destructive of what, and what things rather strengthen others; and she was most sharp at perceiving what was necessary and clever at accomplishing it with security. 3.7.3 And it was not the case that she was of such a mind, but had a tongue discordant with it; rather, she was in very fact a most persuasive orator, neither talkative and extending her speeches to great length, nor did she quickly abandon the spirit of her speech, but beginning at the right moment, she would end again at the most opportune points. And the imperial throne had found her when she was past her prime, a time when her intellect was flourishing all the more and her understanding blossomed and her knowledge of affairs flourished with it, things from which arrangements and administrations derive their strength. And as is likely, such an age is able not only to say something wiser than the young, as the tragedy says, but also to act more advantageously. But in former times, and whenever she was compared with younger women, she was an outright wonder, displaying the wisdom of old age in her youth. And from her very appearance she offered to anyone who wished to observe it the virtue and gravity inherent in her. 3.7.4 But, as I was saying, my father, having seized the empire, reserved for himself the struggles and the toils, making his mother a spectator of his struggles, and having established her as mistress, he both said and did what was commanded by her, just like a slave. The emperor therefore loved her exceedingly and depended on her counsels (so devoted to his mother was he), and he gave his right hand as a servant to her tongue and his hearing for listening to her words, and in all things the emperor consented or refused to this woman in accordance with what she might assent or dissent to. 3.7.5 And the situation was altogether like this. For he had the appearance of rule, but she the rule itself; and she made laws, administered everything, presided, while he sealed her administrative acts, both written and unwritten, the one with his hand, the others with his voice, and was, so to speak, an instrument of rule for her, not a ruler. For he was pleased with all that his mother decided and decreed, and he was most obedient not just as to a mother, but indeed he paid attention to her as to a master of imperial science. For he knew precisely her perfect agreement in all things with what was best and that she pre-eminently surpassed all people of that time in wisdom and understanding of affairs.

3.8.1 Such were the preludes of the reign of Alexios. For no one could reasonably call him autokrator for the time being, since the autokrator's high office had been once and for all assigned by him to his mother. Let another, therefore, yielding to the laws of encomium, praise the fatherland of that wonderful mother and her lineage traced back to those Adrians, the Dalassenoi, and the Charons, and let him launch his discourse upon the sea of their accomplishments. But for me, writing a history, it is not fitting to characterize her by birth and blood, but by character and virtue, and of these, as much as the subject of the history suggests. 3.8.2 In order that

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πολιτικὰς ἀρχὰς καὶ τοὺς περὶ τῶν εἰσφορῶν λόγους καὶ τῶν ὑπὲρ τῆς βασιλείας ἀναλωμάτων τῇ μητρὶ κατεπίστευσε. 3.7.2 Καὶ ἴσως μὲν ἄν τις ἐνταῦθα γενόμενος καταμέμψοιτο τὴν οἰκονομίαν ὡς γυναικωνίτιδι καταπιστεύσαντος τοὐμοῦ πατρὸς τὴν τῆς βασιλείας διοί κησιν. Ἀλλ' εἰ τὸ φρόνημα τῆς γυναικὸς ἠπίστατο καὶ ὅση τις ἦν τὴν ἀρετὴν καὶ τὸν νοῦν καὶ ὅπως εἶχε δρα στηριότητος, ἀφέμενος μέμψεως πρὸς θαῦμα τὴν μέμψιν μετέβαλλε. Τοσαύτη γὰρ ἡ ἐμὴ μάμμη περὶ τὰ πράγματα δεξιωτάτη καὶ τάξαι καὶ καταστήσασθαι πολιτείαν εὐμή χανος, ὥστε μὴ μόνον τὴν Ῥωμαίων ἀρχὴν διοικεῖν δύνασθαι, ἀλλὰ καὶ πᾶσαν τὴν ὁπουδήποτε βασιλείαν, ὁπόσην ἥλιος ἐφορᾷ. Πολύπειρός τε γὰρ ἦν καὶ πολλῶν πραγμάτων ἐγίνωσκε φύσεις, καὶ ὅπως ἄρχεται καὶ εἰς ὃ καταντήσειεν ἕκαστον ἐξηπίστατο, καὶ τίνα μὲν τίνων εἰσὶν ἀναιρετικά, τίνα δὲ μᾶλλον ἐπιρρώννυσιν ἕτερα, ὀξυτάτη τε τὸ δέον καταμαθεῖν καὶ μετὰ ἀσφαλείας καταπρᾶξαι δεινή. 3.7.3 Καὶ οὐκ ἦν μὲν τὴν γνώμην τοιαύτη, γλῶτταν δὲ εἶχεν ἀπᾴδουσαν πρὸς τὴν γνώμην· ἀλλ' ἦν αὐτόχρημα ῥήτωρ πιθανωτάτη, καὶ οὔτε λάλος καὶ εἰς μῆκος τοὺς λόγους ἐκτείνουσα, οὔτε ταχέως ἀπε λίμπανεν αὐτὴ τὸ πνεῦμα τοῦ λόγου, ἀλλ' ἐπικαίρως ἀρξαμένη εἰς τὰ καιριώτατα πάλιν κατέληγε. Καὶ ὁ μὲν βασίλειος θρόνος αὐτὴν παρηκμακυῖαν κατείληφεν, ὅτε καὶ μᾶλλον τὸ φρονοῦν ἤκμαζε καὶ ἡ σύνεσις ἐπήνθει καὶ ἡ περὶ τὰ πράγματα ἐπιστήμη συνήκμαζεν, ἐξ ὧν οἰκο νομίαι καὶ διοικήσεις τὸ κράτος ἔχουσιν. Ἔχει δὲ ὡς τὸ εἰκὸς ἡ τοιαύτη ἡλικία οὐ μόνον τι λέξαι τῶν νέων σοφώ τερον, ὡς ἡ τραγῳδία φησίν, ἀλλὰ καὶ συμφορώτερον πρᾶ ξαι. Ὁ δὲ κατόπιν χρόνος καὶ ὁπόταν ἐκείνη ταῖς νεωτέ ραις συνεξητάζετο γυναιξί, θαῦμα ἄντικρυς ἦν πολιὸν ἐν νεαρᾷ ἡλικίᾳ ἐπιδεικνυμένη φρόνημα. Καὶ παρεῖχεν ἐξ αὐτῆς ὄψεως τῷ βουλομένῳ καταθρεῖν τὴν ἐνοῦσαν αὐτῇ ἀρετὴν ὁμοῦ καὶ ἐμβρίθειαν. 3.7.4 Ἀλλ', ὅπερ ἔλεγον, ὁ ἐμὸς πατὴρ τῆς βασιλείας ἐπιδραξάμενος τοὺς μὲν ἀγῶ νας καὶ τοὺς ἱδρῶτας ἑαυτῷ τεταμίευκε θεωρὸν τῶν ἀγώ νων τὴν μητέρα ποιούμενος, ἐκείνην δὲ δεσπότιν κατα στησάμενος τὸ παρ' ἐκείνης κελευόμενον καθάπερ δοῦλος ἔλεγέ τε καὶ ἔπραττεν. Ἔστεργεν οὖν αὐτὴν ὁ βασιλεὺς ὑπερφυῶς καὶ τῶν αὐτῆς βουλευμάτων ἐξήρτητο (τοσοῦτον ἦν φιλομήτωρ) καὶ τὴν δεξιὰν ἐδίδου τῆς ἐκείνης γλώττης ὑπηρέτιν καὶ τὴν ἀκοὴν τῶν ἐκείνης φωνῶν εἰς ἀκρόασιν καὶ εἰς ἅπαντα ταύτῃ ὁ βασιλεὺς συγκατένευεν ἢ ἀνέ νευεν, ἐφ' οἷς ἄρα ἐκείνη κατανεύσειεν ἢ ἀνανεύσειε. 3.7.5 Καὶ ἦν τὸ πρᾶγμα ὅλως τοιοῦτον. Ἐκεῖνος μὲν γὰρ σχῆμα βασιλείας εἶχεν, ἡ δὲ τὴν βασιλείαν αὐτήν· καὶ ἡ μὲν ἐθεσμοθέτει, διῴκει τὸ πᾶν, ἐπρυτάνευεν, ὁ δὲ τὰς διοικήσεις ἐκείνης καὶ τὰς ἐγγράφους καὶ τὰς ἀγράφους, τὰς μὲν χειρί, τὰς δὲ φωναῖς ἐπεσφράγιζε, καὶ ὡς, οὕτω γε φάναι, ὄργανον ἦν αὐτῇ βασιλείας, οὐ βασιλεύς. Ἠρέσκετο γὰρ ἐφ' ἅπασιν, οἷς ἡ μήτηρ διαγνοίη καὶ διορίσειε, καὶ οὐχ ὡς μητρὶ μόνον καταπειθέστατος ἦν, ἀλλὰ γὰρ ὡς ἐξάρχῳ βασιλικῆς ἐπιστήμης ταύτῃ προσ εῖχε τὸν νοῦν. Ἤιδει γὰρ ἀκριβῶς τὸ ταύτης ἐφ' ἅπασιν ἐπὶ τὸ κράτιστον συγκεχωρηκὸς καὶ ὅτι διαφε ρόντως πάντας τοὺς κατ' ἐκεῖνο καιροῦ γεγονότας ἀνθρώ πους εἰς φρόνησίν τε καὶ σύνεσιν πραγμάτων ὑπερελαύνει.

3.8.1 Τοιαῦτα τὰ τῆς Ἀλεξίου βασιλείας προοίμια. Οὐ γάρ τις αὐτοκράτορα τοῦτον εἰκότως τό γε νῦν ὀνο μάσειε τῆς αὐτοκράτορος περιωπῆς ἅπαξ ἀποκληρωθείσης παρ' αὐτοῦ τῇ μητρί. Ἄλλος μὲν οὖν νόμοις ἐγκωμιαστι κοῖς ὑπείκων πατρίδα τῆς θαυμασίας ἐκείνης μητρὸς ἐπαινείτω καὶ γένος πρὸς Ἀδριανοὺς ἐκείνους τοὺς ∆αλασσηνοὺς ἀναφερόμενον καὶ Χάρωνας καὶ τῷ πελάγει τῶν κατ' ἐκείνους προτερημάτων ἐπαφιέτω τὸν λόγον. Ἐμοὶ δὲ ἱστορίαν ξυγγραφούσῃ οὐκ ἐκ γένους καὶ αἵματος προσήκει ταύτην χαρακτηρίζειν, ἀλλ' ἐκ τρόπου καὶ ἀρε τῆς καὶ τούτων, ὁπόσον ὁ τῆς ἱστορίας ὑποτίθεται λόγος. 3.8.2 Ἵνα