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I say, and where the arrow is feathered, but the remaining part stayed in the place of the wound. And having bandaged his head, as the occasion permitted, he again thrust himself into the midst of the enemy, and stood fighting unshaken until late evening. 4.4.5 Having heard these things, the emperor, and discerning that this man needed swift aid, hastened his journey. And having reached Thessalonica, through many sources the reports about Robert were further confirmed. For Robert, being ready, and having prepared brave soldiers, and having gathered much material on the plain of Dyrrachium, set up his camp as it were a bowshot away from its walls; however, he stationed many of the forces under him around the mountains and the valleys and the hills. But he also learned from many sources of the diligence of Palaiologos. 4.4.6 For Palaiologos, already intending to set fire to the wooden tower prepared by Robert, and having placed naphtha and pitch and splinters of dry wood and stone-throwing engines on the walls, was awaiting the start of the battle. Expecting Robert on the morrow, whom he anticipated, he prepared inside a wooden tower directly opposite the approaching outer tower and throughout the whole night made a test of this beam from above, which they intended to thrust against the gates of the wooden tower brought up from outside, to see if it could be moved most easily and, falling face to face against the doors, would not easily allow them to be opened. And discerning that the beam was easily pushed and he had succeeded in the matter, he was now confident about the expected war. 4.4.7 On the next day, when Robert had ordered everyone to arm and had brought about five hundred armed foot-soldiers and horsemen into the tower, when they had brought it near the wall and were already hastening to open the upper door so as to use it as a bridge for entry into the fortress, Palaiologos at that moment pushed the immense beam inside by means of the engines he had previously constructed and with many brave men, and rendered Robert’s machine useless, the beam not permitting the door to be opened at all. 4.4.8 Then he did not cease continuously striking the Celts standing on top of the tower; and they, unable to bear the missiles, hid themselves. He therefore ordered the tower to be set on fire, and the word was not yet fully spoken, when immediately the conflagration of the tower became a reality. And some were hurled down from above, while those below opened the ground-level door of the tower and fled. Seeing them fleeing, Palaiologos at that moment led out brave armed men through the postern gate of the fortress, and others with axes, so that the tower might be destroyed by them. And in this he did not fail, but having burned the upper parts of the tower, and having cut away the lower parts by means of certain hewing tools, he completely destroyed it.

4.5.1 But since, as the one who narrated these things said, Robert was again hastening to construct another wooden tower similar to the one previously constructed and was preparing city-takers against Dyrrachium, the emperor, discerning that those in Dyrrachium needed swift aid, having arrayed his own forces, took the road to Dyrrachium. Having arrived there, then, and having made a trench and stationed his troops at the river called Charzanes, he immediately sent some men to ask Robert for what reason he had come and what his purpose was. 4.5.2 And departing from there he came to the sanctuary in the name of the greatest among hierarchs, Nicholas, four stades distant from Dyrrachium, and he was examining the position of the place, so as to seize beforehand the most opportune spot, where it was necessary to station the phalanxes in time of battle. It was then the fifteenth of the month of October. And there was a neck of land from Dalmatia

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φημι καὶ οὗ τὸ βέλος πτερύσσεται, τὸ δ' ἐπίλοιπον μέρος τῷ τόπῳ τῆς πληγῆς ἐναπέμεινε. ∆εσμήσας δὲ τὴν κεφαλήν, ὡς ὁ καιρὸς ἐνεδίδου, αὖθις ἐς μέσους τοὺς ἐναντίους ἑαυτὸν ὠθήσας μαχόμενος μέχρι δείλης ἑσπέρας ἀκλόνητος ἵστατο. 4.4.5 Ταῦτα ἀκηκοὼς ὁ βασιλεὺς καὶ διαγνοὺς ἀρωγῆς ταχείας τοῦτον δεῖσθαι ἐπέτεινε τὴν ὁδοιπορίαν. Καταλαβὼν δὲ τὴν Θεσσαλονίκην διὰ πολλῶν τὰ κατὰ τὸν Ῥομπέρτον ἐπὶ πλέον ἐβεβαιοῦτο. Καὶ γὰρ ἕτοιμος ὢν ὁ Ῥομπέρτος καὶ γενναίους μὲν παρετοιμάσας στρα τιώτας, πολλὴν δὲ καὶ ὕλην κατὰ τὴν πεδιάδα συναθροί σας τοῦ ∆υρραχίου τὴν παρεμβολὴν κατέθετο ὡσεὶ τόξου βολὴν τῶν τειχῶν τούτου ἀπέχουσαν· πολλὰς μέντοι τῶν ὑπ' αὐτὸν δυνάμεις καὶ περὶ τὰ ὄρη καὶ τὰ τέμπη καὶ τοὺς βουνοὺς κατέθετο. Ἀλλὰ καὶ τὴν τοῦ Παλαιολόγου ἐπιμέλειαν ἐκ πολλῶν κατεμάνθανεν. 4.4.6 Ἤδη γὰρ ὁ Παλαιολόγος ἐμπρῆσαι διανοούμενος τὸν ἑτοιμασθέντα παρὰ τοῦ Ῥομπέρτου μόσυνα καὶ τοῖς τείχεσιν ἐπιθεὶς νάφθαν καὶ πίσσαν καὶ ξηρῶν ξύλων σχίδακας καὶ λιθο βόλα ὄργανα τὴν τοῦ πολέμου συμβολὴν ἐκαραδόκει. Προσδόκιμον δὲ τὸν Ῥομπέρτον ἔχων ἐς νέωτα ὃν προφθάσας ἡτοίμασεν ἐντὸς ξύλινον πύργον κατευθὺ τοῦ ἔξωθεν ἐρχομένου πύργου καταστήσας δι' ὅλης νυκτὸς δοκιμασίαν ἐπεποίητο τοῦ ἄνωθεν τούτου δοκοῦ, ὃν προ βάλλεσθαι ἔμελλον κατὰ τῶν θυρέτρων τοῦ μόσυνος τοῦ ἔξωθεν ἐνηνεγμένου, εἰ ῥᾷστά τε κινοῖτο καὶ ἀντιπρόσω πος ἀντιπίπτων ταῖς θύραις οὐκ εὐκόλως ἀνοίγνυσθαι ξυγχωρήσειε. ∆ιαγνοὺς δὲ ὡς εὐπετῶς τὸ ξύλον ὠθεῖται καὶ εὐστοχήκει τοῦ πράγματος, ἀπεθάρρησεν ἤδη πρὸς τὸν ἐλπιζόμενον πόλεμον. 4.4.7 Τῇ μετ' αὐτὴν δὲ σιδηρο φορῆσαι κελεύσαντος τοῦ Ῥομπέρτου ἅπαντας καὶ ἐντὸς τοῦ πύργου πεζούς τε καὶ ἱππεῖς ὁπλοφόρους ὡσεὶ πεν τακοσίους εἰσαγαγόντος, ἐπεὶ τῷ τείχει τοῦτον προσπε λάσαντες ἤδη τὴν ἄνωθεν οὖσαν θύραν ἀναπεταννύειν ἠπείγοντο ὡς γεφύρᾳ ταύτῃ χρησόμενοι πρὸς τὴν τοῦ κάστρου εἰσέλευσιν, ὁ Παλαιολόγος ἐντὸς τὸ παμμέγεθες ξύλον τηνικαῦτα ὠθήσας δι' ὧν φθάσας προκατεσκεύασε μηχανῶν καὶ ἀνδρῶν πολλῶν καὶ γενναίων ἄπρακτον τὴν τοῦ Ῥομπέρτου μηχανὴν ἐποίησε τοῦ δοκοῦ τὸ παράπαν μὴ συγχωροῦντος ἀνεῳχθῆναι τὴν θύραν. 4.4.8 Εἶτα βάλλων τοὺς ἄνωθεν τοῦ πύργου ἱσταμένους Κελτοὺς συνεχῶς οὐκ ἀνίει· οἱ δὲ τὰς βολὰς μὴ φέροντες ἐκρύ πτοντο. Κελεύει τοίνυν ἐμπρησθῆναι τὸν πύργον, καὶ οὔπω πᾶν εἴρητο ἔπος, καὶ εὐθὺς ἔργον ἡ τοῦ πύργου πυρκαϊὰ ἐγένετο. Καὶ οἱ μὲν ἄνωθεν ἐκρημνίζοντο, οἱ δὲ κάτωθεν ἀνοίξαντες τὴν περιπέζιον τοῦ πύργου θύραν ἔφευγον. Τούτους δὲ φεύγοντας ὁρῶν ὁ Παλαιολόγος τηνικαῦτα γενναίους ἄνδρας ὁπλοφόρους ἐξάγει διὰ τῆς πυλίδος τοῦ κάστρου καὶ ἑτέρους μετὰ ἀξινῶν, ὡς ἂν δι' αὐτῶν ὁ πύργος ἀφανισθῇ. Καὶ οὐδὲ τούτου ἠστόχει, ἀλλὰ τοῦ πύργου τὰ μὲν ἄνωθεν ἐμπρήσας, τὰ δὲ κάτωθεν διά τινων λαξευτηρίων ὀργάνων ποδοκοπήσας τελείως ἠφάνισεν.

4.5.1 Ἐπεὶ δέ, ὡς ὁ ταῦτα διηγησάμενος ἔλεγεν, ὁ Ῥομπέρτος αὖθις ἕτερον κατασκευάζειν μόσυνα ἠπείγετο παρόμοιον τῷ προκατασκευασθέντι καὶ ἑλεπόλεις κατὰ τοῦ ∆υρραχίου ἡτοίμαζε, διαγνοὺς ὁ βασιλεὺς ἀρωγῆς τοὺς ἐν τῷ ∆υρραχίῳ ταχείας δεῖσθαι καταστήσας τὰς ἰδίας δυνάμεις τῆς πρὸς τὸ ∆υρράχιον ὁδοῦ εἴχετο. Καταλαβὼν οὖν ἐκεῖσε καὶ τάφρον ποιήσας καὶ τὰ στρατεύματα καταθεὶς εἰς τὸν λεγόμενον Χαρζάνην ποταμὸν εὐθὺς διά τινων ἀποστείλας ἠρώτα τὸν Ῥομπέρτον, ὅτου χάριν παρεγένετο καὶ τίς αὐτῷ ὁ σκοπός. 4.5.2 Ἐκεῖθεν δὲ ἀπά ρας ἔρχεται εἰς τὸ ἐπ' ὀνόματι τοῦ ἐν ἱεράρχαις μεγίστου Νικολάου τέμενος τέσσαρας σταδίους τοῦ ∆υρραχίου ἀπέχον καὶ τὴν τοῦ τόπου διεσκοπεῖτο θέσιν, ὥστε τὸν ἐπικαιρότατον τόπον, ὅπη χρὴ τὰς φάλαγγας ἐν καιρῷ μάχης καταστήσασθαι, προκαταλαβεῖν. Πεντεκαιδεκάτη δ' ἦν τηνικαῦτα τοῦ Ὀκτωβρίου μηνός. Αὐχὴν δὲ ἦν ἀπὸ ∆αλματίας