77

called, and by writing incites him further not to delay any longer, but having taken up his forces, to occupy Lombardy more quickly according to the agreements that had been made, in order to distract Robert, so that thus having gained security he might again gather troops and foreign forces and so drive him out of Illyricum, promising many thanks to the king of Germany if he would do so, and assuring him that he would fulfill the marriage alliance promised to him through the ambassadors sent by him. 5.3.2 Having arranged these matters, leaving Pacurianus his grand domestic somewhere, he himself returns to the imperial city, in order to gather foreign forces from all quarters and to manage certain other matters contributing to the occasion and the present circumstances. But the Manichaeans, both Xantas and Kuleon, with those under them numbering about two and a half thousand, return home in a disorderly fashion. And though often summoned by the emperor, they promised to come, but postponed their arrival. But he pressed on, promising them gifts and honors through his letters, and even so they did not come to him. 5.3.3 Thus, as the emperor was preparing against Robert, someone came to Robert reporting the imminent arrival of the king of Germany in Lombardy. And he, being at a loss, was considering what must be done. Therefore, having debated much, since he had left Roger as successor of his rule while crossing over to Illyricum, but had not yet assigned any territory to Bohemond, being the younger, gathering all the counts and summoning the chosen men of all the army, he sat down to address his son Bohemond the Saniskos and says: 5.3.4 “You know, counts, that I appointed my dearest son Roger, the firstborn of my sons, as lord of my land when I was about to cross over to Illyricum. For it was not right for me, withdrawing from there and undertaking such a task, to leave my own land without a leader, exposed as ready plunder for anyone who wished. But since the king of Germany is already arriving to besiege it, it is necessary for us also to defend it as far as possible. For one must not, while seizing the possessions of others, be neglectful of one's own. Therefore, I for my part will depart in order to defend our own country, having undertaken the battle against the German. But to this my younger son I entrust Dyrrachium and Aulon and the other cities and islands that I previously seized with my own spear. And I charge you and ask you to consider him as myself and to fight for him with all your hand and mind. 5.3.5 And to you, my dearest son,” turning his speech to Bohemond, “I command you to treat the counts with all honor and to use them as counselors in all things and not to act as a despot, but to share everything with them. But you, see to it that you do not neglect to prosecute the war against the emperor of the Romans, but while he has suffered a great defeat and almost became the work of the sword and the greater part of his armies has been consumed in the war (for indeed, he says, he even came close to being taken prisoner and departed wounded from the midst of our hands), do not relax at all, lest by chance gaining a respite he should recover his spirit and oppose you more nobly than before. For the man is not one of the ordinary sort, but having been brought up from infancy in wars and battles and having traversed the whole East and West, how many rebels he has made spear-captives for former emperors, you yourself surely hear from many. If, therefore, you give up at all and do not proceed against him with all your mind, you will make fruitless all the many labors that I myself accomplished, and you will certainly reap the fruits of your own idleness. And I for my part will now depart to fight to drive the king from our native land and so my dearest

77

καλούμενος, καὶ διὰ γραφῆς ἐπὶ πλέον ἐρεθίζει μὴ μέλλειν ἔτι, ἀλλὰ τὰς αὐτοῦ ἀνα λαβόμενον δυνάμεις τάχιον τὴν Λογγιβαρδίαν καταλαβεῖν κατὰ τὰς συγκειμένας συνθήκας, ἐφ' ᾧ ἀπασχολῆσαι τὸν Ῥομπέρτον, ἵν' οὕτως ἀδείας τυχὼν στρατεύματα αὖθις καὶ ξενικὰς δυνάμεις συλλέξηται καὶ οὕτω τοῦτον τοῦ Ἰλλυρικοῦ ἀπελάσῃ, πολλὰς τῷ Ἀλαμανίας ῥηγὶ ὁμολογήσας τὰς χάριτας εἰ οὕτω ποιήσειε, καὶ τὸ ὑποσχεθὲν αὐτῷ διὰ τῶν παρ' αὐτοῦ σταλέντων πρέσβεων κῆδος ἐκπληρῶσαι διαβεβαιούμενος. 5.3.2 Ταῦτα οἰκονομήσας τὸν Πακουριανὸν μέγαν δομέστικον αὐτοῦ που καταλιπὼν αὐτὸς πρὸς τὴν βασιλεύουσαν ἐπανέρχεται, ἐφ' ᾧ καὶ ξενικὰς ἁπανταχόθεν συλλέξασθαι δυνάμεις καὶ ἄλλα τινὰ οἰκονομῆσαι τῷ καιρῷ καὶ τοῖς ξυμπεσοῦσι πράγμασι συμβαλλόμενα. Οἱ δὲ Μανιχαῖοι, ὅ τε Ξαντᾶς καὶ ὁ Κου λέων, μετὰ τῶν ὑπ' αὐτοὺς ὡς εἰς δύο πρὸς τῇ ἡμισείᾳ χιλιάδας ποσουμένων ἀσυντάκτως οἴκαδε ἐπανέρχονται. Καὶ πολλάκις μετακαλούμενοι παρὰ τοῦ αὐτοκράτορος ὑπισχνοῦντο μὲν ἐληλυθέναι, ὑπερετίθεντο δὲ τὴν ἔλευσιν. Ὁ δὲ ἐπέκειτο καὶ δωρεὰς αὐτοῖς καὶ τιμὰς διὰ γραφῶν ὑπισχνούμενος, καὶ οὐδ' οὕτως πρὸς αὐτὸν ἐληλύθεσαν. 5.3.3 Οὕτως οὖν τοῦ βασιλέως κατὰ τοῦ Ῥομπέρτου ἑτοι μαζομένου ἧκέ τις τῷ Ῥομπέρτῳ ἀπαγγέλλων τὴν τοῦ ῥηγὸς Ἀλαμανίας εἰς Λογγιβαρδίαν ὅσον ἤδη ἄφιξιν. Ὁ δὲ ἐν ἀμηχανίᾳ γεγονὼς διεσκοπεῖτο τί ἂν χρὴ ποιεῖν. Πολλὰ τοίνυν γνωσιμαχήσας, ἐπεὶ τὸν μὲν Ῥογέρην ἐν τῷ πρὸς τὸ Ἰλλυρικὸν διαπερᾶν διάδοχον τῆς αὐτοῦ ἀρχῆς κατέ λιπε, τῷ δέ γε Βαϊμούντῳ νεωτέρῳ ὄντι οὔπω χώραν τινὰ ἀπενείματο, συναγαγὼν τοὺς κόμητας ἅπαντας καὶ ἐκκρίτους τοῦ ὁπλιτικοῦ παντὸς μετακαλεσάμενος τὸν υἱὸν αὐτοῦ Βαϊμοῦντον τὸν Σανίσκον δημηγόρος προὐ κάθητο καί φησιν. 5.3.4 «Οἴδατε, κόμητες, ὅτι τὸν φίλ τατόν μοι υἱὸν Ῥογέρην καὶ πρωτότοκον τῶν υἱῶν κύριον τῆς ἐμῆς ἐν τῷ πρὸς τὸ Ἰλλυρικὸν μέλλειν διαπερᾶν κατ έστησα χώρας. Οὐ γὰρ ἐχρῆν ἐκεῖθεν ὑποχωροῦντα καὶ τοιοῦτο ἀναδεχόμενον ἔργον τὴν ἰδίαν χώραν ἄτερ ἡγε μόνος καταλιπεῖν εἰς προνομὴν ἕτοιμον παντὶ τῷ βουλο μένῳ ἐκκεῖσθαι. Ἐπεὶ δὲ ὁ ῥὴξ Ἀλαμανίας πολιορκήσων ταύτην ἤδη καταλαμβάνει, χρὴ καὶ ἡμᾶς ὡς ἐνὸν ταύτης ἀντιποιήσασθαι. Οὐδὲ γὰρ δεῖ ἑτέρων ἐπιλαμβανομένους τῶν ἰδίων κατερρᾳθυμηκέναι. Λοιπὸν ἐγὼ μὲν ἄπειμι ἐφ' ᾧ τῆς οἰκείας χώρας ἀντιποιήσασθαι, τὴν πρὸς τὸν Ἀλαμανίας ἀναδησάμενος μάχην. Τουτῳὶ δέ μοι τῷ υἱῷ τῷ νεωτέρῳ ἐπαφίημι τό τε ∆υρράχιον καὶ τὸν Αὐλῶνα καὶ τὰς λοιπὰς πόλεις καὶ νήσους ὅσας φθάσας αὐτὸς τὠμῷ δόρατι κατέσχον. Παρεγγυῶμαι δὲ καὶ ὑμῖν καὶ ἀξιῶ ὡς ἐμὲ τοῦτον λογίζεσθαι καὶ ὅλῃ χειρὶ καὶ γνώμῃ ὑπὲρ αὐτοῦ μάχεσθαι. 5.3.5 Καὶ σοὶ δὲ τῷ φιλτάτῳ μοι ἐπισκήπτω υἱῷ» ἀποστρέψας τὸν λόγον πρὸς τὸν Βαϊ μοῦντον «διὰ τιμῆς πάσης τοὺς κόμητας ἄγειν καὶ συμ βούλοις ἐν ἅπασι χρᾶσθαι καὶ μὴ οἷον ἐναυθεντεῖν, ἀλλὰ πάντων αὐτοῖς κοινωνεῖν. Σὺ δὲ ἀλλ' ὅρα μὴ καταμελή σῃς τὸν κατὰ τοῦ βασιλέως Ῥωμαίων ἀναπράξασθαι πόλεμον, ἀλλ' ἐν ὅσῳ μεγάλην ἧτταν ἡττήθη καὶ μικροῦ μαχαίρας ἔργον ἐγεγόνει καὶ τὸ πολὺ τῶν αὐτοῦ στρα τευμάτων τῷ πολέμῳ ἀνήλωτο (καὶ γάρ, φησι, καὶ ἐγγὺς ἦλθε τοῦ ζωγρηθῆναι καὶ ἐκ μέσων τῶν χειρῶν ἡμῶν τραυματίας ᾤχετο), μὴ ἀνήσεις ὅλως, μή πως ἀνέσεως τυχὼν συλλέξαι τό τε πνεῦμα καὶ γενναιότερον ἢ τὸ πρό τερον ἀντικατασταίη σοι. Οὐ γὰρ τῶν τυχόντων ὁ ἀνήρ, ἀλλ' ἐκ νηπίου πολέμοις καὶ μάχαις ἐντραφεὶς πᾶσάν τε τὴν ἕω καὶ τὴν ἑσπέραν διεληλυθὼς ὁπόσους ἀποστάτας τοῖς πρῴην αὐτοκράτορσι δορυθηράτους ἐποίησε, καὶ αὐτὸς πάντως ἐκ πολλῶν ἀκούεις. Εἰ γοῦν ὅλως ἀναπέσῃς καὶ μὴ κατ' αὐτοῦ χωρήσεις πάσῃ γνώμῃ, ὁπόσα μὲν αὐτὸς ἔργα πολλὰ καμὼν ἤνυσα φροῦδα ποιήσεις, αὐτὸς δὲ τοὺς καρποὺς τῆς ἰδίας ῥᾳθυμίας πάντως δρέψῃ. Κἀγὼ μὲν ἤδη ἄπειμι ἀγωνισόμενος τὸν ῥῆγα τῆς ἡμε δαπῆς ἀπελάσαι χώρας καὶ οὕτω τὸν φίλτατόν μοι