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he considered it not at all unworthy of his own manliness and daring. Rather, therefore, he was all the more aroused for battles, and again cares and anxieties greater than the former ones possessed him. For the man was a strong champion of his own counsels and preconceptions, and in no way willing to give up on those things which he had once for all decided, and, to speak plainly, was dauntless and believed all things could be captured by him with a single assault. 6.5.2 So then, immediately gathering his wits and recovering himself from his great despondency, he sent out and proclaimed everywhere his crossing again into Illyricum against the emperor, summoning all. And straightaway a multitude of soldiers was gathered from all sides, both horsemen and foot soldiers, all splendidly armed and looking toward battle. Homer would have described the multitude as “just as the tribes of swarming bees go forth.” And they streamed in both from the neighboring cities and no less from foreign lands. And from there he armed himself strongly in order to avenge the defeat of his son. And having gathered sufficient forces, he then summoned his sons, both Roger and the one called Guy (whom the emperor Alexios, wanting him to revolt from his father, secretly sent to and informed him about a marriage alliance, promising both a distinguished honor and a lavish gift of money; and he, hearing these things, agreed, but for the time being kept the matter secret), and handing over to them the entire cavalry, he sent them off, ordering them to hasten to seize Aulon; and they, having crossed over, took it in a raid; And leaving behind some select men to guard it, with the rest they seized Buthrotum and took this too by assault. 6.5.3 And Robert, taking up his entire fleet and sailing along the coast toward Buthrotum, reached Brundisium in order to cross over to Illyricum. But having learned that the strait from Hydruntum was a shorter distance, he crossed over from there to Aulon. And so, having passed through the coast between Aulon and Buthrotum with his whole fleet, he was united with his sons. But since Corfu, which had been previously seized by him, revolted again, leaving his sons in Buthrotum, he himself with the entire fleet sailed away to Corfu. 6.5.4 But such were Robert's actions; and when the emperor learned of them, he was in no way discouraged, but through letters he urged the Venetians to prepare, equipping a sufficient fleet, to undertake the war with Robert again, promising that they would receive many times the expenses. And he himself, having built biremes and triremes and every kind of piratical ship, sent them out against Robert, putting on board hoplites knowledgeable in naval warfare. 6.5.5 And Robert, having learned of the attack of the fleets against him, being the sort of man he was, preempting the battle, loosing his stern-cables, with his entire fleet occupied the harbor of Cassope. And the Venetians, having reached the harbor of Passaron and tarried there for a little while, having learned of Robert's attack, they too quickly seize the harbor of Cassope. And after a fierce engagement took place and the battle was close-fought, Robert is defeated. But being the sort of warmonger he was and eagerly disposed to battles, not even after that defeat did he give in at all, but again he prepared for another battle and an engagement of a greater war. When the leaders of both fleets learned this, and being emboldened by the preceding victory, after the third day they attacked him and won a brilliant victory against him; then thus they return again to the harbor of Passaron. 6.5.6 Whether, as is wont to happen for the most part in such circumstances, being elated by the victories they had already won, or despairing of the defeated, they had become careless, as if they had already accomplished the whole thing and

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ἐλογίσατο οὐδὲ τῆς ἑαυτοῦ ἀνδρείας καὶ τόλμης ἀνάξιον. Μᾶλλον μὲν οὖν καὶ πρὸς μάχας ἐπὶ πλέον ἠρέθιστο καὶ φροντίδες τοῦτον καὶ μέριμναι αὖθις τῶν προτέρων μείζους συνεῖχον. Ἦν γὰρ ὁ ἀνὴρ ἰσχυρὸς προστάτης οἰκείων βουλευμάτων τε καὶ προλήψεων καὶ μηδαμῶς ἐθέλων ἀνεῖναι ἐφ' οἷς καθάπαξ διεβουλεύσατο καὶ τὸ ὅλον εἰπεῖν ἀκατάπληκτος καὶ πάντα αὐτῷ ἁλώσιμα ἐκ μόνης προσβολῆς οἰόμενος γίνεσθαι. 6.5.2 Εὐθὺς οὖν τὸ φρονοῦν αὐτῷ τῆς ψυχῆς συναγαγὼν καὶ τῆς πολλῆς ἀθυ μίας ἑαυτὸν ἀνακτησάμενος ἀποστείλας ἁπανταχόθεν διεκηρύκευε τὴν εἰς τὸ Ἰλλυρικὸν αὖθις κατὰ τοῦ βασιλέως διαπεραίωσιν μετακαλούμενος ἅπαντας. Καὶ αὐτίκα παν ταχόθεν πλῆθος συνείλεκτο στρατιωτῶν, ἱππέων τε καὶ πεζῶν, πάντων ἐξωπλισμένων λαμπρῶς καὶ πρὸς μάχην ἀποβλεπόντων. Τὸ πλῆθος εἶπεν ἂν Ὅμηρος «ἠύτ' ἔθνεα εἶσι μελισσάων ἀδινάων». Καὶ συνέρρεον ἔκ τε τῶν παρα κειμένων πόλεων καὶ ἐξ ἀλλοδαπῶν δὲ οὐχ ἧττον. Κἀντεῦ θεν ὡπλίζετο καρτερῶς ἐφ' ᾧ τὴν τοῦ υἱοῦ ἀνακαλέσασθαι ἧτταν. Ἱκανὰ δὲ συλλεξάμενος στρατεύματα, εἶτα τοὺς αὐτοῦ μετακαλεσάμενος υἱεῖς, τόν τε Ῥογέρην καὶ τὸν Γίδον καλούμενον (ὃν ὁ βασιλεὺς Ἀλέξιος θέλων τοῦ πατρὸς ἀποστῆσαι ἀποστείλας λάθρᾳ περὶ κήδους αὐτῷ ἐδήλωσεν ὑποσχόμενος καὶ τιμὴν διαφέρουσαν καὶ χρη μάτων δόσιν δαψιλῆ· ὁ δὲ τούτων ἀκούσας συνέθετο, τὸν δὲ λόγον τέως εἶχεν ἀπόρρητον) τούτοις ἅπαν τὸ ἱππικὸν παραδοὺς ἀπέστειλε παραγγείλας σπουδάσαι κατασχεῖν τὸν Αὐλῶνα· οἱ δὲ διαπεράσαντες ἐξ ἐπιδρομῆς τοῦτον εἷλον· Καὶ μετρητούς τινας εἰς φυλακὴν αὐτοῦ καταλιπόντες μετὰ τῶν λοιπῶν καταλαβόντες τὸ Βοθρεντὸν ἐξ ἐφόδου καὶ τοῦτο κατέσχον. 6.5.3 Ὁ δέ γε Ῥομπέρτος, τὸ ναυτικὸν αὐτοῦ ἅπαν ἀναλαβόμενος καὶ τὴν ὡς πρὸς τὸ Βοθρεντὸν παραλίαν παραπλέων, κατέλαβε τὸ Βρεντήσιον ἐφ' ᾧ πρὸς τὸ Ἰλλυρικὸν διαπερᾶσαι. Τὸν δ' ἀπὸ τῆς Ὑδροῦντος πορθμὸν ἧττον διάστημα ἔχειν μεμαθηκὼς ἐκεῖθεν διεπέ ρασεν εἰς τὸν Αὐλῶνα. Καὶ οὕτω διὰ τῆς ἀναμεταξὺ τοῦ Αὐλῶνος καὶ τοῦ Βοθρεντοῦ παραλίας μετὰ τοῦ στόλου αὐτοῦ παντὸς διελθὼν ἡνώθη μετὰ τῶν υἱῶν αὐτοῦ. Ὡς δὲ ἡ Κορυφὼ προκατασχεθεῖσα παρ' αὐτοῦ αὖθις ἀπεστάτησε, τοὺς υἱοὺς αὐτοῦ εἰς τὸ Βοθρεντὸν καταλιπὼν αὐτὸς μετὰ τοῦ ναυτικοῦ παντὸς ἀπέπλευσε πρὸς τὴν Κορυφώ. 6.5.4 Ἀλλ' ὁ μὲν Ῥομπέρτος τοιαῦτα· ἅπερ μεμαθηκὼς ὁ αὐτοκράτωρ οὐδαμῶς ἀνεπεπτώκει, ἀλλὰ τοὺς Βενετίκους διὰ γραμμάτων παρώτρυνε παρασκευάσας αὖθις τὸν μετὰ τοῦ Ῥομπέρτου ἀναδήσασθαι πόλεμον στόλον ἱκανὸν ἐξοπλί σαντας καὶ τὰς δαπάνας πολλαπλασίους λήψεσθαι ὑποσχό μενος. Αὐτὸς δὲ διήρεις τε καὶ τριήρεις καὶ παντοῖον εἶδος λῃστρικῶν νηῶν κατασκευάσας κατὰ τοῦ Ῥομπέρτου ἐξέ πεμψεν ὁπλίτας εἰσαγαγὼν τῆς διὰ θαλάττης μάχης εἰδή μονας. 6.5.5 Τὴν δὲ κατ' αὐτοῦ τῶν στόλων ἔφοδον μεμαθηκὼς ὁ Ῥομπέρτος, τὴν μάχην προαρπάζων ὁποῖος ἐκεῖνος, λύσας τὰ πρυμνήσια μετὰ τοῦ ναυτικοῦ αὐτοῦ παντὸς τὸν λιμένα Κασσόπης κατέλαβεν. Οἱ δέ γε Βενέ τικοι καταλαβόντες εἰς τὸν λιμένα Πασάρων καὶ μικρὸν κεῖθι διατρίψαντες τὴν τοῦ Ῥομπέρτου ἔφοδον μεμαθη κότες θᾶττον καὶ αὐτοὶ καταλαμβάνουσι τὸν λιμένα Κασσόπης. Καὶ συμβολῆς καρτερᾶς γενομένης καὶ τῆς μάχης ἀγχεμάχου ἡττᾶται ὁ Ῥομπέρτος. Ὁποῖος δ' ἐκεῖνος φιλοπόλεμος καὶ ἐκθύμως ἔχων πρὸς μάχας, οὐδὲ μετὰ τὴν ἧτταν ἐκείνην τὸ παράπαν ἐνεδίδου, ἀλλ' αὖθις πρὸς ἑτέραν ἡτοιμάζετο μάχην καὶ συμβολὴν πολέμου μείζονος. Ὅπερ οἱ ἡγεμόνες ἀμφοτέρων τῶν στόλων μεμα θηκότες κἀκ τῆς προηγησαμένης νίκης θαρρήσαντες μετὰ τρίτην ἡμέραν προσβαλόντες αὐτῷ λαμπρὰν τὴν κατ' αὐτοῦ νίκην ἤραντο· εἶθ' οὕτως ἐπανέρχονται πάλιν εἰς τὸν λιμένα Πασάρων. 6.5.6 Εἴτε δὲ ὁποῖα ἐν τοῖς τοιούτοις ὡς τὰ πολλὰ φιλεῖ γίνεσθαι ἐπαρθέντες ἐπὶ ταῖς προγεγε νημέναις νίκαις, εἴτε τοὺς ἡττηθέντας ἀπελπίσαντες ἀνα πεπτώκασιν ὡς ἤδη τὸ πᾶν ἠνυκότες καὶ