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being brought in to provide even a single obol, but to be outside of all Roman authority.

6.6.1 But Robert (for let the story return again from where it digressed and keep to the sequence of the narrative) was not again at rest even after this defeat. But since he had previously sent some of his ships with his own son against Cephalonia, hastening to seize the city on it, he moored the ships he had with him at Vonitsa with his entire army, but he himself, embarking on a single galley, reached Cephalonia. And before he could be united with his remaining forces and his son, while still waiting around Atheras (this is a certain promontory of Cephalonia), he was seized by a violent fever. Unable to bear the burning of the fever, he asks for cold water. And when his attendants had scattered everywhere in search of water, one of the locals says to them: "You see this island here, Ithaca. In it a great city was formerly built, called Jerusalem, though in time it has been ruined; in it there was a spring giving forth ever-potable and cold water." 6.6.2 When Robert heard these things, he was then seized with great fear; therefore, connecting Atheras and the city of Jerusalem, he then recognized that his death was imminent. For long before some had prophesied to him, the sort of things flatterers are accustomed to suggest to the great, that "Up to Atheras itself you are destined to subdue all things; and from there, departing to Jerusalem, you will meet your fate." Whether the fever consumed him or the disease was pleurisy, I am not able to say precisely, at any rate, within six days he died. 6.6.3 His wife Gaita found him breathing his last, and his son weeping over him. The event was therefore reported to his son, whom, while still living, he had made successor to his rule. Who, upon learning this, was then seized with unbearable grief, but recovering himself with better thoughts and gathering his wits, he summoned everyone and first reported the event, weeping inconsolably over his father's death, and then made everyone swear allegiance to him. And taking them up, he crosses over to Apulia. But during the crossing he encountered a very great storm, although it was the summer season, so that some of the ships were sunk, and some, running aground on the sand, were shattered. The ship carrying the corpse was half-wrecked; and with difficulty his attendants, having recovered the coffin containing him, brought it safely to Venusia. And in the monastery formerly built in the name of the Holy Trinity, where his brothers had also been buried before him, he himself is entombed. Robert died in the twenty-fifth year of his ducal rule, having lived a total of seventy years. 6.6.4 When the emperor learned of Robert's sudden death, he recovered, having shouldered off such a burden; he immediately turns to those still holding Dyrrachium, having planned to lead them into dissension through letters and every kind of method, and thus hoping to take the city of Dyrrachium most easily. But he also prepares the Venetians who happened to be in the city through letters to advise both the Amalfitans and Venetians and as many colonists as happened to be in Epidamnus, to yield to his will and hand over Dyrrachium to him. But he himself, through promises and gifts, did not let up at all in urging them to hand over the city of Dyrrachium to him. Having therefore been persuaded (for such is the entire Latin race, fond of money and accustomed to sell even their dearest for a single obol), hoping for great things and then having formed a conspiracy, they kill the man who first persuaded them to betray the fortress to Robert and his fellow conspirators; but those having approached

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εἰσκομιζομένης παρέχειν ἄχρι καὶ ὀβολοῦ ἑνός, ἀλλ' ἔξω πάσης εἶναι ῥωμαϊκῆς ἐξουσίας.

6.6.1 Ὁ δέ γε Ῥομπέρτος (ἐπαναγέσθω γὰρ αὖθις ὁ λόγος ὅθεν ἐξέπεσε καὶ καθ' εἱρμὸν ἐχέσθω τῆς διηγήσεως) οὐδὲ μετὰ ταύτην τὴν ἧτταν αὖθις ἠρέμει. Ἀλλ' ἐπεὶ προ φθάσας τινὰ τῶν πλοίων αὐτοῦ μετὰ τοῦ ἰδίου υἱοῦ κατὰ τῆς Κεφαληνίας ἀπέστειλε σπεύδων τὴν ἐν αὐτῇ πόλιν κατασχεῖν, τὰ μὲν ἐνόντα αὐτῷ πλοῖα τῇ Βοντίτζῃ προσ ώρμισε μετὰ τῆς παρεμβολῆς πάσης, αὐτὸς δὲ εἰς μονήρη γαλέαν εἰσελθὼν τὴν Κεφαληνίαν κατέλαβε. Καὶ πρὶν ἢ ταῖς λοιπαῖς δυνάμεσι καὶ τῷ υἱῷ αὐτοῦ ἑνωθῆναι, ἐγκαρ τερῶν ἔτι περὶ τὸν Ἀθέρα (ἀκρωτήριόν τι τοῦτο τῆς Κεφαληνίας) λάβρῳ κατέχεται πυρετῷ. Μὴ φέρων δὲ τὴν τοῦ πυρετοῦ φλόγωσιν ὕδωρ ψυχρὸν αἰτεῖ. Τῶν δὲ περὶ αὐτὸν ἁπανταχοῦ σκεδασθέντων εἰς τὴν τοῦ ὕδατος ζήτη σιν, τῶν ἐγχωρίων τις πρὸς αὐτούς φησιν· «Ὁρᾶτε ταυτηνὶ τὴν νῆσον τὴν Ἰθάκην. Ἐν αὐτῇ πόλις μεγάλη πρῴην ᾠκοδόμηται Ἱερουσαλὴμ καλυμένη, κἂν τῷ χρόνῳ ἠρείπω ται· ἐν αὐτῇ πηγὴ ἦν πότιμον ἐς ἀεὶ καὶ ψυχρὸν ὕδωρ ἀναδιδοῦσα.» 6.6.2 Τούτων ὁ Ῥομπέρτος ἀκούσας δέει πολλῷ τηνικαῦτα συνεσχέθη· συμβαλὼν οὖν τὸν Ἀθέρα καὶ τὴν πόλιν Ἱερουσαλὴμ τὸν ἐφιστάμενον αὐτῷ θάνατον τηνικαῦτα ἐπεγίνωσκε. Καὶ γὰρ πρὸ πολλοῦ τινες αὐτῷ ἐμαντεύοντο, ὁποῖα εἰώθασιν οἱ κόλακες τοῖς μεγιστᾶσιν εἰσηγεῖσθαι, ὅτι «Μέχρι καὶ αὐτοῦ τοῦ Ἀθέρος ἅπαντα μέλλεις ὑποτάξαι· ἐκεῖθεν δὲ εἰς Ἱερουσαλὴμ ἀπερχό μενος τῷ χρεὼν λειτουργήσεις». Εἴτε δὲ ὁ πυρετὸς τοῦτον ἀνάλωσεν εἴτε πλευρῖτις ἦν ἡ νόσος, ἀκριβῶς λέγειν οὐκ ἔχω, τέως δι' ἓξ ἡμερῶν τελευτᾷ. 6.6.3 Καταλαμβάνει δὲ τοῦτον τὰ ἔσχατα πνέοντα ἡ γυνὴ αὐτοῦ Γαΐτα καὶ τὸν υἱὸν αὐτοῦ κλαίοντα ἐπ' αὐτῷ. Ἀπαγγέλλεται γοῦν τὸ συμβὰν τῷ υἱῷ αὐτοῦ, ὅνπερ ἔτι ζῶν διάδοχον τῆς ἀρχῆς αὐτοῦ ἐποίει. Ὃς τοῦτο μαθὼν λύπῃ μὲν τηνικαῦτα ἀφο ρήτῳ συνείχετο, κρείττοσι δὲ λογισμοῖς ἑαυτὸν ἀνακτησά μενος καὶ συναγαγὼν τὸ φρονοῦν αὐτῷ τῆς ψυχῆς μετακα λεσάμενος ἅπαντας πρῶτον μὲν ἀπαγγέλλει τὸ συμβὰν ἀπαράκλητα κλαίων ἐπὶ τῇ τοῦ πατρὸς τελευτῇ, ὁρκίζει δὲ ἅπαντας εἰς ἑαυτόν. Καὶ ἀναλαβόμενος τούτους εἰς Ἀπου ληΐαν διαπερᾷ. Ἐν τῷ διαπερᾶν δὲ μεγίστῳ κλύδωνι, κἂν ὥρα θέρους ἦν, περιπέπτωκεν ὥστε τὰ μὲν τῶν πλοίων βυθισθῆναι, τινὰ δὲ τῇ ψάμμῳ προσαράξαντα συνθραυσ θῆναι. Τὸ δὲ τὸν νεκρὸν κομίζον πλοῖον ἡμίθραυστον γέγονε· μόγις δὲ τὸ τοῦτον συνέχον κιβώτιον οἱ ἀμφ' αὐτὸν ἀναλαβόμενοι εἰς τὸ Βενούσιον διεσώσαντο. Καὶ εἰς τὴν ἐπ' ὀνόματι τῆς ἁγίας Τριάδος πάλαι ἀνοικοδομηθεῖσαν μονήν, οὗ καὶ οἱ ἀδελφοὶ αὐτοῦ προετάφησαν, καὶ αὐτὸς ἐνσοριάζεται. Τελευτᾷ δὲ ὁ Ῥομπέρτος εἰκοστῷ πέμπτῳ χρόνῳ τῆς δουκικῆς αὐτοῦ ἀρχῆς τὸν ἅπαντα χρόνον βιώσας ἔτη ἑβδομήκοντα. 6.6.4 Μεμαθηκὼς δὲ ὁ βασιλεὺς τὸν τοῦ Ῥομπέρτου αἰφνίδιον θάνατον ἀνέσφαλε μὲν ἄχθος τοιοῦτον ἀπωμισάμενος· ἐπιτίθεται δὲ παραχρῆμα τοῖς τὸ ∆υρράχιον ἔτι κατέχουσιν εἰς διχόνοιαν τούτους διὰ γραμ μάτων καὶ παντοίας μεθόδου εἰσάξαι σκεψάμενος κᾆθ' οὕτως ῥᾷστα τὴν πόλιν ∆υρραχίου ἐλπίζων λήψεσθαι. Ἀλλὰ καὶ τοὺς ἐν τῇ πόλει παρατυχόντας Βενετίκους παρασκευάζει διὰ γραμμάτων ξυμβουλεῦσαι τοῖς τε Ἀμαλ φηνοῖς καὶ Βενετίκοις καὶ ὅσοι ἄποικοι εἰς Ἐπίδαμνον ἔτυχον, ὑπεῖξαι τῷ αὐτοῦ θελήματι καὶ παραδοῦναί οἱ τὸ ∆υρράχιον. Ἀλλὰ καὶ αὐτός, δι' ὑποσχέσεων καὶ δωρεῶν, οὐκ ἐνεδίδου ὅλως ὥστε τὴν πόλιν ∆υρραχίου παραδοῦναι αὐτῷ. Καταπειθεῖς οὖν γεγονότες (τοιοῦτον γὰρ τὸ Λατί νων ἅπαν γένος ἐρασιχρήματόν τε καὶ ὀβολοῦ ἑνὸς πιπράσ κειν εἰωθὸς καὶ αὐτὰ δὴ τὰ φίλτατα) μεγάλα ἐλπίσαντες καὶ συνωμοσίαν τηνικαῦτα ποιησάμενοι ἀναιροῦσι μὲν τὸν πρώτως αὐτοὺς ἀναπείσαντα τὸ κάστρον τῷ Ῥομπέρτῳ προδοῦναι καὶ τοὺς συνωμότας αὐτοῦ· ἐκεῖνοι δὲ προσελ