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Empress Anna and his mother on that day which Catancanes had foretold. But the emperor, since he had so often prophesied about him and missed the mark just as many times, did not wish to remove him from the city when he had been proven wrong, and at the same time so that he would not seem to be driving him away out of spite. 6.7.6 But let us now return again to where we came from, so that we might not seem to be certain stargazers, obscuring the body of the history with astrological terms. But Robert, as the story went and some people said, was an exceptional leader, quick-witted, handsome in appearance, charming in his words, sharp of speech, but his voice was loud, approachable, large in body, always having hair of a suitable length on his head, deep-bearded, always eager to preserve the customs of his own race, preserving the bloom of his face and of his whole body until the end and taking pride in these things, for which reasons his appearance was considered worthy of tyranny, deeming all those under him worthy of honor, and even more so those most favorably disposed towards him. But he was very thrifty and a great lover of gold, very business-like and acquisitive and in addition to these very ambitious; overcome by all these things, he drew upon himself the great censure of all. 6.7.7 But some find fault with the emperor for being fainthearted and for then preempting the war with him. For if he had not sought him out before the proper time, as they say, he would otherwise have easily prevailed over him as he was being attacked from all sides both by the so-called Arbanitai and by those from Dalmatia sent by Bodin. But such are the things that fault-finders say, standing out of range of the arrows and sending bitter darts from their tongues against those who are fighting. For everyone knows Robert's bravery and his skill in military matters and the steadfastness of his spirit; for he was not one of those who are easily, but of those who are very difficultly, overcome, the man appearing more courageous in defeat.

6.8.1 But the emperor, with the Latins of count Bryennius who had deserted to him, returns victorious and bearing trophies to the capital, as has been said above, on the first day of the month of December of the seventh indiction, having found the empress in labor in the chamber long ago set apart for empresses giving birth; from ancient times they call this the Porphyra, from which the name of the Porphyrogennetoi has spread throughout the world. And around dawn (for it was a Saturday) a female child was born to them, resembling, as they said, her father in all respects; and this, it turned out, was I. 6.8.2 And I heard the empress and my mother relating on certain occasions that, around the third day of the emperor's entry into the palace (for he was just then returning from the battle with Robert and those many wars and toils), being in the throes of labor, she made the sign of the cross on her belly and said: 'Wait a little longer, child, for your father's arrival.' But her mother, the protovestiaria, as she said, blamed her greatly and said with anger: 'What if he comes in a month, do you know? And how will you yourself endure so much pain?' But so said her mother; yet the empress's command had been fulfilled, a thing which, even in the womb, most clearly signified my future goodwill toward my parents. For after this, having reached maturity and having gained a clear mind, I became at the same time a lover of my mother and a lover of my father. And witnesses of such a character of mine are many people, and indeed all those who know my affairs, with the further testimony for them of my many struggles and toils on behalf of my parents and those dangers into which I threw myself for my love for them, having spared neither honor nor riches nor my very

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βασιλὶς Ἄννα καὶ μήτηρ αὐτοῦ κατὰ τὴν ἡμέραν ἐκείνην ἣν ὁ Κατανάγκης προεῖ πεν. Ὁ δὲ βασιλεύς, ἐπεὶ περὶ αὐτοῦ πολλάκις προμαν τευσάμενος τοσαυτάκις διήμαρτε, τῆς πόλεως τοῦτον μεταστῆσαι οὐκ ἤθελεν αὐτέλεγκτον γενόμενον, ἅμα δὲ καὶ ἵνα μὴ δι' ἐμπάθειαν δόξῃ τοῦτον ἐκεῖθεν ἀπελαύνειν. 6.7.6 Ἀλλ' ἡμεῖς γε ἐντεῦθεν πάλιν ὅθεν ἐξεληλύθειμεν ἀνα στρέψωμεν, ἵνα μὴ δοκοίημεν μετεωρολέσχαι τινὲς καὶ τοῖς ἐξ ἀστρολογίας ὀνόμασι τὸ σῶμα τῆς ἱστορίας καταζο φοῦντες. Ὁ δέ γε Ῥομπέρτος, ὡς ὁ λόγος ἐκράτει καί τινες ἔλεγον, ἡγεμὼν ἐξαίρετος γέγονεν, ἀγχίνους, εὐπρε πὴς τὴν ὄψιν, ἀστεῖος ἐν λόγοις, ὀξὺς μὲν εἰπεῖν, φωνὴ δ' αὐτοῦ μεγάλη, εὐπρόσιτος, εὐμεγέθης τὸ σῶμα, σύμμε τρον τὴν κόμην ἔχων ἀεὶ τῇ κεφαλῇ, βαθυπώγων, σπεύδων ἀεὶ τὰ ἤθη τοῦ οἰκείου γένους τηρεῖν, τὸ τοῦ προσώπου ἄνθος καὶ τοῦ ὅλου σώματος μέχρι τέλους σῴζων καὶ τού τοις ἐπιγαννύμενος, δι' ἅπερ ἄξιον τυραννίδος τὸ εἶδος αὐτοῦ ἐνομίζετο, πάντας τοὺς ὑπ' αὐτὸν τιμῆς ἀξιῶν καὶ πλείονος μᾶλλον τοὺς εὐνοϊκώτερον πρὸς αὐτὸν διατεθε μένους. Φειδωλότατος δὲ ἦν καὶ φιλοχρυσότατος, ἐμπο ρικώτατος καὶ φιλοκτεανώτατος καὶ ἐπὶ τούτοις φιλοδο ξότατος· ὑφ' ὧν πάντων ἡττώμενος πολλὴν τὴν μέμψιν πάντων ἐπεσπάσατο. 6.7.7 Κακίζουσι δέ τινες τὸν αὐτο κράτορα ὡς μικροψυχήσαντα καὶ τὸν μετ' αὐτοῦ πόλεμον τότε προαρπάσαντα. Εἰ μὴ γὰρ πρὸ τοῦ προσήκοντος καιροῦ τοῦτον ἀνεζήτησεν, ὥς φασιν, ἄλλως ἂν ῥᾳδίως κατίσχυσεν αὐτοῦ βαλλομένου ἁπανταχόθεν παρά τε τῶν καλουμένων Ἀρβανιτῶν παρά τε τῶν ἀπὸ ∆αλματίας παρὰ τοῦ Βοδίνου πεμπομένων. Ἀλλὰ τοιαῦτα μὲν οἱ μωμοσκό ποι ἔξω βελῶν ἱστάμενοι καὶ κατὰ τῶν ἀγωνιζομένων πικροὺς ὀϊστοὺς διὰ γλώττης πέμποντες. Τὸ γὰρ τοῦ Ῥομ πέρτου ἀνδρεῖον καὶ περὶ τὰ πολεμικὰ περιδέξιον καὶ τὸ τοῦ φρονήματος ἑδραῖον ἅπαντες ἴσασι· καὶ γὰρ οὐ τῶν ῥᾳδίως, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῶν λίαν δυσκόλως καταγωνιζομένων ἦν ὁ ἀνὴρ ἐν ταῖς ἥτταις μᾶλλον θαρραλεώτερος φαινόμενος.

6.8.1 Ὁ δὲ βασιλεὺς μετὰ τῶν αὐτομολησάντων πρὸς αὐτὸν τοῦ κόμητος Βρυεννίου Λατίνων τροπαιοφόρος νικητὴς πρὸς τὴν βασιλεύουσαν ἐπαναζεύγνυσιν, ὡς ἄνωθεν εἴρηται, πρώτην ἄγοντος τοῦ ∆εκεμβρίου μηνὸς ἑβδόμης ἐπινεμήσεως, τὴν βασιλίδα κατὰ τὸ ἀφωρισμένον πάλαι ταῖς τικτούσαις τῶν βασιλίδων οἴκημα ἐπὶ ταῖς ὠδῖσιν εὑρηκώς· πορφύραν τοῦτο οἱ ἀνέκαθεν ὀνομάζουσιν, ἐξ οὗ καὶ τὸ τῶν πορφυρογεννήτων ὄνομα εἰς τὴν οἰκου μένην διέδραμε. Κατὰ δὲ τὸ περίορθρον (σάββατον δὲ ἦν) τίκτεται τούτοις παιδίον θῆλυ ἐμφερές, ὡς ἔλεγον, κατὰ πάντα τῷ πατρί· ἐγὼ δὲ ἄρα ἦν τοῦτο. 6.8.2 Καὶ ὥς γε τὴν βασιλίδα καὶ μητέρα ἔν τισι καιροῖς διηγουμένην ἤκουον, ὅτι πρὸς τρίτης ἡμέρας τῆς τοῦ βασιλέως εἰς τὰ ἀνάκτορα εἰσελεύσεως (ἐπανῄει γὰρ ἤδη ἀπὸ τῆς τοῦ Ῥομπέρτου μάχης καὶ τῶν πολλῶν ἐκείνων πολέμων καὶ κόπων) ταῖς ὠδῖσι συνεχομένη σταυροῦ τύπον τῇ γαστρὶ ἐνσημήνασα ἔφη· «Μεῖνον ἔτι, παιδίον, τὴν τοῦ πατρὸς ἄφιξιν». Πολλὰ δὲ αὐτήν, ὡς ἔλεγεν, ἡ πρωτοβεστιαρία καὶ μήτηρ αὐτῆς καταμεμψαμένη ἔφη μετ' ὀργῆς· «Εἰ δὲ μετὰ μῆνα ἐλεύσε ται, οἶδας; Καὶ πῶς αὐτὴ τοσαύταις ὀδύναις ἐγκαρτε ρήσεις;» Ἀλλὰ ταῦτα μὲν ἡ ἐκείνης μήτηρ· τὸ δέ γε τῆς βασιλίδος ἐπίταγμα πέρας εἰλήφει, ὅπερ κἀν τῇ γαστρὶ τὴν εἰς τὸ μέλλον πρὸς τοὺς γειναμένους εὔνοιαν ἀριδήλως ὑπεσημαίνετο. Καὶ γὰρ μετὰ ταῦτα εἰς ἡλικίαν ἐπιδεδω κυῖα καὶ ἀπολαβοῦσα τὸ φρονοῦν καθαρῶς φιλομήτωρ κατὰ ταὐτὸν ἐγεγόνειν καὶ φιλοπάτωρ. Καὶ μάρτυρες τοιούτου τοῦ ἤθους εἰσί μοι πολλοὶ μὲν τῶν ἀνθρώπων, ἤδη δὲ καὶ πάντες ὁπόσοι τἀμὰ γινώσκουσι, προσεπιμαρτυρούντων αὐτοῖς καὶ τῶν πολλῶν μου ὑπὲρ τῶν γονέων ἄθλων καὶ καμάτων καὶ τῶν κινδύνων ἐκείνων, εἰς οὓς ἐμαυτὴν διὰ τὸ πρὸς ἐκείνους φίλτρον ἐνέβαλον, ἀφειδήσασα μὲν καὶ τιμῆς καὶ χρημάτων καὶ αὐτῆς τῆς