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I observed that he did not run far from doing what is right in all his words and actions; for whenever anyone departs from the mean, toward whichever of the extremes he might incline, he stands far from virtue. 10.11.5 The emperor therefore, having summoned Bohemond, also demanded from him the oath customary for the Latins. But he, knowing his own circumstances, and that he was neither descended from illustrious ancestors nor had an abundance of money, and for this reason not many forces either, but that the Celts following him were very few, and being otherwise a perjurer by nature, very readily submitted to the will of the emperor. And so the emperor, setting aside a certain small room near the palace, spread on the floor every kind of wealth, ... and of clothes and of stamped gold and silver and of baser material, having filled the room so much that no one was even able to walk, being impeded by the quantity of these things. And he commanded the one who was about to show these things to Bohemond to throw open the doors suddenly. But he, amazed at the sight of these things, says: "If I had so much money, I myself would long ago have been lord of many lands." And the other said: "Today the emperor bestows all these things on you as a gift." 10.11.6 He, receiving these things with great joy and having given thanks, went away to rest where he was lodging. But when these things were brought to him, the one who was previously amazed changed his mind and said: "I never expected such an insult to me from the emperor; therefore take these things and carry them back to the one who sent them." But the emperor, knowing the naturally fickle nature of the Latins, replied with the popular saying: "Let a bad thing return to its own master." When Bohemond heard this and saw the porters diligently seeking them again, he who was previously sending them away and was annoyed at them changed his mind and showed a cheerful look to the porters, like some octopus changing its shape in a moment. For the man was by nature wicked and sharp in dealing with circumstances, surpassing all the Latins then passing through in wickedness and courage by as much as he was inferior to them in forces and money; but even so he mastered them all by an abundance of villainy, and the fickleness, as a natural attribute of the Latins, accompanied him as well. At any rate, he who had been rejecting the money then received it with great joy. 10.11.7 For being ill-disposed in mind, since he had left his native land possessing no territory at all, ostensibly for the sake of venerating the Holy Sepulchre, but in truth planning to acquire a dominion for himself, and even more, if it were possible for him, to seize even the empire of the Romans itself, following the counsels of his father; and, as the saying goes, "letting out every reef-rope," he needed much money. But the emperor, understanding his hostile and malicious nature, hastened cleverly to remove the things that contributed to the plans smouldering within him. Therefore, when he asked for the Domesticate of the East, he did not obtain his request, playing the Cretan against a Cretan. For the emperor, fearing that Bohemond, having seized power and through it having enslaved all the counts, might in the future easily lead them wherever he wished, and not wanting Bohemond to suspect at all that he had already been found out, fawning on him with good hopes, said: "The time for this is not yet here, but through your energy and loyalty this too will come to pass before long." 10.11.8 Therefore, having conversed with them and having treated them kindly with all sorts of gifts and honors, on the next day he himself sat upon the imperial throne; and having summoned both Bohemond himself and all the counts, he spoke about the things that would happen to them on their way, advising on what was advantageous, teaching them at the same time also the methods which the Turks are accustomed to use in battles, and suggesting how they ought to draw up for battle and set ambushes and not for a long time

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ἐθεασάμην μὴ τοῦ ὀρθῶς τι ποιεῖν πόρρω που ἐν πᾶσι λόγοις καὶ πρακτέοις θέοντα· ὁπηνίκα γάρ τις τῆς μεσό τητος ἐκσταίη, πρὸς ὁπότερον ἂν τῶν ἄκρων νεύσειε, πόρ ρωθεν τῆς ἀρετῆς ἕστηκε. 10.11.5 Μεταπεμψάμενος οὖν τὸν Βαϊμοῦντον ὁ βασιλεὺς τὸν συνήθη τοῖς Λατίνοις καὶ ἐξ αὐτοῦ ἐζήτει ὅρκον. Ὁ δὲ τὰ ἑαυτοῦ ἐπιστάμενος καὶ ὅτι οὔτε ἐκ προγόνων περιφανῶν ἐγεγόνει οὔτε χρημάτων εὐπορίαν εἶχε καὶ διὰ τοῦτο οὐδὲ δυνάμεις πολλάς, ἀλλὰ μετρίους πάνυ τοὺς συνεπομένους αὐτῷ Κελτούς, καὶ ἄλλως δὲ φύσει ἐπίορκος ὤν, μάλα προθύμως τῷ τοῦ αὐτο κράτορος ὑπεῖξε θελήματι. Κᾆθ' οὕτως ὁ βασιλεὺς περὶ τὰ βασίλεια οἰκίσκον τινὰ ἀφορίσας εἰς τοὔδαφος κατέστρωσε παντοῖον εἶδος χρημάτων, ... καὶ ἀμφίων χαράγματός τε χρυσίου καὶ ἀργύρου καὶ τῆς κατωτέρω ὕλης τοσοῦτον πλη ρώσας τὸ οἴκημα, ὡς μηδὲ βαδίζειν δύνασθαί τινα τῷ πλή θει τούτων συμποδιζόμενον. Τῷ δὲ μέλλοντι ὑποδεῖξαι ταῦτα τῷ Βαϊμούντῳ ἐπέταττεν ἀθρόον τὰς πύλας ἀναπε τάσαι. Ὁ δὲ ἐπὶ τῇ τούτων θέᾳ ἐκπλαγείς φησιν· «Εἰ τοσαῦτά μοι προσῆν χρήματα, πολλῶν ἂν χωρῶν κύριος πάλαι ἐγεγόνειν αὐτός». Καὶ ὅς· «Ταῦτά σοι τὴν σήμερον ἀποχαρίζεται ἅπαντα ὁ βασιλεύς». 10.11.6 Ὁ δὲ περιχαρῶς ταῦτα δεξάμενος καὶ εὐχαριστήσας ἀπῄει ἀναπαυθησό μενος οὗ κατέλυσεν. Ἀποκομισθέντων δὲ τούτων αὐτῷ, μεταβαλὼν ὁ πρὶν τεθαυμακὼς ἔφη· «Οὐδέποτε τοιαύτην ἀτιμίαν ἔσεσθαί μοι ἀπὸ τοῦ βασιλέως ἤλπισα· λαβόντες οὖν ταῦτα ἀπαγάγετε τῷ πέμψαντι». Ὁ δὲ βασιλεὺς τὸ φύσει παλίμβουλον τῶν Λατίνων γινώσκων τὸν δημώδη λόγον ἀντέφησε· «Κακὸν πρᾶγμα πρὸς τὸν ἴδιον ἐπανερ χέσθω αὐθέντην». Τοῦτο ὁ Βαϊμοῦντος ἀκούσας καὶ τοὺς ἀποκομίσαντας ἐπιμελῶς ἀναζητοῦντας αὖθις αὐτὰ ὁρῶν μεταβαλὼν ὁ πρὶν ἀποπεμπόμενος ταῦτα καὶ ἀχθόμενος ἐπὶ τούτοις ἱλαρὸν βλέμμα τοῖς ἀποκομισταῖς ἐδείκνυ καθάπερ τις πολύπους μετασχηματιζόμενος ἐν βραχεῖ. Φύσει μὲν γὰρ ἦν ὁ ἀνὴρ πονηρὸς καὶ ὀξὺς πρὸς τὰ συμ πίπτοντα, πονηρίᾳ καὶ ἀνδρείᾳ τοσοῦτον ὑπερέχων ἁπάν των τῶν τότε διερχομένων Λατίνων, ὁπόσον δυνάμεσί τε καὶ χρήμασιν ἥττητο· ἀλλὰ καὶ ὣς πάντων ἐκράτει κακεν τρεχείας περιουσίᾳ, τὸ δὲ παλίμβουλον ὡς φυσικόν τι τῶν Λατίνων παρακολούθημα παρείπετο καὶ αὐτῷ. Τὰ γοῦν χρήματα ὁ ἀπωθούμενος περιχαρῶς τηνικαῦτα ἐλάμβανε. 10.11.7 ∆ύσνους γὰρ ὢν τὴν γνώμην, ἐπεὶ μηδὲ χώραν ὅλως κεκτημένος τῆς ἐνεγκαμένης ἐξῄει τῷ μὲν φαινομένῳ χάριν τῆς τοῦ ἁγίου τάφου προσκυνήσεως, τῇ δ' ἀληθείᾳ ἀρχὴν ἑαυτῷ περιποιήσασθαι προμηθευόμενος καὶ μᾶλλον, εἰ γένοιτό οἱ, καὶ αὐτῆς τῆς βασιλείας Ῥωμαίων ἐπιδρά ξασθαι χρωμένῳ ταῖς τοῦ πατρὸς ὑποθημοσύναις· καὶ πάντα κάλων τὸ τοῦ λόγου κινοῦντι, πολλῶν ἐδεῖτο χρημά των. Ὁ δὲ αὐτοκράτωρ τὸ δύσνουν καὶ κακόηθες αὐτοῦ ἐπιστάμενος ἔσπευδε τὰ συναιρόμενα πρὸς τοὺς ὑποτυφο μένους αὐτῷ λογισμοὺς εὐφυῶς περιαιρεῖν. ∆ιὸ καὶ τὸ δομεστικάτον αἰτούμενος τῆς ἀνατολῆς οὐκ ἔτυχε τῆς αἰτήσεως πρὸς Κρῆτα κρητίζων. ∆εδιὼς γὰρ ὁ βασιλεύς, μὴ ἐξουσίας δραξάμενος καὶ δι' αὐτῆς δουλαγωγήσας τοὺς κόμητας ἅπαντας ῥᾳδίως περιάγοι τοῦ λοιποῦ, ὅπη βουλη τὸν αὐτῷ ἐστι, μὴ θέλων τε τὸν Βαϊμοῦντον ὑπονοῆσαι ὅλως ὅτι ἤδη πεφώραται, ἐλπίσι χρησταῖς αὐτὸν ὑποσαί νων ἔφη· «Τούτου μὲν καιρὸς οὔπω πάρεστι, διὰ δὲ τῆς σῆς ἐνεργείας καὶ πίστεως μετ' οὐ πολὺ καὶ τοῦτο γενήσεται». 10.11.8 Ὁμιλήσας τοίνυν αὐτοῖς καὶ παντοίαις δωρεαῖς καὶ τιμαῖς φιλοφρονησάμενος τῇ μετ' αὐτὴν αὐτὸς ἐπὶ τοῦ βασιλικοῦ καθῆστο θρόνου· μεταπεμψάμενος δὲ αὐτόν τε τὸν Βαϊμοῦντον καὶ τοὺς κόμητας ἅπαντας περὶ τῶν κατὰ τὴν ὁδὸν αὐτοῖς συμβησομένων ὡμίλει βουλευόμενος τὰ συμφέροντα, ἀναδιδάσκων ἅμα καὶ αἷς εἰώθασιν οἱ Τοῦρκοι χρῆσθαι μεθοδείαις ἐν ταῖς μάχαις καὶ ὑποτιθέμενος ὅπως τε παρατάττεσθαι χρὴ καὶ λόχους καθιστᾶν καὶ μὴ ἐπὶ πολὺ