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she urged them to work and deeds, so that from this they might provide for their needs, and not, having collapsed through idleness, wander from door to door begging. 12.3.10 No occasion kept the empress from such work. David, then, is seen mixing his drink with weeping; but this empress, mixing both food and drink with mercy, was shown to do so every day. And I would have much to say about this empress, if being her daughter did not give rise to the suspicion of falsehood and that we are favoring a mother. But for those who suspect these things, I will provide the facts to bear joint witness with my words.

12.4.1 When those from the western regions learned that the emperor had reached Thessalonica, just as heavy bodies are borne to the center, so indeed did they all flock to him. A locust, then, did not precede the Celts as it did for those who passed through before; but a great comet appeared in the sky, the greatest of those that had ever appeared, which some said was a beam, others a javelin. For it was necessary that some premonitory preludes of the extraordinary events about to be newly wrought should be signified from above. For it was possible to see it shining brightly for forty whole days and nights; and it appeared coming out from the western parts and extending towards the rising of the sun. All who beheld it were terrified and sought to know of what things the star was a messenger. 12.4.2 But the emperor, paying no attention at all to such things, but believing such things to depend on some natural cause, nevertheless asked those skilled in such matters. And having sent for Basil, who had formerly held the dignity of the province of Byzantium (a man who showed great goodwill towards the emperor), he inquired about the star that had appeared. He promised to keep his answer until the next day, and having gone away to where he was lodging (this was a sanctuary built long ago in the name of the evangelist John), when the sun was toward the west, he observed the star. But being perplexed and weary in his reasonings, it happened that he fell asleep and then saw the saint dressed in priestly attire. And having become overjoyed, it no longer seemed a dream, but that he saw him awake. And so, recognizing the saint, he became fearful and with hesitation asked him to make known of what things the star was a messenger. He said that it signified a movement of the Celts; "And its being extinguished," he said, "indicates their destruction on the spot." 12.4.3 But such were the things concerning the star that appeared; and the emperor, having reached Thessalonica, as the account has already stated, was preparing for the crossing of Bohemond, training the new recruits to draw the bow and shoot arrows at a target and to be protected by a shield, and also preparing foreign forces from other lands by letters, so that, whenever the time called, they might arrive more quickly. He had also taken great care of Illyricum, securing the city of Dyrrachium and appointing as its governor Alexius, the second son of Isaac the sebastocrator. At the same time, he also ordered a fleet to be equipped from the Cyclades islands and the coastal cities of Asia and of Europe itself; and though many tried to hinder the building of the fleet because the crossing of Bohemond was not yet pressing, he nevertheless was not persuaded, saying that a general must be a sleepless guard and prepare not only for things at hand, but also see things far off, and not, through sparing of money when the occasion calls, appear unprepared, and especially whenever he perceives an enemy attack. 12.4.4 Having therefore arranged these things most skillfully, he departed from there and reached Stroumpitza, and from there again as far as Slopimos. And having learned also of the defeat of John, the son of the sebastocrator, against the Dalmatians

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ἔργα καὶ πράξεις προὐτρέπετο, ἵν' ἐντεῦθεν τὰ πρὸς χρείαν κομίζοιντο, καὶ μὴ δι' ἀμέλειαν ἀναπεπτωκότας θύραν ἐκ θύρας ἐπαιτοῦντας περινοστεῖν. 12.3.10 Καιρὸς δὲ οὐδεὶς τῆς τοιαύτης ἐργασίας ἀπεῖργε τὴν βασιλίδα. Ὁ μὲν οὖν ∆αυὶδ μετὰ κλαυθμοῦ τὸ πόμα κιρνῶν φαίνεται· ἡ δέ γε βασιλὶς αὕτη καὶ τροφὴν καὶ ποτὸν ἐλέῳ συγκεραννῦσα καθ' ἑκάστην ἐδείκνυτο. Καὶ πολλὰ ἂν εἶχον εἰπεῖν περὶ ταύτης τῆς βασιλίδος, εἰ μὴ τὸ θυγάτριον εἶναι ψεύδους παρεῖχεν ὑπόνοιαν καὶ ὅτι μητρὶ χαριζόμεθα. Πρὸς δὲ τοὺς ταῦτα ὑπονοοῦντας παρέξομαι τοῖς λόγοις συνεπιμαρτυροῦντα τὰ πράγματα.

12.4.1 Τὸν δέ γε αὐτοκράτορα τὴν Θεσσαλονίκην καταλα βόντα μεμαθηκότες οἱ ἐκ τῶν ἑσπερίων λήξεων, καθάπερ τὰ βαρέα τῶν σωμάτων ἐπὶ κέντρα φέρεται, οὕτω δὴ καὶ ἅπαντες πρὸς αὐτὸν ἐφοίτων. Ἀκρὶς μὲν οὖν οὐ προηγή σατο τῶν Κελτῶν καθαπερεὶ τῶν πρότερον διελθόντων· ἐν οὐρανῷ δὲ κομήτης ἐφάνη μέγας καὶ τῶν πάλαι φανέντων ὁ μέγιστος, ὃν οἱ μὲν δοκίδα, οἱ δ' ἀκοντίαν ἔφασαν εἶναι. Ἔδει γὰρ τῶν μελλόντων καινισθῆναι ξενοπρεπῶν πραγμά των προοίμιά τινα προκαταγγελτικὰ τούτων μηνυθῆναι ἄνωθεν. Καὶ γὰρ ἦν τοῦτον θεᾶσθαι ἐπὶ τεσσαράκοντα νυχθημέροις ὅλοις παμφαίνοντα· ἐφαίνετο δὲ ἀπὸ τῶν δυτικῶν μερῶν ἐξιὼν καὶ πρὸς ἀνατολὰς ἡλίου διήκων. Ὃν οἱ θεώμενοι ἅπαντες ἐκδειματούμενοι ἐζήτουν, τίνων ὁ ἀστὴρ ἄγγελός ἐστιν. 12.4.2 Ὁ δὲ αὐτοκράτωρ μηδὲ πάνυ τοῖς τοιούτοις προσέχων, ἀλλὰ φυσικῆς τινος ἐξηρτῆσθαι τὰ τοιαῦτα αἰτίας δοξάζων, ὅμως ἠρώτα τοὺς περὶ τὰ τοιαῦτα δεινούς. Μεταπεμψάμενος δὲ καὶ τὸν τῆς ἐπαρ χίας τοῦ Βυζαντίου τὴν ἀξίαν πρῴην εἰληφότα Βασίλειον (ἀνὴρ δὲ οὗτος πολλὴν τὴν περὶ τὸν αὐτοκράτορα εὔνοιαν ἐνδεικνύμενος) περὶ τοῦ φανέντος ἀστέρος ἐπυνθάνετο. Ὁ δὲ ἐς νέωτα φυλάξειν ἐπηγγείλατο τὴν ἀπόκρισιν καὶ ἀπελθὼν οὗ κατέλυε (τέμενος δὲ τοῦτο ἐπ' ὀνόματι τοῦ εὐαγγελιστοῦ Ἰωάννου πάλαι ἀνοικοδομηθέν), ἐπεὶ πρὸς δυσμὰς ὁ ἥλιος ἦν, περιεσκόπει τὸν ἀστέρα. ∆ιαπορουμένῳ δὲ καὶ καμόντι τοῖς λογισμοῖς ὑπνῶσαι συμβεβήκει καὶ τηνικαῦτα τὸν ἅγιον θεάσασθαι ἱερατικῶς ἐσταλμένον. Ὁ δὲ περιχαρὴς γεγονὼς οὐκέτ' ὄναρ ἐδόκει, ἀλλ' ὕπαρ ὁρᾶν. Ἔνθεν τοι καὶ γνωρίσας τὸν ἅγιον, ἔμφοβος γενόμενος, μεθ' ὑποστολῆς ᾐτεῖτο τίνων ἀγγελτικὸς ὁ ἀστήρ ἐστι γνωρίσαι οἱ. Ὁ δὲ Κελτῶν κίνησιν προσημαίνειν τοῦτον ἔφη· «Τὸ δὲ σβέννυσθαι τὴν τούτων αὐτοῦ που κατάλυσιν δηλοῖ.» 12.4.3 Ἀλλὰ περὶ μὲν τοῦ φανέντος ἀστέρος τοιαῦτα· ὁ δὲ βασιλεὺς τὴν Θεσσαλονίκην καταλαβών, ὡς ὁ λόγος φθάσας ἐδήλωσεν, ἡτοιμάζετο πρὸς τὴν τοῦ Βαϊμούντου διαπεραίωσιν ἐκπαιδεύων μὲν τοὺς νεολέκτους τόξον τε τείνειν καὶ βέλη κατὰ σκοποῦ πέμπειν καὶ περιφράττεσθαι θυρεῷ, ἀλλὰ καὶ ξενικὰς ἐξ ἀλλοδαπῶν διὰ γραμμάτων παρασκευάζων δυνάμεις, ἵν', ὁπηνίκα καιρὸς καλοίη, θᾶττον παραγένωνται. Πολλὴν δὲ καὶ τοῦ Ἰλλυρικοῦ ἐπεποίητο πρόνοιαν τήν τε πόλιν τὸ ∆υρράχιον ἀσφαλισάμενος καὶ ἡγεμόνα ταύτης τὸν δεύτερον υἱὸν Ἰσαακίου τοῦ σεβαστοκράτορος Ἀλέξιον καταστησάμενος. Ἅμα δὲ κἀκ τῶν Κυκλάδων νήσων καὶ τῶν παρὰ θάλασσαν τῆς Ἀσίας πόλεων καὶ αὐτῆς τῆς Εὐρώπης στόλον παρε κελεύσατο ἀπαρτίσαι· πολλῶν δὲ παρεμποδιζόντων τὴν τοῦ στόλου κτίσιν διὰ τὸ μήπω τὴν τοῦ Βαϊμούντου κατε πείγειν διαπεραίωσιν, ὁ δ' ὅμως οὐκ ἐπείθετο λέγων δεῖν εἶναι τὸν στρατηγὸν ἀνύστακτον φύλακα καὶ μὴ πρὸς τὰ ἐν ποσὶ μόνον παρασκευάζεσθαι, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὰ πόρρω ὁρᾶν μήτε μὴν φειδοῖ χρημάτων καιροῦ καλοῦντος ἀνέτοιμον φαίνεσθαι, καὶ μᾶλλον ὁπηνίκα ἔφοδον ἐχθροῦ αἴσθηται. 12.4.4 Ταῦτα τοίνυν δεξιώτατα διαθέμενος, ἐκεῖθεν μετανα στὰς καταλαμβάνει τὴν Στρούμπιτζαν, κἀκεῖθεν αὖθις ἄχρι τοῦ Σλοπίμου. Μεμαθηκὼς δὲ καὶ τὴν Ἰωάννου τοῦ υἱοῦ τοῦ σεβαστοκράτορος ἧτταν κατὰ τῶν ∆αλματῶν