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besieging near and further from the city of Dyrrachium, sometimes with Roman armies confronting him, and sometimes with an absence of those who might hinder him. And with many wars and tumults and killings arising, as was said above, he turned his attention to the siege itself of the city of Dyrrachium. 12.9.4 But before coming to that particular battle for Dyrrachium of the tyrant Bohemond, it is necessary to describe the position of the city. It lies on the very shores of the Adriatic sea; and in the middle is spread out a great and long sea, extending in width to the opposite shore of the Italians, and in length going up and bending towards the east and towards the north to the Vetonian barbarians, opposite whom lies the land of the Apulians. And so, in general, the Adriatic ends here; however, Dyrrachium or Epidamnus, an ancient and Greek city, lies below Lissus and to its left-hand parts, while Lissus is above and more to the right. 12.9.5 As for this Lissus, whether it was named after some river called Lissus that joins the great river Drimon, or whether the town was simply so named, I cannot say for certain. Lissus is a lofty town and very difficult to capture, looking down upon Dyrrachium and the plains around it, as they say, and so secure that it could render great assistance to Dyrrachium from both the mainland and the sea. And by making full use of this town, Lissus, to aid the city of Epidamnus, the emperor Alexius secured the city of Dyrrachium from both the river Drimon, which happened to be navigable, and from the mainland, bringing in necessary supplies from land and sea, both for the sustenance of the soldiers and inhabitants there, and whatever was suitable for arms and battles. 12.9.6 This river Drimon, so that I might add something to the history of this stream, flows from above from the Lychnitis lake, which the present tongue, having barbarized it, has named Achrida, from [and] Mokros through some hundred trenches, which we call bridges. For divided rivers flow out as if from various sources of the lake, and coming to one hundred do not cease, and then uniting with the river at Deure, from which it is also named Drimon, and becoming continuous with it, they both widen it and make it very great. This river, passing by the furthest of the Dalmatians and going up towards the north, then bends towards the south and, arriving at the roots of Lissus, empties into the Adriatic gulf. 12.9.7 Let these things be written concerning the position of Dyrrachium and Lissus and the security of both places; but the emperor, still lingering in the imperial city, having learned through letters from the doux of Dyrrachium of Bohemond's crossing, hastened his departure. For the doux of Dyrrachium, being sleepless, giving no sleep at all to his eyes, when he learned that Bohemond had sailed across to the plain of Illyricum and disembarked from his ship and pitched his camp somewhere there, sent for a winged Scythian, <this> indeed being the saying, and reported his crossing to the emperor. Who, having found the emperor returning from the hunt, entered at a run and, bowing his head to the ground, loudly proclaimed the crossing of Bohemond. All those present were therefore frozen, each where he happened to be, and were benumbed at the mere name of Bohemond. But the emperor, being full of spirit and high-mindedness, loosening the strap of his sandal, said: "For the present, let us turn to lunch; we shall consider the matters concerning Bohemond afterwards."

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ἐγγὺς καὶ πορρω τέρω τῆς πόλεως ∆υρραχίου πολιορκῶν, καὶ ποτὲ μὲν ὑπαντιαζόντων αὐτῷ στρατευμάτων ῥωμαϊκῶν, ποτὲ δὲ καὶ ἐρημίας οὔσης τῶν ἀποκωλυόντων αὐτόν. Καὶ πολέμων πολλῶν καὶ κλόνων ἐγγινομένων καὶ φόνων, καθάπερ ἄνωθεν εἴρηται, πρὸς τὴν πολιορκίαν αὐτὴν τῆς πόλεως ∆υρρα χίου ἀπέβλεψεν. 12.9.4 Ἀλλὰ πρὶν ἥκειν εἰς αὐτὴν ἐκείνην τὴν ἐπὶ τῷ ∆υρραχίῳ μάχην τοῦ τυράννου Βαϊμούντου, ἀναγκαῖόν ἐστιν εἰπεῖν ὅπως ἔχει θέσεως ἡ πόλις. Κεῖται μὲν ἐπ' αὐταῖς ᾐόσι τοῦ Ἀδριαντικοῦ πελάγους· ἐν τῷ μέσῳ δὲ ὑφήπλωται πέλαγος πολὺ καὶ μακρὸν καὶ κατὰ πλάτος μὲν παρατεῖνον εἰς τὴν περαίαν τῶν Ἰταλῶν, κατὰ μῆκος δὲ ἀνιὸν καὶ ἐπικάμπτον πρὸς ἀνατολάς τε καὶ πρὸς βορρᾶν πρὸς τοὺς Οὐέτονας βαρβάρους, ὧν καταντι κρὺ κεῖται τῶν Ἀπουληίων ἡ χώρα. Καὶ καθόλου μὲν ὁ Ἀδρίας ὧδε περατοῦται· τὸ μέντοι ∆υρράχιον ἢ Ἐπίδαμνος, ἀρχαία πόλις καὶ ἑλληνίς, κατωτέρω μὲν κεῖται τοῦ Ἐλισσοῦ καὶ πρὸς τὰ εὐώνυμα μέρη τούτου, ἀνωτέρω δὲ ὁ Ἐλισσὸς καὶ δεξιώτερος. 12.9.5 Οὗτος δὲ ὁ Ἐλισσός, εἴτε ἀπό τινος ποταμοῦ Ἐλισσοῦ ὀνομαζομένου συμμιγνυ μένου τῷ ∆ρυμόνι μεγίστῳ ποταμῷ, εἴτε οὕτως ἁπλῶς τὸ πολίχνιον ὠνόμαστο, οὐκ ἔχω σαφῶς εἰπεῖν. Ὁ δὲ Ἐλισσὸς μετέωρόν ἐστι πολίχνιον καὶ πάντη δυσάλωτον, κάτω καὶ περὶ τὰς πεδιάδας ὁρῶν τὸ ∆υρράχιον, ὡς λέγουσι, τοιοῦ τον δὲ ἀσφαλές, ὥστε καὶ ἠπειρόθεν καὶ ἐκ θαλάττης πολ λὴν ἀρωγὴν ποιεῖν ∆υρραχίῳ. Ὥι πολιχνίῳ, τῷ Ἐλισσῷ, καὶ ἀποχρησάμενος ὁ αὐτοκράτωρ Ἀλέξιος εἰς βοήθειαν τῆς πόλεως Ἐπιδάμνου, ἀπό τε τοῦ ποταμοῦ ∆ρυμόνος ναυσιπόρου τυγχάνοντος καὶ ἀπὸ τῆς ἠπείρου τὴν πόλιν ∆υρραχίου κατησφαλίσατο, τὰ χρειώδη ἐκ γῆς καὶ θαλάτ της εἰσάγων, ὅσα τε εἰς τροφὴν τῶν αὐτόθι στρατιωτῶν τε καὶ οἰκητόρων, καὶ ὅσα πρὸς ὅπλα καὶ μάχας ἦν ἐπιτήδεια. 12.9.6 Ὁ δὲ ∆ρυμὼν οὗτος ὁ ποταμός, ἵνα τι καὶ περὶ τοῦ ῥεύματος τούτου προσιστορήσαιμι, ῥεῖ μὲν ἄνωθεν ἀπὸ τῆς Λυχνίτιδος λίμνης, ἣν ἡ νῦν γλῶττα ἐκβαρβαρώσασα Ἀχρίδα προσηγόρευσεν, ἀπὸ [δὲ] Μόκρου διά τινων τάφρων ἑκατόν, ἃς γεφύρας ἐπονομάζομεν. Καὶ γὰρ ἀπορ ρέουσιν ὥσπερ ἀπό τινων ἀρχῶν διαφόρων τῆς λίμνης διῃρημένοι ποταμοὶ καὶ εἰς ἑκατὸν ἥκοντες οὐ λήγουσι, κᾆθ' οὕτως τῷ ποταμῷ τῷ κατὰ τὴν ∆εύρην ἑνούμενοι, ἐξ οὗ καὶ ∆ρυμὼν ἐπονομάζεται, καὶ συνεχεῖς αὐτῷ γινόμενοι πλατύνουσί τε αὐτὸν καὶ μέγιστον ἐξεργάζονται. Ὃς τοὺς ἐσχάτους τῶν ∆αλματῶν παραμείβων καὶ πρὸς βορρᾶν ἀνιὼν ἔπειτα ἐπικάμπτει πρὸς νότον καί, περὶ τὰς ῥίζας τοῦ Ἐλισσοῦ γινόμενος, εἰς τὸν Ἀδριαντικὸν ἐκδίδωσι κόλπον. 12.9.7 Ταῦτα μὲν περί τε τῆς θέσεως ∆υρραχίου καὶ Ἐλισσοῦ καὶ τῆς ἀσφαλείας ἑκατέρων τῶν τόπων γεγράφθω· ὁ δὲ βασιλεύς, ἔτι εἰς τὴν βασιλεύουσαν ἐνδιατρίβων, μεμαθηκὼς διὰ γραφῶν τοῦ δουκὸς ∆υρραχίου τὴν τοῦ Βαϊμούντου διαπεραίωσιν ἐπετάχυνε τὴν ἐξέλευσιν. Ἀνύστακτος γὰρ ὢν ὁ δοὺξ ∆υρραχίου, μὴ διδοὺς τὸ παράπαν ὕπνον τοῖς ὀφθαλμοῖς, ὁπηνίκα διέγνω διαπλῳσάμενον τὸν Βαϊμοῦντον παρὰ τὴν τοῦ Ἰλλυρικοῦ πεδιάδα καὶ τῆς νηὸς ἀποβε βηκότα καὶ αὐτόθι που πηξάμενον χάρακα, Σκύθην μετα πεμψάμενος ὑπόπτερον, <τοῦτο> δὴ τὸ τοῦ λόγου, πρὸς τὸν αὐτοκράτορα τὴν τούτου διαπεραίωσιν ἐδήλου. Ὃς ἐπα νιόντα τὸν αὐτοκράτορα τοῦ κυνηγεσίου καταλαβών, δρο μαῖος εἰσελθὼν καὶ προσουδίσας τὴν κεφαλήν, τὴν τοῦ Βαϊμούντου διαπεραίωσιν τρανῶς ἐβόα. Ἅπαντες μὲν οὖν οἱ τότε παρόντες ἐπάγησαν, οὗπερ ἕκαστος ἔτυχε, καὶ πρὸς μόνην τὴν τοῦ Βαϊμούντου κλῆσιν ἀποναρκήσαντες. Ὁ δὲ αὐτοκράτωρ, πλήρης θυμοῦ καὶ φρονήματος ὤν, λύων τὸν ἱμάντα τοῦ ὑποδήματος· «Πρὸς ἄριστον, ἔφη, τὸ παρὸν τραπώμεθα· τὰ δέ γε κατὰ τὸν Βαϊμοῦντον αὖθις κατασκεψόμεθα».