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he reaches, and, having sought out Alexios, the son of the sebastokrator Isaac, who was guarding the city, he reported the messages sent by the emperor to both him and the picked soldiers who had gone down with him. For they were not able to lean out of the wall because of the emperor's device that had been placed from above around the battlements of Dyrrachium. For certain planks, unnailed, constructed for this very purpose, were cleverly placed around the battlements of the fortress, so that those of the Latins perhaps attempting to climb up by ladders, whenever they might step on the battlements, would not stand firmly, but would then slip with the planks themselves and fall inside, just as has been said. So Euphorbenos, having spoken with these men and reported the emperor's messages and filled them with courage, and having asked about the fortress and ascertained that their affairs had been managed in the best way, as they had sufficient provisions for their needs and regarded Bohemond's siege engines as nothing, he overtakes Bohemond, who had made camp where he had previously said, and having joined him, he took the road leading to the emperor. But the rest of the envoys, according to what had been promised beforehand, were left behind with the men of Guy. 13.10.3 But Manuel sends Modenos ahead, who was the most faithful and most loyal of his servants, to the emperor, announcing Bohemond's arrival to him. And when he had come near the imperial tent, the preparations for his reception had also been made, as the envoys had agreed with him. And when this man entered, the emperor stretched out his hand, and taking his hand and making the customary greeting for emperors, had him stand near the imperial throne. 13.10.4 The man was of such a kind that, to put it briefly, no one like him had been seen in the land of the Romans, neither barbarian nor Greek; for he was a wonder to the eyes when seen, and a cause of astonishment when famed. To describe the barbarian's appearance in detail, he was so tall in the stature of his body that he surpassed the tallest men by nearly one cubit, slender in his stomach and his flanks, and broad in his shoulders and chest, and strong in his arms, and in the whole build of his body neither too lean nor weighed down with flesh, but perfectly proportioned and, so to speak, formed according to the canon of Polyclitus; his hands were large, and the bases of his feet firm, and his neck and his back were well-knit. And he seemed slightly stooped to one who examined him closely, not because any of the vertebrae of his spine were injured, but so, it seems, he had been formed moderately from birth. In complexion he was very white over the rest of his body, but his face had a flush of red with the white. And his hair was somewhat blond, but it did not hang down to his back like the other barbarians; for the man was not obsessed with his hair, but it was cut short to his ears. Whether his beard was reddish or some other color, I cannot say; for the razor had passed over it more closely than any plaster; but it seemed to be reddish too. His gaze was blue-grey, signifying both spirit and severity. And his nose and nostrils breathed the air freely; the breadth of his chest corresponded to his nostrils, and his nostrils to the breadth of his chest. For nature had given passages through his nostrils for the breath seething from his heart. 13.10.5 And a certain charm appeared in this man, but it was diminished by the terrors from all sides. For the man was wholly unyielding and savage throughout his whole body, from his size and from his gaze, it seems to me, and his laughter was a snort of rage to others. He was so disposed in soul and body that both passion and love were armed in him, and both looked toward

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καταλαμβάνει καί, τὸν φυλάσσοντα τὴν πόλιν Ἀλέξιον τὸν υἱὸν Ἰσαακίου τοῦ σεβαστοκράτορος ἀναζητήσας, ἀπήγ γειλε τὰ παρὰ τοῦ αὐτοκράτορος διαμηνυθέντα πρὸς αὐτόν τε καὶ τοὺς συγκατελθόντας μετ' αὐτοῦ λογάδας τῶν στρατιωτῶν. Καὶ γὰρ οὐκ ἠδύναντο τοῦ τείχους προκύπτειν διὰ τὴν γεγενημένην ἄνωθεν περὶ τὰ κρήδεμνα τοῦ ∆υρραχίου μηχανὴν τοῦ αὐτοκράτορος. Σανίδες γάρ τινες περὶ τὰς ἐπάλξεις τοῦ κάστρου εὐμηχάνως ἐτέθησαν ἐπὶ τούτῳ αὐτῷ κατασκευασθεῖσαι ἀνήλωτοι, ὥστε τοὺς ἴσως ἀπὸ τῶν Λατίνων διὰ κλιμάκων ἀναρριχᾶσθαι πειρω μένους, ἐπὰν τῶν ἐπάλξεων ἐπιβαῖεν, μὴ ἐστηριγμένους ἵστασθαι, ἀλλὰ σὺν αὐταῖς σανίσι διολισθαίνειν τηνικαῦτα καὶ πίπτειν ἐντός, καθά γε καὶ εἴρηται. Τούτοις οὖν ὁμι λήσας ὁ Εὐφορβηνὸς καὶ τὰ τοῦ βασιλέως μηνύματα ἀπαγ γείλας καὶ θάρσους ἐμπλήσας αὐτοὺς ἐρωτήσας τε τὰ περὶ τοῦ κάστρου καὶ διαγνοὺς τὰ κατ' αὐτοὺς ἀρίστης τετυχη κέναι οἰκονομίας, ὡς τῶν πρὸς χρείαν αὐτάρκως ἔχοντας καὶ παρ' οὐδὲν τὰς τοῦ Βαϊμούντου λογιζομένους μηχανάς, καταλαμβάνει τὸν Βαϊμοῦντον τὴν ταφρείαν, ἔνθα προεῖπε, ποιησάμενον καὶ ἑνωθεὶς αὐτῷ τῆς πρὸς τὸν βασιλέα φερούσης εἴχετο. Οἱ δ' ἐπίλοιποι τῶν πρέσβεων κατὰ τὰ προϋπεσχημένα μετὰ τῶν Γίδου κατελείφθησαν. 13.10.3 Μα νουὴλ δὲ τὸν Μοδηνόν, πιστότατόν τε καὶ εὐνούστατον τῶν αὐτοῦ θεραπόντων ὑπάρχοντα, προαποστέλλει πρὸς τὸν βασιλέα τὴν πρὸς αὐτὸν τοῦ Βαϊμούντου ἀπαγγέλλοντα ἔλευσιν. Ἐπεὶ δὲ ἀγχοῦ τῆς βασιλικῆς ἐγεγόνει σκηνῆς, παρεσκεύαστο καὶ τὰ τῆς αὐτοῦ ὑπαντῆς, καθὼς οἱ πρέσβεις τούτῳ συνέθεντο. Εἰσελθόντος δὲ τούτου, ἐκτεί νας τὴν χεῖρα ὁ βασιλεὺς καὶ τῆς ἐκείνου ἁψάμενος χει ρὸς καὶ τὴν συνήθη τοῖς βασιλεῦσι προσαγόρευσιν ποιησά μενος, ἐγγὺς τοῦ βασιλικοῦ παρεστήσατο θρόνου. 13.10.4 Ἦν δὲ τοιοῦτος ὁ ἀνὴρ οἷος, ὡς ἐν βραχεῖ μὲν εἰπεῖν, οὐδεὶς κατ' ἐκεῖνον ὤφθη ἐν τῇ τῶν Ῥωμαίων γῇ οὔτε βάρβαρος οὔτε Ἕλλην· θάμβος γὰρ ἦν ὀφθαλμῶν ὁρώμενος καὶ φημι ζόμενος ἔκπληξις. Κατὰ μέρος δὲ ὑπογράψαι τὸ τοῦ βαρβάρου εἶδος, τοιόσδε μακρὸς ἦν τὴν ἀναδρομὴν τοῦ σώματος ὥστε εἰς πῆχυν ἕνα μικροῦ τοὺς μακροτάτους ὑπερελαύνειν, τὴν γαστέρα συνεσταλμένος καὶ τὰς λαγό νας, καὶ τοὺς ὤμους καὶ τὰ στέρνα πλατὺς καὶ τοὺς βρα χίονας καρτερός, καὶ τὴν ὅλην ἕξιν τοῦ σώματος οὔτε περιεπτισμένος οὔτε περιβριθόμενος ταῖς σαρξίν, ἀλλ' ὡς ἄριστα κεκραμένος καὶ οἷον εἰπεῖν κατὰ τὸν Πολυκλείτειον κανόνα ἐνηρμοσμένος· τὰς χεῖρας ἁδρὸς καὶ τῶν ποδῶν τὰς βάσεις στερρὸς καὶ τὸν αὐχένα καὶ τὰ μετάφρενα εὐπαγής. Ὑποκεκυφὼς δὲ μετρίως τῷ ἀκριβῶς αὐτὸν περιεργαζομένῳ ἐφαίνετο, οὐ τῶν νωτιαίων σπονδύλων τι πεπονθότων τῆς ῥάχεως, ἀλλ' οὕτω μετρίως ἐκ γενετῆς, ὡς ἔοικε, τὴν διάπλασιν ἔσχηκε. Τὸ χρῶμα κατὰ τὸ ἄλλο μὲν σῶμα λευκότατος, τὸ δὲ πρόσωπον μετὰ τοῦ λευκοῦ ἐπυρσοῦτο. Καὶ ἡ κόμη ὑπόξανθος, ἀλλ' οὐ μὲν οὖν μέχρι τῶν μεταφρένων αἰωρουμένη κατὰ τοὺς ἄλλους βαρβάρους· οὐ γὰρ ἐτριχομάνει ὁ ἀνήρ, ἀλλὰ κουρίας ἦν μέχρι τῶν ὤτων. Τὸ δὲ γένειον εἴτε πυρσὸν εἴτε ἄλλο τι χρῶμα εἶχεν, οὐκ ἔχω λέγειν· ὁ ξυρὸς γὰρ ἐπεξῆλθεν αὐτὸ καὶ τιτάνου παντὸς ἀκριβέστερον· ἐδόκει δ' οὖν εἶναι καὶ τοῦτο πυρσόν. Τὸ βλέμμα γλαυκὸν καὶ ἅμα θυμὸν καὶ ἐμβρίθειαν ὑποση μαῖνον. Καὶ ἡ ῥὶς αὐτῷ καὶ ὁ μυκτὴρ ἐλεύθερον ἔπνει τὸν ἀέρα· συνηγόρει δὲ τῷ μυκτῆρι διὰ τῶν στέρνων καὶ διὰ τοῦ μυκτῆρος τὴν τῶν στέρνων εὐρύτητα. Ἡ γὰρ φύσις διεξόδους ἐδεδώκει διὰ τῶν ῥινῶν τοῦ ἀπὸ τῆς καρδίας παφλάζοντος πνεύματος. 13.10.5 Ἡδὺ δέ τι καὶ ἐνεφαίνετο τῷ ἀνδρὶ τούτῳ, ἀλλὰ τοῖς ἁπανταχόθεν φοβεροῖς ὑπεθραύ ετο. Ὅλος γὰρ δι' ὅλου τοῦ σώματος ἀμείλικτος ἦν καὶ θηριώδης ὁ ἄνθρωπος ἀπὸ τοῦ μεγέθους ἀπό τε βλέμματος, δοκεῖ μοι, καὶ ὁ γέλως αὐτοῦ τοῖς ἄλλοις ἐμβρίμημα ἦν. Οὕτως εἶχε ψυχῆς τε καὶ σώματος ὡς καὶ τὸν θυμὸν ἐν τούτῳ κορύσσεσθαι καὶ τὸν ἔρωτα, καὶ ἀμφοτέρους ὁρᾶν πρὸς