Free The Dream and the Tomb by Robert Payne Page B

them were peculators. The civil service was corrupt. Alexius I Comnenus was one of the few emperors who was determined to stamp out corruption although he was not always aware of the extent of the corruption.
    He was also one of the few emperors who was popular with the people. This hard-bitten, black-browed and black-bearded man possessed to a quite extraordinary degree a gift for government. He had spent most of his early years soldiering and he was not afraid of taking risks. With the help of the Venetians, he had prevented Robert Guiscard and his son Bohemond from establishing themselves along the Adriatic coast. Once, after losing abattle with Bohemond, he had fled from the battlefield with a detachment of the imperial guards, with a flying column of enemy troops in hot pursuit. Suddenly he reined in his horse and shouted to a companion, “We cannot go on running like this.” He then wheeled around, drew his sword, and waited for the first of his pursuers to catch up with him. The man fell with a sword-thrust in the face. The rest of the pursuers decided they were dealing with a man who was absolutely reckless, and they withdrew. Alexius returned to Constantinople, raised another army, and this time defeated Bohemond decisively, who returned to Italy.
    This was the same Bohemond who was now hurrying to Constantinople, claiming to be a Crusader. Bohemond had raised his small army at his own expense. Alexius was informed of its coming, he had given permission for it to enter his territories, and he was receiving reports on its progress. Bohemond was behaving well; his troops did not plunder, and indeed they had no need to plunder, since provisions were being supplied them by imperial officials. They set out from Dyrrhachium on October 1 and Bohemond, in advance of his troops, reached Constantinople on April 9. The distance from Dyrrhachium to Constantinople, as the crow flies, is five hundred miles: they were advancing at a rate of less than a hundred miles a month. This shows that he was in no particular hurry.
    For Alexius the slow march of Bohemond was something to be thankful for. If Bohemond had joined forces with Godfrey a few weeks earlier at the time of the sudden attack on the walls near the Blachernae Palace, there was no doubt that the battle would have been more hard fought, but there was also no doubt that the Byzantine forces would have been victorious.
    Alexius had no illusions about Bohemond, who was capable of astonishingly audacious acts. He was a brilliant commander in the field and a relentless enemy. Even if he were friendly, it would be impossible to trust him. So he was watched carefully, and because he was well aware of being watched, he behaved in an exemplary manner and took the oath of allegiance, promising to become a proper servant of the emperor. He was playing a role and the emperor knew it. When Bohemond suggested that it might be appropriate for the emperor to appoint him Grand Domestic of the East, or Viceroy of Asia with command of all the armies to the east of Constantinople, Alexius demurred. That Bohemond should request such a position was only one more example of his astonishing audacity.
    Bohemond was lodged in the monastery of St. Cosmas and St. Damian north of the city, overlooking the Golden Horn, at a short distance from the Blachernae Palace. Here the emperor kept a suite of rooms for distinguished guests. Bohemond was accompanied only by his bodyguard, ten knights who rode the best available horses. Anna Comnena tells a story about the first day Bohemond stayed at the monastery. A luxurious table had been prepared for him. A majordomo advanced and said that if Bohemond for whatever reason would prefer to have his own meals preparedrather than eat those offered by the emperor, this was perfectly understandable. The majordomo pointed to a tray of uncooked meats which were at Bohemond’s disposal. Bohemond refused to touch either the cooked or the uncooked meats, though