Bohemond's March to Constantinople

[2.6.1]  Cum imperātor audīsset honestissimum virum Boamundum ad sē vēnisse, iussit eum honōrābiliter recipī, et cautē hospitārī extrā urbem. Quō hospitātō, imperātor mīsit prō eō, ut venīret loquī simul sēcrētō sēcum. Tunc illūc vēnit dux Godefridus cum frātre suō; ac deinde comes Sānctī Egidīī appropinquāvit cīvitātī. Tunc imperātor ānxiāns et bulliēns īrā, cōgitābat quemadmodum callidē fraudulenterque comprehenderet hōs Chrīstī mīlitēs. Sed, dīvīnā grātiā revēlante, neque locus neque nocendī spatium ab eō vel ā suīs inventa sunt. Novissimē vērō congregātī omnēs māiōrēs nātū quī Cōnstantīnopolī erant, timentēs nē suā prīvārentur patriā, repperērunt in suīs cōnsiliīs atque ingeniōsīs schēmatibus quod nostrōrum ducēs, comitēs, seu omnēs māiōrēs, imperātōrī sacrāmentum fidēliter facere dēbērent. Quī omnīnō prohibuērunt, dīxēruntque: “Certē indignī sumus, atque iūstum nōbīs vidētur nullātenus eī sacrāmentum iūrāre.”
 

(April 1097)  After Bohemond arrives at Constantinople, Alexius calls a meeting with the crusader leaders. The negotiations take place in private, leading our author to speculate about the emperor’s intentions. The Byzantine aristocrats want the crusaders to swear an oath of loyalty to the emperor, but the crusaders refuse (though Godfrey of Bouillon has already sworn an oath of loyalty, cf. 1.3.4).

Quō hospitātō: ablative absolute; in CL the subject should not be connected with the rest of the sentence.

imperātor mīsit prō eō: “the emperor sent for him”; a ML use of pro + abl.

dux Godefridus: Godfrey of Bouillon.

cum frātre suō: Baldwin of Boulogne.

comes Sanctī Egidiī: Raymond of Toulouse, count of St. Gilles.

ānxiāns: “being troubled” (ML).

cōgitābat quemadmodum ... comprehenderet: indirect question.

Novissimē: “finally.”

maiōrēs nātū: “the aristocracy” (of Constantinople); maior in ML is often “leader.” In CL maiores natu would mean “the elders.”

seu = et.

Quī: namely nostrorum duces, comites, seu omnes maiores, the Frankish leaders.

indignī sumus: “we don’t deserve this.”

iūstum nōbīs vidētur nullātenus eī sacrāmentum iūrāre: "in no way does it seem just to us to swear the oath."

 

simul: in company, together (OLD 1)

sēcrētō: in private (OLD 3)

angō (3): to choke, trouble, be troubled

bulliō (4): to boil, seethe

revēlō (1): to reveal (a secret), unmask (a deception)

novissimē: in the end, eventually (OLD 4)

reperiō reperīre repperī reppertum: to find; to devise, invent (CL); to devise a plan (ML)

omnīnō: in every respect, absolutely

nullātenus: by no means (LL)

Maps and Images Ref
Text Read Aloud
article nav
Previous
2.5.1
Next
2.6.2