Page:The Fall of Constantinople.djvu/93

 DYNASTIC TROUBLES. 75 Theodora accompanied him. Thus once more lie escaped; for, as Nicetas remarks, whatever were the traps laid for him, he was always able to avoid them by his cunning. The out- law occupied himself in assisting the Turks to plunder the empire. With the permission of his host he collected a band of renegades and adventurers, and made a series of incursions into his cousin's territory in order to carry off Christians and sell them into slavery. After many attempts made by the imperial troops to capture him, all of which, however, failed, Theodora was taken prisoner, and Andronicos succeeded in making peace with Manuel, and obtained pardon and permis- sion to return to the capital. It was in 1169, while Andronicos was living with the Turks, that Manuel's son Alexis, who was now occupying the throne, was born. Andronicos Comnenos, during the considerable period he had remained in voluntary exile, had lived with He returns to Tlicodora, by wliom he had two children. He now the capital, game boldly to Constantinople, and sought to flat- ter Manuel. He presented himself at court with a chain round his neck, which he hid under his cloak. When he was brought into the presence of the emperor he fell on his face, showed his chain attached to a collar around his neck, wept, and asked for pardon like the humblest suppliant. Manuel, among whose faults ill-nature did not exist, ordered him to rise. Andronicos refused unless he were dragged by his chain to the foot of the throne. He was pardoned, but was ordered to reside at (Engeum in Pontus, where he was living at the time of Manuel's death. Amid the follies of the empress and her lover, it was nat- ural that the inhabitants of the capital should turn their thoughts to this adventurer. His very vices had been those which, among a people whose political education is but slight- ly advanced, help to make a prince popular. He was believed to be fearless and resolute. He was known ostentatiously to despise luxury. He disregarded the ordinary pleasures of the table, was sober and abstemious. His rule could hardly be expected to be worse than that of a child emperor and his foolish, if not profligate, mother. His foolhardiness and bis