“His lofty stature surpassed the tallest of his army; his limbs were cast
in the true proportion of strength and gracefulness; and to the decline of
life he maintained the patent vigour of health and the commanding dignity
of his form. His complexion was ruddy, his shoulders were broad, his hair
and beard were long and of a flaxen colour, his eyes sparkled with fire,
and his voice, like that of Achilles, could impress obedience and terror
amidst the tumult of battle. In the ruder ages of chivalry, such
qualifications are not below the notice of the poet or historian; they may
observe that Robert at once and with equal dexterity could wield in the
right hand his sword, his lance in the left; that in the battle of
Civitella he was thrice unhorsed, and that on the close of that memorable
day he was adjudged to have borne away the prize of valour from the
warriors of the two armies. His boundless ambition was founded on the
consciousness of superior worth: in the pursuit of greatness he was never
arrested by the scruples of justice, and seldom moved by the feelings of
humanity: though not insensible of fame, the choice of open or clandestine
means was determined only by his present advantage. The surname of
_Guiscard_ was applied to this master of political wisdom, which is too
often confounded with the practice of dissimulation and deceit; and Robert
is praised by the Apulian poet for excelling the cunning of Ulysses and
the eloquence of Cicero. Yet these arts were disguised by an appearance of
military frankness: in his highest fortune he was accessible and courteous
to his fellow soldiers, and while he indulged the prejudices of his new
subjects, he affected in his dress and manners to maintain the ancient
fashion of his country. He grasped with a rapacious, that he might
distribute with a liberal hand; his primitive indigence had taught the
habits of frugality; the gain of a merchant was not below his attention;
and his prisoners were tortured with slow and unfeeling cruelty to force a
discovery of their secret treasure. According to the Greeks, he departed
from Normandy with only five followers on horse-back, and thirty on foot;
yet even this allowance appears too bountiful;—the sixth son of Tancred of
Hauteville passed the Alps as a pilgrim, and his first military band was
levied among the adventurers of Italy.”