OF THE BATTLE OF THERMOPYLÆ.--(_Continued._)
So soon as the sun was risen Xerxes made libations; and about the
time when the market begins to fill he commanded that the army should
advance. This he had been bidden to do by Ephialtes, because the way
for them that descended the mountain was shorter by far than the way
for them that ascended. Now when the Persians were seen to approach,
Leonidas and his companions, as knowing that their end was near, went
further than they had gone on the days before into that part which is
broader. For before they had been wont to guard the wall, and advancing
therefrom to fight in the narrows of the Pass. But now they joined
battle with the barbarians in the open space, slaying great multitudes
of them. As for these indeed the captains of their companies standing
behind them and having great whips, drave them forward. And many were
thrust into the sea by the press and so perished; and many were trodden
down by their companions. Nor did any one take any count of them that
perished. And the Greeks, knowing that death was at hand, now that
the barbarians had come round over the mountains, recked not of their
lives, but fought with rage that was beyond all measure. By this time
the spears of the greater part were already broken, so that they
smote down the Persians with their swords. While they thus fought King
Leonidas was slain, having done many deeds of valor; and there fell
many other Spartans with him, men of renown. Many famous Persians also
were slain at this time, and among them were two sons of Darius. And
there was an exceeding fierce fight between the Spartans and Persians
concerning the body of Leonidas; but in the end the Spartans prevailed,
so great was their valor, and carried it away, and they drave back the
Persians four times. But when the Greeks perceived that the Persians
that followed Ephialtes were at hand, they returned to the narrows of
the Pass, beyond the wall, and gathered themselves together in the
company on the mound that is at the entering in of the Pass, where
in aftertime there was set a lion of stone over the grave of King
Leonidas. Here such as had swords yet remaining to them unbroken,
defended themselves with them; and the rest fought with their hands and
teeth, till at the last the barbarians, some pulling down the walls
and assailing them in front and others surrounding them on every side,
overwhelmed them with stones and arrows and the like.
All the Spartans and Thespians showed themselves right valiant; but the
bravest of all was Dieneces a Spartan. It was this Dieneces that spake
a very noteworthy saying before the Spartans joined battle with the
Persians. And the saying was this. A man of Trachis affirmed that when
the Persians shot off their arrows the sun was darkened by the number
of them. But Dieneces was not one whit astonished at the matter, but,
taking no heed at all of the multitude of the Persians, made answer,
saying, “This is good news that the stranger from Trachis brings us,
for if the Persians so hide the sun then shall we fight in the shade.”
Many such like sayings did this Dieneces speak. Next after this
Dieneces were two brothers, Alpheus and Maron; and of the Thespians the
bravest was one Dithyrambus.
All these were buried even where they were slain. On them that died
before that Leonidas had sent away a part of his army, there was
written this epitaph--
“Four times a thousand men from Pelops’ land
Three thousand times a thousand did withstand.”
But over the Spartans by themselves there was written--
“Go, tell the Spartans, thou that passest by,
That here, obedient to their laws, we lie.”
And over the soothsayer was this--
“Here lies the great Megistias, whom of yore
The Persian host, from swift Asopus shore
Ascending, slew. The seer his doom could read,
Yet left not Sparta’s chieftains in their need.”
The other columns indeed and that which was written upon them did
the Amphictyons set up; but the column of Megistias the seer and the
inscription thereon Simonides set up for friendship’s sake.
Of the three hundred two, Eurytus and Aristodemus, were absent from
their companions on the day of the battle. Now these two might, if they
had been willing to agree, either have returned both of them to Sparta,
for Leonidas had sent them away from the army and they lay at Alpeni,
grievously afflicted with sickness of the eyes, or if they were not
willing so to return, have died along with the others. As for Eurytus,
when he knew that the Persians had come round by the path, he called
for his arms and put them on him, and bade his helot lead him into
the battle. So the helot led him to the battle, and then turned and
fled, and Eurytus thrust himself into the press of the battle, and so
perished. But as for Aristodemus his courage failed him, and he tarried
at Alpeni. Now if Aristodemus only had been sick and so returned alive
to Sparta, or if they two had so returned together, it may well be
believed that the Spartans would have had no indignation against them;
but seeing that, both being in the same case, one perished, but the
other was not willing to die, it could not but be that they should have
great indignation against him that still lived.
Such is the story that some tell about Aristodemus; but others say
that having been sent as a messenger from the army, when he might have
returned before the battle, he lingered on the way of set purpose, but
that his fellow messenger returned and was slain. This Aristodemus,
going back to Sparta, was held in great shame and dishonor. For no
Spartan would give him fire, nor would any talk with him, but they
called him “Aristodemus the Coward.” Notwithstanding at the battle of
Platæa he did away with all his disgrace.
As for the Thebans that were with Leonidas, for a while they fought
together with the other Greeks against the Persians, doing this
by compulsion. But when the barbarians prevailed, and the Greeks
gathered themselves together at the mound, then the Thebans separated
themselves from them, and stretching forth their hands came near to
the barbarians, and cried, speaking indeed the veriest truth, that
they had yielded themselves to the Persians, and had given earth and
water to the King, none sooner, and that they had come to Thermopylæ
under compulsion, and were without guilt for the loss that had befallen
the King’s army. Thus they were saved alive, and indeed they had the
Thessalians to witness for them that they spake the truth. Nevertheless
they were not altogether fortunate, for some of them were slain by
the barbarians as they approached, and the others were branded with
the King’s mark, for such was the command of Xerxes. The first that
suffered this was their general Leontiades. The son of this Leontiades,
Eurymachus, was afterward slain by the men of Platæa when he came with
four hundred other Thebans seeking to take their city.
These things being finished, the King sent for Demaratus and spake
to him, saying, “Demaratus, thou art a good man, as I know by thy
speaking of the truth, for indeed all things have turned out according
to thy saying. Tell me now how many in number are the Spartans that
yet remain? and how many of them are such as they that have now fought
against us?”
Then said Demaratus, “O King, there are many Lacedæmonians; but in this
country of Lacedæmon there is a certain city, Sparta, wherein are, as
near as may be, eight thousand men as brave as them that fought in the
Pass. The other Lacedæmonians are not a match for these; nevertheless
they are brave men.”
Xerxes said, “Tell me now, Demaratus, how shall we best get the mastery
over these men? Speak, for that wast a King among them and must need
know all their counsels.”
Demaratus made answer, “Since thou seekest counsel of me so earnestly,
O King, I will tell thee, as is right, the best thing thou canst do.
Send three hundred of thy ships against the land of the Lacedæmonians.
Now there lieth over against this land a certain island, Cythera,
concerning which island one Chilon, a very wise man that once dwelt
among us, was wont to say that it would be far better for the Spartans
that it should be sunk under the sea than that it should be
above the sea. This he said because he feared always lest some such
thing should be done as I am now about to tell thee. And he said it
knowing nothing of thy coming against Greece, but fearing all coming
of strangers to this place. Send men therefore to this island, and let
them harass the Spartans from thence. And it shall be that if they have
a war of their own close at home they will not be a trouble to thee,
so as to help the other Greeks when thy army seeks to subdue them.
And when thou hast subdued the rest of Greece, the Spartans, being
left alone, will be feeble. But if thou wilt not follow this counsel
then know that there shall come to pass that which I now tell thee.
When thou comest to the Peloponnesus thou wilt find a narrow neck of
land: and at this neck all the men of the Peloponnesus that are leagued
together against thee will be gathered together, and there wilt thou
have to fight battles fiercer by far than that which thou hast now
seen.”
Now it is so chanced that Achæmenes, who was brother to King Xerxes,
and had command of the fleet, was present when Demaratus thus spake.
Fearing then that the King might follow this counsel, he brake in, “I
see, O King, that thou listenest to the counsels of a man that envies
thy good fortune, and seeks to betray thee. This indeed is ever the
manner of the Greeks; they envy good fortune, and hate that which is
stronger than themselves. If now, when we have lost four hundred ships
by shipwreck, three hundred more shall be sent away from the fleet to
sail round the Peloponnesus, then will our enemies be a match for us.
But if we keep our whole fleet together, then will it be such as they
will not dare to encounter. Consider also that if that which we have
on the land and that which we have on the sea advance together, the
one will be able to help the other. But if thou part them asunder, the
fleet will not be able to help thee, nor thou to help the fleet. Only
order thine own affairs well, and take no thought about thine enemies,
whether they will join battle with thee, or what they will do, or how
many they be in number. Surely they without us can manage their own
affairs and we ours without them. As to the Spartans, if they come out
to fight against us, they will in no wise heal this great wound that
they have now received at our hands.”
To this the King made answer, “This is well said, Achæmenes, and I will
follow thy counsel. For though Demaratus saith what he deems the best
for me, his judgment is worse than thine. But this I will not believe,
that he has not good will for me and my fortunes. So much I know from
the counsel that he has given me before, and also from his own affairs.
For that a man may envy a fellow-citizen that is more fortunate than
he, and may hate him secretly, and if he be asked for counsel will
not speak the thing that is best, is to be believed, unless indeed
he be of a very rare and excellent virtue. But a friend rejoices in
the prosperity of a friend that is of another country, and gives him
counsel according to the best of his power. Now this Demaratus is my
friend, and I warn all men that hereafter they keep themselves from
speaking evil of him.”
When Xerxes had thus spoken, he went to see the bodies of them that
had been slain. And when he came to the body of Leonidas, knowing him
to have been the captain and King of the Spartans, he commanded that
they should cut the head from it and put it on a cross, which may be
taken for a proof that there was no man that Xerxes hated so much as
he hated Leonidas while he was yet alive; for else he had not done
this dishonor to his dead body. For the Persians are wont, for the
most part, more than other men, to show honor to them that have shown
themselves good men in war.
It must yet be told how the Spartans first knew that the King had it
in his mind to bring an army against Greece. This Demaratus, of whom
mention has been made, was not friendly, it would appear, to them that
had driven him forth. Wherefore it may be doubted whether he did this
thing that shall now be told from goodwill or from insolence. So soon
as Xerxes had fixed it in his mind to march against Greece, Demaratus,
being then in the city of Susa, and hearing the matter, desired to send
tidings of it to the Spartans. And the way which he devised of sending
them was this, for there was great peril lest he should be discovered.
This therefore was his contrivance. He took a tablet that had two
leaves, and having cleared away from it the wax, he wrote upon the wood
the purpose of the King. And having done this he melted the wax again
over the writing knowing that the guards of the road would not trouble
themselves about a tablet that was seen to be empty. But when the
tablet was brought to Sparta no one could understand the matter, till
Gorgo, that was daughter to Cleomenes and wife to Leonidas, discovered
it to them, for she said, “Scrape the wax from off the tablet and you
will of a surety find writing upon the wood.” Thus did the Spartans
hear of the coming of the King, and forthwith sent tidings of it to the
other Greeks.