G R E 
pe6ted the Greeks would dare to take the field, in order 
to oppoCe the progrefs of liis arms ? Demaratus re¬ 
plied, that “ Greece had been trained in the fevere but 
ufefiil fcliool of necefiity ; poverty was her nurfe and 
her mother j the had acquired patience and valour by 
the early application of difcipline ; and flie was habi- 
tuated to the practice of virtue by the watchful atten- 
tion of the law. All the Greeks were warlike, but the 
Spartans were peculiarly brave. It was unnecefiary to 
alk their number, for if they exceeded not a thoufand 
men, they would defend their country and their freedom 
againfl the »flembled myriads of Afia. Xerxes was ra- 
tlier amufed than infircuSed by this difcourfe. His 
hopes of fuccefs were built on too folid principles to 
be lhaken by the opinion of a prejudiced Greek. Every 
day meflengers arrived with the fubmifiion of new na- 
tions. The inhabitants of the rocky country of Doris, 
many tribes of Theffaly, the mountaineers of Pindus, 
Olfa, Pelion, and Olympus, which like a lofty rampart 
furround that country, offered the ufual prefent of 
earth and water, as the fymbol of furrendering their 
territories to a power which it feemed vain to refift. 
Thefe difiridls formed only the northern frontier of 
Greece. But what gave peculiar pleafure to Xerxes, 
the Thebans who inhabited the central parts, and all 
the cities of Boeotia, except Thelpiae and Plataea, pri¬ 
vately fent ambaffadors to teftify their fubmifiion, and 
to requefi the honour of his friendfiiip. 
Meanwhile thofe Grecians, unmoved by the terrors 
of invafion, refolutely obeyed the voice of liberty and 
tjieir country. By one common confent they fufpended 
their donieftic animofities, recalled their fugitives, con- 
fulted their oracles, and difpatched ambaffadors, in the 
name of united Greece, to demand affiftance from the 
illands of Crete, Cyprus, and Corcyra, as well as from 
the Grecian colonies on the coafts of Italy and Sicily. 
All tlieir meafures were carried on with unanimity and 
concord. Even the Thebans, careful to conceal their 
treachery, had fent reprefeatatives to the common coun¬ 
cil. The general danger feemed to unite and harmo¬ 
nize the mofl: difcordant members : and although the 
perpetual diffenfions between rival ftates, frequently 
weakened the authority of the Amphitlyonic confede¬ 
racy, it appeared on the prefent, as on many other oc. 
cafions, that the Greeks acknowledged the obligation 
ot a tacit alliance to defend each other againfl: domeflic 
tyrants and foreign barbarians. 
Before they had an opportunity of learning the will 
of the gods, or of difcovering the intentions of their 
diftant allies, ambaffadors arrived from thofe communi¬ 
ties of Theffaly which flill adhered to the interefl of 
Greece, praying a fpeedy and effectual afliflance to 
guard the narrow pafi'es which lead into their country. 
It was-natural for the Theffalians to expedt that the 
troops of Xerxes would pafs by this inlet into their 
territories ; and hither their ambaffadors entreated the 
allied Greeks to fend an army. The propofal feemed 
juft and ufeful; fliips were prepared at the ifthmus ; 
and a body of ten thoufand men were embarked under 
tire command of Themiflocles, with orders to fail 
through the narrow Euripus, to land in the harbours of 
Tempe, and remain there in order to guard that impor¬ 
tant pafs. They had not continued in thofe parts many 
days, when a meffenger arrived from Alexander, fon of 
Amyntas, tributary prince of Macedonia, advifing them 
to depart from that poll,' unlef s they meant to be tram¬ 
pled under foot by the Ferfian cavalry. , It is not pro¬ 
bable that this menace could have changed their refo- 
lution. But they had learned that there was another 
paffage into Theffaly, through the territory of the Pe- 
raebians, near the city Gonnus in Upper Macedonia. 
'I'lieir army w as infufiicient to guard both ; and the de¬ 
fending of one only, could not be of effential advantage 
to themfclves, or to the Theffalians. Meantime, tlie 
dangers which tiuckened over the refpedtive republics, 
VoL. VIII. No. 5JO. 
E C E* S57 
rendered it neceffary fo return fouthward. Their dif¬ 
tant colonies, particularly thofe of Sicily, which were 
the mofl numerous and powerful, could not afford any 
afliflance, being ihemfelves threatened with a formidable 
invafion from the Carthaginians. The oracles were 
doubtful, or terrifying To the Spartans tliey an¬ 
nounced, as the only' means of fafety, the voluntary 
death of a king of the race of Hercules. 'The Athe¬ 
nians were commanded to I'eek refuge W'ithin their 
wooden walls. The refponfes given to the other ftates 
are not recorded ; but it appears in general, that all 
were dark, ambiguous, or frightful. The Grecian army 
returned therefore to their fliips, repalfed the Euripus, 
and arrived in fafety at Corinth ; while the Theffalians, 
thus abandoned by their allies, were compelled to lub* 
mit to the common enemy. 
The terror infpired by the critical fituation of affairs, 
rendered the prefence of the leaders neceffary in their 
refpedtive communities. Themiflocles found the Athe¬ 
nians divided about the meaning of the oracle, the 
greater part afferting, that by wooden walls was under¬ 
flood the inclofure of the citadel, which had been for. 
merly furrounded by a pallifade. Others gave the words 
a different conftruftion, and each according to his fears 
or his interefl j but Themiflocles afferted that all of 
them had miftaken the advice of the god, who defired 
them to truft for fafety to their fleet. This opinion, 
fupported by all the fforce of his eloquence, and tlie 
weight of his authority, at length prevailed. The 
Athenian gallies were fitted out with all convenient 
fpeed, and being joined with thofe of Euboea, .ffigina, 
Corinth, and the maritime allies of Peloponnelus, 
amounted to a fleet of three hundred fail. They pro¬ 
ceeded to the narrow fea which divides the noriliern 
Ihore of Euboea from the coaft of Theffaly, rendez- 
voufed at the promontory of Artemifium, and patiently 
waited the arrival of the Perfians. 
Befides the force neceffary for manning this fleet, the 
confederates could raife an army of about lixty thou¬ 
fand freemen, befides a flill greater proportion of armed 
flaves. As the paffes leading from Theffaly to the ter¬ 
ritories of Phocis and Locris were flill narrower and 
more difficult of accefs than thofe from Macedon into 
7 'heffaly, it feems extraordinary, that they did not imme¬ 
diately direct their whole military tlrcngth towards that 
quarter. As they were acquainted with only one pafs, 
by which the Perfians could arrive from Theffaly, they 
thought that a body of eight thoufand pike-men might 
be equally capable with a larger proportion of troops 
to defend it againfl every invader. This narrow defile 
was called the Straits of Thermopylae, in allufion to 
the warm fprings in that neighbourhood, and was deemed 
the gate or entrance into Greece, ft was bounded on 
the weft by high and inaccefiible precipices which join 
the lofty ridge of mount Oeta; and on the eaft terminated 
by an impratticable morafs, bordered bythe fea. Near the 
plain of the 'riieffalian city of Trachis, the pafiage was 
fifty feet broad ; but at Alpene, there was not room for 
one chariot to pafs another. Even thefe paffes were 
defended by walls, formerly built by the Phocians to 
protect them againfl the incurfions of their enemies in 
Theffaly, and flrengthened, on this occafion, with as 
much care as time would allow. The troops lent to 
Thermopyla:, which was only fifteen miles diftant 
from the flation of the Grecian fleet at Artemifium, 
conlifled chiefly of Peloponnefians, commanded by Leo¬ 
nidas the Spartan king, wlio was prepared, in obe¬ 
dience to the oracle, to devote his life for the fafety of 
his country. 
In the warmth of indignation, the Spartans, as al¬ 
ready obferved, had put to death the Perfian lieralds- 
fent to demand their fubmifiion ; but, upon cool reflec¬ 
tion, they were prompted to make atonement for this’ 
violation of the facred law of nations. 'W hen procla¬ 
mation was made in the afi'embly, “Who wuold die for 
10 1 Sparta?” 
