859 
G R E 
fl»ewed that they confided of a thou fund Pliocians, 
whom the forefitrlit of Leonidas had Cent to defend this 
importan'^ but unknown pafs, which chance or treachery 
might difcover to the Perfians. The thick fliade of the 
trees long concealed the enemy from the Greeks; at 
length the rudling of the leaves, and tlie tumult occtj' 
fioned by the motion of twenty thoufand men, difco- 
Vered their approacli. The Phocians with great intre¬ 
pidity flew to their arms, and prepared, if they (liould 
not conquer, at lead to die gallantly. The compadl 
firmnefs of their ranks, which might have refided the 
regular onfet of the enemy, expofed them to fiifter 
much from the immenfe diower of d;irts which the Per¬ 
fians poured upon them. To avoid this danger, they 
too rallily abandoned the pafs which they had been fent 
to guard, and retired to the highed part of the moun¬ 
tain, not doubting that tiie enemy, wliofe drength fo 
much exceeded their own, would follow them thither. 
But in this they were difappointed ; for the Perfians, 
prudently omitting the purfuit of this inconfideral?le 
piarty, whom to defeat they confidered as a matter of 
little moment, immediately feized the padage, and 
marched down the mountain with the utmod expedition, 
in order to accomplifli the defign fuggeded by Epialtes. 
Meanwhile, obfcure intimations from the gods had 
darkly announced fome dreadful calamity impending 
on the Greeks at Thermopylae ; but when, or by wliat 
means, it did not clearly appear, until a Grecian defer- 
ter, named Tyradiades, arrived with information of the 
march of the Perfians acrofs the mountain. Animated 
by the love of his country, this generous fugitive had 
no fooner difcovered the treacherous defign of Epialtes, 
than he determined, at the ride of his life, and dill 
more at the ri(k of being fubjedted to the mod excru¬ 
ciating tortures, to communicate his difeovery to the 
Spartan king. Zeal for the fafety of Greece gave 
fwiftnefs to his fteps, and he appeared in the Grecian 
camp a few hours after the Perfians, condiufted by Epi¬ 
altes, had lelt the plains of Trachis. Leonidas imme¬ 
diately called a council of war, to deliberate upon the 
meafures necedary to be taken. All the confederates 
of Peloponnefus, except the Spartans, declared their 
opinion that it was neceffiiry to abandon a pod, which, 
after the double attack announced to them diould take 
place, it w'ould be impodible with any hopes of fuccefs 
to maintain. As their exertions could not be of any 
avail to the public caufe, it was prudent to coufult their 
private fafety ; and while time was yet allowed them, 
to retire to the idhmus of Corinth, where joining the 
red of the auxiliaries, they might be ready to defend 
the Grecian peninfula againd the fury of the barbarians. 
It belonged to Leonidas to explain the fentiments of the 
Spartans. The other inhabitants of Peloponnefus, he 
obferved, might follow the diftates of expediency, and 
return to the idhmus, in order to defend their refpettive 
territories ; but glory was the only voice which the 
Spartans had learned to obey. Placed in the fird rank 
by the general confent of their country, they would ra¬ 
ther die than abandon the pod of honour ; and they 
were determined, therefore, at the price of their lives, 
to purchafe immortal renown, to confirm the pre-emi¬ 
nence of Sparta, and to give an example of patriotifm 
worthy of being admired, if not imitated, by poderity. 
The dread of unavoidable and immediate death de¬ 
terred the other allies from concurring with this mag¬ 
nanimous refolution. The Thefpians alone, amounting 
to feven hundred men, declared they would never for- 
fake Leonidas. They were conducted by the aged wif- 
dom of Demophilus, and the youthful valour of Dithy- 
rambus. As the Thefpians remained at Thermopylae 
from principles of didinguidied bravery, the Thebans 
were detained by the particular defire of Leonidas, who 
was not unacquainted with the intended treachery of 
their republic. The four hundred men whom that per- 
iidioiis community had fent to accompany his expedi. 
E C E. 
tion, he regarded rather as hoflages than atixilir.rics ; 
nor was he unw'illing to employ their doubtful fidelity 
ill a defperate fervice. He thought that they uiiglit 
be compelled by force, or ftimulated by a feiife of 
/liaiiie, to encounter the fame dangers to \^hich tlic 
Spartans and Tliefpians voluntarily fubmitte-d ; and 
witlioitt difeovering his fufpicion of their troacliery, he 
had a fufficient pretence for retaining tiieiu, vviiile he 
difmified hi-s allies of Peloponnefus, becaufe the Theban 
territories, lying on the north fide of the iilhnius of 
Corinth, would necefiarily be expofed to hofiility and 
devaftation, whenever the baibarians fiiould pafs the 
firaits of Thennopylte. Belides the Thefpians and 
Thebans, the troops who remained vvith Leonidas con. 
filled of iliree hundred Spartans, all chofen men. 
It was now the dead of night, when the Spartans, 
headed by Leonidas, marclied in a clofe battalion to¬ 
wards the Perlian camp, with refentnicnt heightened by 
defpair. Their fury was terrible, and rendered Hill 
more deftrudtive throtigli the defect of barbarian difei- 
pline ; for the Perfians having neither advanced guards, 
nor a watch-word, nor confidence in each other, were 
incapable of adopting fuch meafures for defence, as the 
fudden emergency required. Many fell by the Gre¬ 
cian fpear, but much greater multitudes by the niillakcn 
rage of their own troops, by whom, in the iiiidfi: of 
this blind confufion, they could not be diflinguilhed 
from enemies. The Greeks, wearied with llaughter, 
penetrated to the royal pavilion ; but there the firfi: 
alarm of noife had been readily perceived, aniidft the 
profound filence and tranquillity which ufually reigned 
in the tent of Xerxes ; the great king had efcaped, 
with his favourite attendants, to the farther extremity 
of the encampment. Even there, all was tumult, and 
horror, and defpair; the obfciirity of night increafing 
the terror of the Perfians, who no longer doubted that 
the detachment condudted by Epialtes had been be¬ 
trayed by that perfidious Greek; and that the enemy, 
reinforced by new numbers, now co-operated with the 
traitor, and feized the opportunity of alfailing their 
camp, after it had been deprived of the divifion of Hy- 
darnes, its principal chieftain. 
The approach of day difcovered to the Perfians a 
dreadful feene of carnage ; but it alfo difcovered to 
them-that their fears had multiplied the number of the 
enemy, who now retreated in clofe order to the firaits 
ot Tliermopylae. Xerxes, fiimulated by the fury of re¬ 
venge, gave orders to purfue them ; and his terrified 
troops were rather driven than led to the attack. The 
Grecians, animated by their late fuccefs, and perfuaded 
that they could not poflibly efcape deatli on the arrival 
of thofe who approached by way of the mountain, 
bravely halted in the widefi part of the pafs, to receive 
the charge of the enemy. The fliock was drea,dful, and 
the battle was maintained on the lide oi tlie Greeks 
with perfevering intrepidity and defperate valour. Af¬ 
ter their fpears were blunted or broken, tliey attacked 
fword in liand, and their fiiort but well-tempered wea¬ 
pons made an incredible luivoc. I'heir progrefs was 
marked by a line of blood, when a barbarian dart pierced 
the heart of Leonidas. The contefi was no longer for 
viflory and glory, but for the lacred remains ot their 
king. Four times they difpelled the thickefi globes of 
Perfians ; but as their unexampled valour was carrying 
off" the prize, the hofiile battalions were feen defeending 
the hill, under the conduft of Epialtes. It was'now 
time to prepare for the lafi effort of generous defpair. 
With clofe order and refolute minds, the Greeks, all 
colledled in themfelves, retired to the narrowefi part 
of the firait, and took poll behind the Phocian wall, 
on a rifing ground, where a lion of fiorie was afterwards 
erefted in honour of Leonidas. As they performed 
this movement, fortune, willing to afford every occafion 
to difplay their illufirious merit, obliged them tof con¬ 
tend at once againft open force and fecret treachery. 
