§7.220.1λέγεται δὲ καὶ ὡς αὐτός σφεας ἀπέπεμψε Λεωνίδης, μὴ ἀπόλωνται κηδόμενος· αὐτῷ δὲ καὶ Σπαρτιητέων τοῖσι παρεοῦσι οὐκ ἔχειν εὐπρεπέως ἐκλιπεῖν τὴν τάξιν ἐς τὴν ἦλθον φυλάξοντες ἀρχήν.
But it is also said that Leonidas himself sent them away, caring that they should not perish; but for himself and the Spartans who were present, it was not honorable to abandon the post which they had come to guard from the beginning.
§7.220.2ταύτῃ καὶ μᾶλλον τὴν γνώμην πλεῖστος εἰμί, Λεωνίδην, ἐπείτε ᾔσθετο τοὺς συμμάχους ἐόντας ἀπροθύμους καὶ οὐκ ἐθέλοντας συνδιακινδυνεύειν, κελεῦσαι σφέας ἀπαλλάσσεσθαι, αὐτῷ δὲ ἀπιέναι οὐ καλῶς ἔχειν· μένοντι δὲ αὐτοῦ κλέος μέγα ἐλείπετο, καὶ ἡ Σπάρτης εὐδαιμονίη οὐκ ἐξηλείφετο.
In this way, I am even more strongly of the opinion that Leonidas, when he perceived that the allies were half-hearted and unwilling to share the danger, ordered them to depart, but for himself to depart was not honorable; for if he remained there, great glory was left for him, and the prosperity of Sparta would not be blotted out.
§7.220.3ἐκέχρηστο γὰρ ὑπὸ τῆς Πυθίης τοῖσι Σπαρτιήτῃσι χρεωμένοισι περὶ τοῦ πολέμου τούτου αὐτίκα κατʼ ἀρχὰς ἐγειρομένου, ἢ Λακεδαίμονα ἀνάστατον γενέσθαι ὑπὸ τῶν βαρβάρων ἢ τὸν βασιλέα σφέων ἀπολέσθαι. ταῦτα δέ σφι ἐν ἔπεσι ἑξαμέτροισι χρᾷ λέγοντα ὧδε.
For an oracle had been given by the Pythia to the Spartans when they inquired about this war at its very beginning, that either Lacedaemon would be laid waste by the barbarians, or their king would perish.
§7.220.4"
ὑμῖν δʼ, ὦ Σπάρτης οἰκήτορες εὐρυχόροιο,
ἢ μέγα ἄστυ ἐρικυδὲς ὑπʼ ἀνδράσι Περσεΐδῃσι
πέρθεται, ἢ τὸ μὲν οὐχί, ἀφʼ Ἡρακλέους δὲ γενέθλης
πενθήσει βασιλῆ φθίμενον Λακεδαίμονος οὖρος.
And she declared this to them in hexameter verses, saying as follows: "But for you, O inhabitants of Sparta with spacious streets, either your great, glorious city is sacked by the men of Perseus' race, or, if not that, the land of Lacedaemon will mourn a dead king from Heracles' lineage.
οὐ γὰρ τὸν ταύρων σχήσει μένος οὐδὲ λεόντων
ἀντιβίην· Ζηνὸς γὰρ ἔχει μένος· οὐδέ ἑ φημί
σχήσεσθαι, πρὶν τῶνδʼ ἕτερον διὰ πάντα δάσηται.
For the strength of bulls or of lions will not hold him face to face; for he has the strength of Zeus; and I say he will not be held, until he has utterly torn to pieces one of these two.
"
ταῦτά τε δὴ ἐπιλεγόμενον Λεωνίδην, καὶ βουλόμενον κλέος καταθέσθαι μούνωνΣπαρτιητέων, ἀποπέμψαι τοὺς συμμάχους μᾶλλον ἢ γνώμῃ διενειχθέντας οὕτω ἀκόσμως οἴχεσθαι τοὺς οἰχομένους.
"Reflecting on these things, and wishing to secure the glory for the Spartans alone, Leonidas, I believe, sent away the allies, rather than that those who departed should go away in such an disorderly manner because of differences of opinion.