§11.11.1ὧν τὰς ἀρετὰς τίς οὐκ ἂν θαυμάσειεν;
Who would not admire the virtue of these men?
οἵτινες μιᾷ γνώμῃ χρησάμενοι τὴν μὲν ἀφωρισμένην τάξιν ὑπὸ τῆς Ἑλλάδος οὐκ ἔλιπον, τὸν ἑαυτῶν δὲ βίον προθύμως ἐπέδωκαν εἰς τὴν κοινὴν τῶν Ἑλλήνων σωτηρίαν, καὶ μᾶλλον εἵλοντο τελευτᾶν καλῶς ἢ ζῆν αἰσχρῶς.
Who, acting with one mind, did not leave the post assigned to them by Greece, but eagerly gave up their own lives for the common safety of the Greeks, and chose rather to die honorably than to live basely.
καὶ τὴν τῶν Περσῶν δὲ κατάπληξιν οὐκ ἄν τις ἀπιστήσαι γενέσθαι.
And indeed, no one would disbelieve that the panic of the Persians took place.
§11.11.2τίς γὰρ ἂν τῶν βαρβάρων ὑπέλαβε τὸ γεγενημένον;
For who among the barbarians would have expected what happened?
τίς δʼ ἂν προσεδόκησεν ὅτι πεντακόσιοι τὸν ἀριθμὸν ὄντες ἐτόλμησαν ἐπιθέσθαι ταῖς ἑκατὸν μυριάσι;
And who would have expected that men being five hundred in number dared to attack the ten hundred thousands?
διὸ καὶ τίς οὐκ ἂν τῶν μεταγενεστέρων ζηλώσαι τὴν ἀρετὴν τῶν ἀνδρῶν, οἵτινες τῷ μεγέθει τῆς περιστάσεως κατεσχημένοι τοῖς μὲν σώμασι κατεπονήθησαν, ταῖς δὲ ψυχαῖς οὐχ ἡττήθησαν;
Therefore, who of subsequent generations would not envy the virtue of these men, who, though overwhelmed by the magnitude of the circumstance, were worn down in their bodies, yet were not defeated in their souls?
τοιγαροῦν οὗτοι μόνοι τῶν μνημονευομένων κρατηθέντες ἐνδοξότεροι γεγόνασι τῶν ἄλλων τῶν τὰς καλλίστας νίκας ἀπενηνεγμένων.
Therefore, these men alone of those remembered, having been defeated, have become more glorious than the others who carried off the most beautiful victories.
χρὴ γὰρ οὐκ ἐκ τῶν ἀποτελεσμάτων κρίνειν τοὺς ἀγαθοὺς ἄνδρας, ἀλλʼ ἐκ τῆς προαιρέσεως· τοῦ μὲν γὰρ ἡ τύχη κυρία, τοῦ δʼ ἡ προαίρεσις δοκιμάζεται.
For we must judge good men not by the results, but by their purpose; for fortune is master of the former, but purpose is tested in the latter.
§11.11.3τίς γὰρ ἂν ἐκείνων ἀμείνους ἄνδρας κρίνειεν, οἵτινες οὐδὲ τῷ χιλιοστῷ μέρει τῶν πολεμίων ἴσοι τὸν ἀριθμὸν ὄντες ἐτόλμησαν τοῖς ἀπιστουμένοις πλήθεσι παρατάξαι τὴν ἑαυτῶν ἀρετήν;
For who would judge men to be better than those, who, being equal in number to not even the thousandth part of the enemy, dared to array their own virtue against unbelievable multitudes?
οὐ κρατήσειν τῶν τοσούτων μυριάδων ἐλπίζοντες, ἀλλʼ ἀνδραγαθίᾳ τοὺς πρὸ αὐτῶν ἅπαντας ὑπερβαλεῖν νομίζοντες, καὶ τὴν μὲν μάχην αὑτοῖς εἶναι κρίνοντες πρὸς τοὺς βαρβάρους, τὸν ἀγῶνα δὲ καὶ τὴν ὑπὲρ τῶν ἀριστείων κρίσιν πρὸς ἅπαντας τοὺς ἐπʼ ἀρετῇ θαυμαζομένους ὑπάρχειν.
Not hoping to master so many myriads, but believing that they would surpass in manhood all those who had gone before them, and judging that while the battle was for them against the barbarians, the contest and the judgment for the prize of valor was against all those admired for virtue.
§11.11.4μόνοι γὰρ τῶν ἐξ αἰῶνος μνημονευομένων εἵλοντο μᾶλλον τηρεῖν τοὺς τῆς πόλεως νόμους ἢ τὰς ἰδίας ψυχάς, οὐ δυσφοροῦντες ἐπὶ τῷ μεγίστους ἑαυτοῖς ἐφεστάναι κινδύνους, ἀλλὰ κρίνοντες εὐκταιότατον εἶναι τοῖς ἀρετὴν ἀσκοῦσι τοιούτων ἀγώνων τυγχάνειν.
For they alone of those remembered from all time chose rather to keep the laws of their city than their own lives, not being distressed that the greatest dangers impended over them, but judging that it is most desirable for those who practice virtue to meet with such contests.
§11.11.5δικαίως δʼ ἄν τις τούτους καὶ τῆς κοινῆς τῶν Ἑλλήνων ἐλευθερίας αἰτίους ἡγήσαιτο ἢ τοὺς ὕστερον ἐν ταῖς πρὸς Ξέρξην μάχαις νικήσαντας· τούτων γὰρ τῶν πράξεων μνημονεύοντες οἱ μὲν βάρβαροι κατεπλάγησαν, οἱ δὲ Ἕλληνες παρωξύνθησαν πρὸς τὴν ὁμοίαν ἀνδραγαθίαν.
And one might justly consider these men to be the causes of the common liberty of the Greeks even more than those who later conquered in the battles against Xerxes; for by remembering these deeds, the barbarians were struck with terror, while the Greeks were spurred on to similar valor.
§11.11.6καθόλου δὲ μόνοι τῶν πρὸ ἑαυτῶν διὰ τὴν ὑπερβολὴν τῆς ἀρετῆς εἰς ἀθανασίαν μετήλλαξαν.
And in general, they alone of those before them, through the excess of their virtue, exchanged their lives for immortality.
διόπερ οὐχ οἱ τῶν ἱστοριῶν συγγραφεῖς μόνον, ἀλλὰ πολλοὶ καὶ τῶν ποιητῶν καθύμνησαν αὐτῶν τὰς ἀνδραγαθίας· ὧν γέγονε καὶ Σιμωνίδης, ὁ μελοποιός, ἄξιον τῆς ἀρετῆς αὐτῶν ποιήσας ἐγκώμιον, ἐν ᾧ λέγει
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τῶν ἐν Θερμοπύλαις θανόντων
εὐκλεὴς μὲν ἁ τύχα, καλὸς δʼ ὁ πότμος,
βωμὸς δʼ ὁ τάφος, πρὸ γόων δὲ μνᾶστις, ὁ δʼ οἶτος ἔπαινος.
Therefore, not only the writers of histories, but also many of the poets have sung of their exploits; of whom was also Simonides, the lyric poet, who composed an encomium worthy of their virtue, in which he says: "Of those who died at Thermopylae, glorious indeed is the fortune, and beautiful the lot; their tomb is an altar, in place of laments there is remembrance, and their fate is praise.
ἐντάφιον δὲ τοιοῦτον οὔτʼ εὐρὼς
οὔθʼ ὁ πανδαμάτωρ ἀμαυρώσει χρόνος.
Such a shroud as this neither decay nor all-subduing time shall dim.
ἀνδρῶν ἀγαθῶν ὅδε σηκὸς οἰκέταν εὐδοξίαν
Ἑλλάδος εἵλετο.
This sanctuary of brave men has taken as its inhabitant the fair fame of Greece.
μαρτυρεῖ δὲ καὶ Λεωνίδας
ὁ Σπάρτας βασιλεύς, ἀρετᾶς μέγαν λελοιπὼς
κόσμον ἀέναόν τε κλέος.
Witness to this is also Leonidas, the king of Sparta, who has left behind a great ornament of virtue and everlasting glory.
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