§11.4.1τοῖς δὲ συνέδροις τῶν Ἑλλήνων, ἐπειδὴ πλησίον εἶναι προσαπηγγέλθησαν αἱ τῶν Περσῶν δυνάμεις, ἔδοξε ταχέως ἀποστέλλειν τὴν μὲν ναυτικὴν δύναμιν ἐπʼ Ἀρτεμίσιον τῆς Εὐβοίας, εὔθετον ὁρῶσι τὸν τόπον τοῦτον πρὸς τὴν ἀπάντησιν τῶν πολεμίων, εἰς δὲ τὰς Θερμοπύλας τοὺς ἱκανοὺς ὁπλίτας, προκαταληψομένους τὰς ἐν τοῖς στενοῖς παρόδους καὶ κωλύσοντας προάγειν ἐπὶ τὴν Ἑλλάδα τοὺς βαρβάρους· ἔσπευδον γὰρ τοὺς τὰ τῶν Ἑλλήνων προελομένους ἐντὸς περιλαβεῖν καὶ σώζειν εἰς τὸ δυνατὸν τοὺς συμμάχους.
When it was further reported to the assembly of the Greeks that the Persian forces were near, they decided to dispatch the fleet immediately to Artemisium in Euboea, as they saw that this place was well situated for meeting the enemy, and to Thermopylae a sufficient number of hoplites to occupy the passes in the narrows beforehand and prevent the barbarians from advancing into Greece; for they were eager to encompass within their protection those who had chosen the cause of the Greeks and to save their allies as far as possible.
§11.4.2ἡγεῖτο δὲ τοῦ μὲν στόλου παντὸς Εὐρυβιάδης ὁ Λακεδαιμόνιος, τῶν δὲ εἰς Θερμοπύλας ἐκπεμφθέντων Λεωνίδης ὁ τῶν Σπαρτιατῶν βασιλεύς, μέγα φρονῶν ἐπʼ ἀνδρείᾳ καὶ στρατηγίᾳ.
The command of the entire fleet was held by Eurybiades the Lacedaemonian, and that of the forces sent to Thermopylae by Leonidas, the king of the Spartans, a man of great pride in his courage and generalship.
οὗτος δὲ λαβὼν τὴν ἐξουσίαν ἐπήγγειλε χιλίους μόνον ἐπὶ τὴν στρατείαν ἀκολουθεῖν αὐτῷ.
When he received the authority, he ordered only a thousand men to follow him on the expedition.
§11.4.3τῶν δὲ ἐφόρων λεγόντων ὡς ὀλίγους παντελῶς ἄγει πρὸς μεγάλην δύναμιν, καὶ προσταττόντων πλείονας παραλαμβάνειν, εἶπε πρὸς αὐτοὺς ἐν ἀπορρήτοις ὅτι πρὸς μὲν τὸ κωλῦσαι τοὺς βαρβάρους διελθεῖν τὰς παρόδους ὀλίγοι, πρὸς μέντοι γε τὴν πρᾶξιν ἐφʼ ἣν πορεύονται νῦν πολλοί.
When the ephors said that he was leading entirely too few against so great a force, and commanded him to take more along, he said to them in secret that for preventing the barbarians from passing through the defiles they were few, but for the enterprise on which they were now marching they were many.
§11.4.4αἰνιγματώδους δὲ καὶ ἀσαφοῦς τῆς ἀποκρίσεως γενομένης, ἐπηρώτησαν αὐτὸν εἰ πρὸς εὐτελῆ τινα πρᾶξιν αὐτοὺς ἄγειν διανοεῖται.
Since his answer was riddling and obscure, they asked him whether he intended to lead them to some trivial enterprise.
ἀπεκρίθη δὲ ὅτι τῷ λόγῳ μὲν ἐπὶ τὴν φυλακὴν ἄγει τῶν παρόδων, τῷ δʼ ἔργῳ περὶ τῆς κοινῆς ἐλευθερίας ἀποθανουμένους· ὥστε ἐὰν μὲν οἱ χίλιοι πορευθῶσιν, ἐπιφανεστέραν ἔσεσθαι τὴν Σπάρτην τούτων τελευτηκότων, ἐὰν δὲ πανδημεὶ στρατεύσωσι Λακεδαιμόνιοι, παντελῶς ἀπολεῖσθαι τὴν Λακεδαίμονα· οὐδένα γὰρ αὐτῶν τολμήσειν φεύγειν, ἵνα τύχῃ σωτηρίας.
He replied that in word indeed he was leading them to the guard of the passes, but in deed to die for the common liberty; so that if the thousand should go, Sparta would be more glorious after they had died, but if the Lacedaemonians should march with their entire force, Lacedaemon would be utterly destroyed; for not one of them would dare to flee to obtain safety.
§11.4.5τῶν μὲν οὖν Λακεδαιμονίων ἦσαν χίλιοι, καὶ σὺν αὐτοῖς Σπαρτιᾶται τριακόσιοι, τῶν δʼ ἄλλων Ἑλλήνων τῶν ἅμʼ αὐτοῖς συνεκπεμφθέντων ἐπὶ τὰς Θερμοπύλας τρισχίλιοι.
Now of the Lacedaemonians there were a thousand, and with them three hundred Spartans; and of the other Greeks who were sent out with them to Thermopylae, there were three thousand.
§11.4.6ὁ μὲν οὖν Λεωνίδης μετὰ τετρακισχιλίων προῆγεν ἐπὶ τὰς Θερμοπύλας, Λοκροὶ δὲ οἱ πλησίον τῶν παρόδων κατοικοῦντες ἐδεδώκεσαν μὲν γῆν καὶ ὕδωρ τοῖς Πέρσαις, κατεπηγγελμένοι δʼ ἦσαν προκαταλήψεσθαι τὰς παρόδους· ὡς δʼ ἐπύθοντο τὸν Λεωνίδην ἥκειν εἰς Θερμοπύλας, μετενόησαν καὶ μετέθεντο πρὸς τοὺς Ἕλληνας.
Leonidas, then, advanced to Thermopylae with four thousand men; but the Locrians who dwelt near the passes had given earth and water to the Persians and had promised to occupy the passes beforehand; yet when they learned that Leonidas had arrived at Thermopylae, they changed their minds and went over to the Greeks.
§11.4.7ἧκον δὲ εἰς τὰς Θερμοπύλας καὶ Λοκροὶ χίλιοι καὶ Μηλιέων τοσοῦτοι καὶ Φωκέων οὐ πολὺ λειπόμενοι τῶν χιλίων, ὁμοίως δὲ καὶ Θηβαίων ἀπὸ τῆς ἑτέρας μερίδος ὡς τετρακόσιοι· διεφέροντο γὰρ οἱ τὰς Θήβας κατοικοῦντες πρὸς ἀλλήλους περὶ τῆς πρὸς τοὺς Πέρσας συμμαχίας.
There came to Thermopylae also a thousand Locrians, as many Malians, and of Phocians not many fewer than a thousand, and likewise about four hundred from the other faction of the Thebans; for those dwelling in Thebes were divided among themselves concerning the alliance with the Persians.
οἱ μὲν οὖν μετὰ Λεωνίδου συνταχθέντες Ἕλληνες τοσοῦτοι τὸν ἀριθμὸν ὄντες διέτριβον περὶ τὰς Θερμοπύλας, ἀναμένοντες τὴν τῶν Περσῶν παρουσίαν.
The Greeks, then, who were drawn up with Leonidas, being this many in number, remained around Thermopylae, awaiting the arrival of the Persians.