fear nothing: for
he was not a god, they said, who was coming to attack Hellas, but a man;
and there was no mortal, nor would be any, with those fortunes evil
had not been mingled at his very birth, and the greatest evils for the
greatest men; therefore he also who was marching against them, being
mortal, would be destined to fail of his expectation. They accordingly,
hearing this, came to the assistance of the others at Trachis.

204. Of these troops, although there were other commanders also
according to the State to which each belonged, yet he who was most held
in regard and who was leader of the whole army was the Lacedemonian
Leonidas son of Anaxandrides, son of Leon, son of Eurycratides, son of
Anaxander, son of Eurycrates, son of Polydoros, son of Alcamenes, son of
Teleclos, son of Archelaos, son of Hegesilaos, son of Doryssos, son of
Leobotes, son of Echestratos, son of Agis, son of Eurysthenes, son of
Aristodemos, son of Aristomachos, son of Cleodaios, son of Hyllos,
son of Heracles; who had obtained the kingdom of Sparta contrary to
expectation.

205. For as he had two brothers each older than himself, namely
Cleomenes and Dorieos, he had been far removed from the thought of
becoming king. Since however Cleomenes had died without male child, and
Dorieos was then no longer alive, but he also had brought his life to an
end in Sicily, 210 thus the kingdom came to Leonidas, both because was
of elder birth than Cleombrotos (for Cleombrotos was the youngest of the
sons of Anaxandrides) and also because he had in marriage the daughter
of Cleomenes. He then at this time went to Thermopylai, having chosen
the three hundred who were appointed by law 211 and men who chanced
to have sons; and he took with him besides, before he arrived, those
Thebans whom I mentioned when I reckoned them in the number of the
troops, of whom the commander was Leontiades the son of Eurymachos: and
for this reason Leonidas was anxious to take up these with him of all
the Hellenes, namely because accusations had been strongly brought
against them that they were taking the side of the Medes; therefore
he summoned them to the war, desiring to know whether they would send
troops with them or whether they would openly renounce the alliance of
the Hellenes; and they sent men, having other thoughts in their mind the
while.

206. These with Leonidas the Spartans had sent out first, in order that
seeing them the other allies might join in the camp