ble, owing to the ill will of the Thessalians; as a precautionary
measure 10,000 hoplites were encamped upon it, but they evacuated the
position as soon as the enemy's advance-guard came into sight. The
natural barrier of OEta, less formidable than that of Olympus, was
flanked by the Euboean straits on the extreme right, but the range
was of such extent that it did not require to be guarded with equal
vigilance along its whole length. The Spartans did not at first occupy
it, for they intended to accumulate all the Greek forces, both troops
and vessels, around the isthmus. At that point the neck of land was so
narrow, and the sea so shut in, that the numbers of the invading force
proved a drawback to them, and the advantage almost of necessity lay
with that of the two adversaries who should be best armed and best
officered. This plan of the Spartans was a wise one, but Athens, which
was thereby sacrificed to the general good, refused to adopt it, and
as she alone furnished almost half the total number of vessels, her
decision had to be deferred to. A body of about 10,000 hoplites
was therefore posted in the pass of Thermopylae under the command of
Leonidas, while a squadron of 271 vessels disposed themselves near the
promontory of Artemision, off the Euripus, and protected the right flank
of the pass against a diversion from the fleet. Meanwhile Xerxes had
been reinforced in the course of his march by the contingents from
Macedonia, and had received the homage of the cities of Thessaly; having
reached the defiles of the OEta and the Euboea, he began by attacking
the Creeks directly in front, both fleets and armies facing one another.
Leonidas succeeded in withstanding the assault on two successive days,
and then the inevitable took place. A detachment of Persians, guided
by the natives of the country, emerged by a path which had been left
unguarded, and bore down upon the Greeks in the rear; a certain number
managed to escape, but the bulk of the force, along with the 300
Spartans and their king, succumbed after a desperate resistance. As for
the fleet, it had borne itself bravely, and had retained the ascendency
throughout, in spite of the superiority of the enemy's numbers; on
hearing the news of the glorious death of Leonidas, they believed their
task ended for the time being, and retired with the Athenians in their
wake, ready to sustain the attack should they come again to close
quarters. The victorious side had suffe