Page:History of Greece Vol V.djvu/115

 BATTLES OF THERMOPYLJ; AND ARTEMISIUir. 9 J Leonidas except the Thespian and the Theban. The former, under their general Demophilus, volunteered to share the fate of the Spartans, and displayed even more than Spartan heroism, since they were not under that species of moral constraint which arises from the necessity of acting up to a preestablished fame and superiority. But retreat with them presented no prospect better than the mere preservation of life, either in slavery or in exile and misery ; since Thespise was in Boeotia, sure to be over- run by the invaders ; ' while the Peloponnesian contingents had behind them the isthmus of Corinth, which they doubtless hoped still to be able to defend. TVith respect to the Theban contin- gent, we are much perplexed ; for Herodotus tells us that they were detained by. Leonidas against their will as hostages, that they took as little part as possible in the subsequent battle, and surrendered themselves prisoners to Xerxes as soon as they could. Diodorus says that the Thespians alone remained with the Spar- tans ; and Pausanias, though he mentions the eighty Mykenaeans as having stayed along with the Thespians (which is probably incorrect), says nothing about the Thebans.2 All things con- belonging to the Herakleid lineage, whom Leonidas desired to place in safety, and for that reason gave them a despatch to carry home. They in- dignantly refused, and stayed to perish in the fight (Plutarch. Herodot. Malign, p. 866). • The subsequent distress of the surv-iving Thespians is painfully illus- trated by the fact, that in the battle of Plateea in the following year, they had no hea^T- armor (Herodot. ix, 30). After the final repulse of Xerxes, they were forced to recruit their city by the admission of new citizens (Herodot. riii, 75). Karelxs yap a(j)c:ag AeuvidTjc, hv o^rjpuv Aoyu TzoiEVfcevoc. How could these Thebans serve as hostages ? Against what evil were they intended to guard Leonidas, or what advantages could they confer upon him ? Unwilling comrades on such an occasion would be noway desirable. Plutarch (De Herodot. Malign, p. 865) severely criticizes this statement of Herodotus, and on very plausible grounds : among the many tmjust criticisms in his treatise, this is one of the few exceptions. Compare Diodorus, xi, 9; and Pausan. x, 20, 1. Of course the Thebans, taking part as they afterwards did heartily with Xerxes, would have an interest in representing that their contingent had done as little as possible against him, and may have circulated the story that Leonidas detained them as hostages. The politics of Thebes lefore
 * Herodot. vii, 222. QTjfialoi fiev aeKovrec e/xevov, Kal oh (3ov?Mfievoi,