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THE BRAVE THREE HUNDRED . All Greece was in danger . A mighty army , led by the great King of Persia , had come from the east . It was marching along the seashore , and in a few days would be in Greece . The great king had sent messengers into every city and state , bidding them give him water and earth in token that the land and the sea were his . But they said , — " No : we will be free . " And so there was a great stir throughout all the land . The men armed themselves , and made haste to go out and drive back their foe ; and the women staid at home , weeping and waiting , and trembling with fear . There was only one way by which the Persian army could go into Greece on that side , and that was by a narrow pass between the mountains and the sea . This pass was guarded by Leonidas , the King of the Spartans , with three hundred Spartan soldiers . Soon the Persian soldiers were seen coming . There were so many of them that no man could count them . How could a handful of men hope to stand against so great a host ? And yet Leonidas and his Spartans held their ground . They had made up their minds to die at their post . Some one brought them word that there were so many Persians that their arrows darkened the sun . " So much the better , " said the Spartans ; " we shall fight in the shade . " Bravely they stood in the narrow pass . Bravely they faced their foes . To Spartans there was no such thing as fear . The Persians came forward , only to meet death at the points of their spears . But one by one the Spartans fell . At last their spears were broken ; yet still they stood side by side , fighting to the last . Some fought with swords , some with daggers , and some with only their fists and teeth . All day long the army of the Persians was kept at bay . But when the sun went down , there was not one Spartan left alive . Where they had stood there was only a heap of the slain , all bristled over with spears and arrows . Twenty thousand Persian soldiers had fallen before that handful of men . And Greece was saved . Thousands of years have passed since then ; but men still like to tell the story of Leonidas and the brave three hundred who died for their country's sake . SOCRATES AND HIS HOUSE . There once lived in Greece a very wise man whose name was Socrates . Young men from all parts of the land went to him to learn wisdom from him ; and he said so many pleasant things , and said them in so delightful a way , that no one ever grew tired of listening to him . One summer he built himself a house , but it was so small that his neighbors wondered how he could be content with it . " What is the reason , " said they , " that you , who are so great a man , should build such a little box as this for your dwelling house ? " " Indeed , there may be little reason , " said he ; " but , small as the place is , I shall think myself happy if I can fill even it with true friends . "
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