Page:History of Greece Vol VI.djvu/133

 BEGINNING OF THE PELOPONNESIAN WAR. m question of peace or war, that the Athenians were prepared to discuss all the grounds of complaint against them, pursuant to the truce, by equal and amicable arbitration, but that they would do nothing under authoritative demand. 1 With this answer the envoys returned to Sparta, and an end was put to negotiation. It seems evident, from the account of Thucydides, that the Athenian public was not brought to this resolution without much reluctaace, and great fear of the consequences, especially destruc- tion of property in Attica: and that a considerable minority took opposition on the Megarian decree, the ground skilfully laid by Sparta for breaking the unanimity of her enemy, and strengthening the party opposed to Perikles. But we may also decidedly infer from the same historian, especially from the proceedings of Corinth and Sparta, as he sets them forth, that Athens could not have avoided the war without such an abnega- tion, both of dignity and power as no nation under any govern- ment will ever submit to, and as would have even left her without decent security for her individual rights. To accept the war tendered to her, was a matter not merely of prudence but of necessity : the tone of exaction assumed by the Spartan envoys would have rendered concession a mere evidence of weakness and fear. As the account of Thucydides bears out the judgment of Perikles on this important point, 2 so it also shows us that Athens was not less in the right upon the received principles ot international dealing. It was not Athens, as the Spartans 3 them 1 Thucyd. i, 145. Kal rolf AaKedaifiovioLf uTteKplvav-o rrj i/ceivov yvup) /cai?' iKdffTu re wf eQpaae, Kal TO t-vftirav ot>Jev nefavofievoi noiqaEiv, diny <Se KOTU raf fwtfjy/caf irol[j.oi, elvai dial-vecdai Trepl T&V eyKTiij^iuTuv iirl lot) Kal 6/toia. 2 In spite of the contrary view taken by Plutarch, Perikles, c. 31 : com- parison of Perikl. and Fab. Max. c. 3. 3 Thucyd. iv, 21. Ql fiev ovv A-anedaifioviot. roaavra dnov, vofti&vref roi!f ' A.&jjvaiovf iv T$ irpiv xpovu anovduv iKidvfieiv, a$uv <5e kvavriov* ftevuv KuTii) ecr&ai, dido/ievqc 6s elpTjvijf uapevuf 6st;eG-&ai re Kal roi)f u See also an important passage (vii, 18) about the feelings of the Spar- tans. The Soartans thought, says Thucydides, iv r<p irporepp -xolepy (the beginning ol the Peloponnesian war) ofarepov rb TrajYivoffrj^a uufav i, on re if fliunuav tydov Orj3a^oi iv avovSali KOI eipqpmov t*