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110 HO HISTORY OF GREECE. diaiely after the capture of the town, there remained only the Athenian envoys through whose report Thucydides could possi- bly have heard what really passed. That he did hear either from or through them the general character of what passed, I make no doubt: but there is no ground for believing that he received from them anything like the consecutive stream of de- bate, which, together with part of the illustrative reasoning, we must refer to his dramatic genius and arrangement. The Athenian begins by restricting the subject of discussion to the mutual interests of both parties in the peculiar circumstances in which they now stand, in spite of the disposition of the Melians to enlarge the range of topics, by introducing considerations of justice and appealing to the sentiment of impartial critics. He will not multiply words to demonstrate the just origin of the Athenian empire, erected on the expulsion of the Persians, or to set forth injury suffered, as pretext for the present expedition. Nor will he listen to any plea on the part of the Melians, that they, though colonists of Sparta, have never fought alongside of her or done Athens wrong. He presses upon them to aim at what is attainable under existing circumstances, since they know as well as he that justice in the reasoning of mankind is settled according to equal compulsion on both sides ; the strong doing what their power allows, and the weak submitting to it. 1 . To 1 In reference to this argumentation of the Athenian envoy, I call atten- tion to the attack and bombardment of Copenhagen by the English govern- ment in 1807, together with the language used by the English envoy to the Danish Prince Regent on the subject. We read as follows in M. Thiers's Ilistoirc du Consulat et de 1'Empire : " L'agent choisi etoit digne de sa mission. C'&oit M. Jackson qui avail c'te' autrefois charge d'affaires en France, avant 1'arrive'e de Lord Whitworth, Paris, mais qu'on n'avoit pas pft y laisser, a. cause du mauvais esprit qu'il manifestoit en toutc occasion. Introduit aupres du regent, il allegua de pretendues stipulations secretes, en vcrtu desquelles le Danemark devoit. (disoit 01) de gre ou de force, faire partie d'uue coalition centre 1'Angle terre : il donna commc raison d'agir la neccssite ou se trouvoit le cabinet Britanuique dc prcndre des precautions pour quo les forces navales du D.memark et le passage du Sund ne tombassent pas au pouvoir des Fran- ?cis -. et en consequence il demandn au nom de son gouvernement, qu'on livrsit u 1'armee Angloise la forteresse de Kroncnherg qui commando le Sund, le port de Copcnhagne, et enfin la flotte cllc-meme promettant do garder le tout en de'pot, pour le comptc du Danemark, qui seroit remis en