Page:Thucydides, translated into English Vol 1.djvu/144

 2b SPEECH OF THE CORINTHIANS [l keep their own criminal courses to themselves : where they are strong, to oppress ; where they cannot be found out, to defraud ; and whatever they may contrive to appro- priate, never to be ashamed. If they were really upright men, as they profess to be, the greater their immunity from attack the more clearly they might have made their honesty appear by a willingness to submit differences to arbitration. 08 ' But such they have not shown themselves either to- rrr, •,/ wards us or towards others. Although Ive go to war tvilh ^ thein because tiuy have they are our colony they have always wronged and insulted stood aloof from US, and now they are fighting against us on the plea that they were not sent out to be ill used. To which we rejoin that we did not send them out to b^ insulted by them, but that we might be recognised as their leaders and receive proper respect. Our other colonies at any rate honour us; no city is more beloved by her colonies than Corinth. That we are popular with the majority proves that the Corcyraeans have no reason to dislike us; '^and, if it seems extraordinary that we should go to war with them, our defence is that the injury which they are doing us is unexampled ^. Even if we had been misled by passion, it would have been honourable in them to make allow- ance for us, and dishonourable in us to use violence when they showed moderation. But they have wronged us over and over again in their insolence and pride of wealth ; and now there is our colony of Epidamnus which they would not acknowledge in her distress, but, when we came to her rescue, they seized and are now holding by force. 39 ' They pretend that they first offered to have the matter decided by arbitration. The appeal to justice might have some meaning in the mouth of one ^' who before he had them, for they are doing us an unexampled injury.' •> Or, 'whose actions corresponded to his professions, before he entered on the struggle.'
 * Or, 'and there is nothing extraordinary in our going to war with