Page:Thucydides, translated into English Vol 2.djvu/76

 68 SPEECH OF PAGO NBAS [iV they clearly arc wherever we find them, and therefore _, .,, . in that country out of which they came The At/iemaiis arc ... our inickrate eiiciiiics, ^nd did US mischief. But perhaps not ivhcrcver we find them, to fight may appear to some one to be Theyare the aggressors ^^^ ^^^^^ ^^^^^^^^ ^^jj ^^ ,^^ ^^^^ and ii'c tnnsl dcjena ourselves against them who thinks SO think again. When tvithout stopping to a man being in full possession of his think. Neighbours are ^^^^^ ^^^ ^^ j^j^ ^^ ^^^^^^j. ^^j^^j.^ " always dangerous, and ihey'arc the most dan- bccausc he covcts more, he cannot gerousofail. Once -we reflect too much ; but whcn a man is -were at their mercy ; attacked by another and has to fight for but we recovered our n <• liberty at Coronea, and his own, prudence does not allow of must again shoiv them reflection. In you the temper has been that we cannot be at- hereditary whichwould repel the foreign tacked with impunity. ., i i i i • i > mvader, whether he be in another s country or in 3'our own ; the Athenian invader above all others should be thus repelled, because he is your next neighbour. For among neighbours antagonism is ever^ a condition of independence, and against men like these, who are seeking to enslave not only near but distant countries, shall we not fight to the last? Look at their treatment of Euboea just over the strait, and of the greater part of Hellas. I would have 3'ou know, that whereas other men fight with their neighbours about the lines of a frontier, for us, if we are conquered, there will be no more disputing about frontiers, but one fixed boundary, including our whole country, for the Athenians will come in and take by force all that we have. So much more dangerous are they than ordinary neighbours. And men who, like them, wantonly assail others, will not hesitate to attack him who remains quietl}' at home and only defends himself; but they are not so ready to overbear the adversary who goes out of his own country to meet them, and when there is an opportunity strikes first. We have proved this in our own dealings with the Athenians. Once, owing to our internal dissensions, they took possession of our land, but we overcame them at Coronea,