ivered you over to the
majority, so that, for any service they rendered you, you were all dead
men; and you owe your lives to our friends here, the people of Athens.
(15)

(12) See "Hell." II. ii. 19; and below, VI. v. 35.

(13) Plut. "Lys." xv. "Erianthus the Theban gave his vote to pull down
the city, and turn the country into sheep-pasture."--Clough, iii.
121.

(14) See "Hell." II. iv. 30.

(15) See "Hell." II. iv. 38, 40, 41.

"But to pass on--we all know, men of Athens, that you would like to
recover the empire which you formerly possessed; and how can you compass
your object better than by coming to the aid yourselves of the victims
of Lacedaemonian injustice? Is it their wide empire of which you are
afraid? Let not that make cowards of you--much rather let it embolden
you as you lay to heart and ponder your own case. When your empire was
widest then the crop of your enemies was thickest. Only so long as they
found no opportunity to revolt did they keep their hatred of you dark;
but no sooner had they found a champion in Lacedaemon than they at once
showed what they really felt towards you. So too to-day. Let us show
plainly that we mean to stand shoulder to shoulder (16) embattled
against the Lacedaemonians; and haters enough of them--whole
armies--never fear, will be forthcoming. To prove the truth of this
assertion you need only to count upon your fingers. How many friends
have they left to them to-day? The Argives have been, are, and ever will
be, hostile to them. Of course. But the Eleians? Why, the Eleians have
quite lately (17) been robbed of so much territory and so many cities
that their friendship is converted into hatred. And what shall we say
of the Corinthians? the Arcadians? the Achaeans? In the war which Sparta
waged against you, there was no toil, no danger, no expense, which those
peoples did not share, in obedience to the dulcet coaxings (18) and
persuasions of that power. The Lacedaemonians gained what they wanted,
and then not one fractional portion of empire, honour, or wealth did
these faithful followers come in for. That is not all. They have no
scruple in appointing their helots (19) as governors, and on the free
necks of their alies, in the day of their good fortune, they have
planted the tyrant's heel.

(16) Lit. "shield to shield."

(17) Lit. "to-day," "nowadays."

(18) {mala liparoumenoi}. See Thuc. i. 66 foll.; vi. 88.

(19) See "Pol. Lac." xiv.

"Then aga