h those in whose
offences you had no hand. No, they should have shared their power with
you before they asked you to share your fortunes with them.

"So then the reality of the grievances we come to complain of, and the
violence and rapacity of our opponents, have both been proved. But that
you cannot equitably receive them, this you have still to learn. It may
be true that one of the provisions of the treaty is that it shall be
competent for any state, whose name was not down on the list, to join
whichever side it pleases. But this agreement is not meant for those
whose object in joining is the injury of other powers, but for those
whose need of support does not arise from the fact of defection, and
whose adhesion will not bring to the power that is mad enough to receive
them war instead of peace; which will be the case with you, if you
refuse to listen to us. For you cannot become their auxiliary and remain
our friend; if you join in their attack, you must share the punishment
which the defenders inflict on them. And yet you have the best possible
right to be neutral, or, failing this, you should on the contrary join
us against them. Corinth is at least in treaty with you; with Corcyra
you were never even in truce. But do not lay down the principle that
defection is to be patronized. Did we on the defection of the Samians
record our vote against you, when the rest of the Peloponnesian powers
were equally divided on the question whether they should assist them?
No, we told them to their face that every power has a right to punish
its own allies. Why, if you make it your policy to receive and assist
all offenders, you will find that just as many of your dependencies will
come over to us, and the principle that you establish will press less
heavily on us than on yourselves.

"This then is what Hellenic law entitles us to demand as a right. But
we have also advice to offer and claims on your gratitude, which, since
there is no danger of our injuring you, as we are not enemies, and since
our friendship does not amount to very frequent intercourse, we say
ought to be liquidated at the present juncture. When you were in want
of ships of war for the war against the Aeginetans, before the Persian
invasion, Corinth supplied you with twenty vessels. That good turn, and
the line we took on the Samian question, when we were the cause of the
Peloponnesians refusing to assist them, enabled you to conquer Aegina
and to punish Samos.