And when after the festival they came to a conference, the envoys spoke as follows:

"With the settled principle of the Greeks with regard to a case like ours], Lacedaemonians and allies, we are well acquainted; for when men revolt in war, and leave their former confederacy, those who receive them are pleased with them so far as they derive benefit from them; but inasmuch as they consider them traitors to their former friends, they have a meaner opinion of them.

And this is no unfair estimate of their conduct, supposing that both those who revolt, and those from whom they separate, agreed in their views and in kindly feeling, and were equally matched in resources and power, and no reasonable ground for the revolt previously existed. But this was not the case with us and the Athenians;

nor ought we to be worse thought of by any one for revolting from them in the time of their peril, when we were honoured by them in time of peace.

" For it is on the justice and goodness of our cause that we will first address you, especially as we are requesting the favour of your alliance; knowing that neither friendship between individuals, nor league between communities, is ever lasting, unless According to Göller, φίλοι is understood after γίγνοιτο; according to Poppo φιλία καὶ κοινωνία before it. I prefer the former construction. they formed the connexion with an appearance of good principle towards each other, and were of congenial dispositions in other respects; for from difference of feelings difference of conduct also arises.

Now between us and the Athenians alliance was first made when you left us, and withdrew from the Median war, while they stood by us to finish the business.

We became allies, however, not to the Athenians for the enslaving of the Greeks, but to the Greeks for their liberation from the Mede. And so long as they led us on equal terms, we followed them heartily;