History of the Peloponnesian War

with regard to the Lacedaemonians, that they may not, with all your kind feelings towards them, be injured, in case of your not being won over to them, by means of the money paid by you to the Athenians; and with regard to the Greeks, that they may not be prevented by you from escaping bondage. For otherwise, certainly we should have no right to act thus;

nor are we Lacedaemonians bound to liberate those who do not wish it, except on the plea of some general good. Nor is it dominion that we aim at;

but rather being anxious, as we are, to stop others from acquiring it, we should wrong the majority, if, when bringing independence to all, we should permit you to stand in the way of it.