Kitap 1
74.3
for whereas the population of the cities from which you brought aid was still undisturbed and you could hope to possess them in the future, and your motive was fear for yourselves rather than for us—at any rate you did not come near so long as we were still unharmed—we on our part, setting forth from a city that was no more,cf. the taunt of Adimantus: περὶ οὐδεμίης ἔτι πατρίδος ναυμαχήσεις Hdt. 8.57.7, You will fight for a country that is no more,, and the famous answer of Themistocles, ὡς εἴη καὶ πόλις καὶ γῆ μέζων ἤπερ κείνοις ἔστ’ ἂν διηκόσιαι νέες σφι ἔωσι πεπληρωμέναι, Hdt. 8.61.8, We have a city and a country greater than yours as long as we have two hundred ships fully manned. and risking our lives in behalf of one whose future hung upon but a slender hope, bore our part in saving both you and ourselves.
74.4
But if we had acted as others did, and through fear of losing our territory had gone over to the Persians earlier in the war, or afterwards had lacked the courage to embark on our ships, in the conviction that we were already ruined, it would from that moment have been useless for you, with your inadequate fleet, to fight at sea, but the Persian's plans would have moved on quietly just as he wished.
75.1
"Considering, then, Lacedaemonians, the zeal and sagacity of judgment which we displayed at that time, do we deserve to be regarded with this excessive jealousy by the Hellenes just on account of the empire we possess ?
75.2
And indeed we did not acquire this empire by force, but only after you had refused to continue to oppose what was left of the barbarian forces, and the allies came to us and of their own accord asked us to assume the leadership.
75.3
It was under the compulsion of circumstances that we were driven at first to advance our empire to its present state, influenced chiefly by fear, then by honour also, and lastly by self-interest as well;
