History of the Peloponnesian War

And what is most important, they will be hampered by scarcity of money, seeing that providing it slowly they are subject to delays;

but the opportunities of war wait for no man. "Moreover, neither the planting of forts in our territory[*](Thuc. 1.122.1) need cause us to be afraid, nor yet their navy.

For as regards the first, it is a difficult matter even in time of peace to construct here a city that will be a match for ours, to say nothing of doing this in a hostile country and at a time when we have fortifications quite as strong to oppose them.

But suppose they do establish a fort; although they might injure a part of our territory by making raids and receiving our deserters, yet that will not be sufficient to prevent us from sailing to their land and building forts there, or making reprisals with our fleet, wherein our strength lies.