History of the Peloponnesian War

About the same period of this summer the Athenians also despatched thirty ships to the Peloponnese, with Asopius son of Phormio as commander; the Acarnanians having requested them to send them either a son or other relative of his to take the command.

The ships, as they coasted along, ravaged the maritime towns of Laconia.

Afterwards Asopius sent back home the greater part of them, but himself went to Naupactus with twelve; and subsequently, having raised the whole population of the Acarnanians, marched against $Oeniadae; sailing with his fleet by the Achelous, and his army by land laying waste the country.

When it did not surrender, he dismissed his land-forces, and having himself sailed to Leucas, and made a descent upon Nericus, was cut off on his return, and some part of his army with him, by the people of the neighbourhood who had come to the rescue, and some few guard-troops.

The Athenians, after sailing away, subsequently recovered their dead from the Leucadians by treaty.

Now the ambassadors of the Mytilenaeans sent out in the first ship, being told by the Lacedaemonians to come to Olympia, in order that the rest of the confederates also might hear and consult upon their case, accordingly went thither. It was the Olympiad at which Dorieus the Rhodian gained his second victory.

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.