Page:Thucydides, translated into English Vol 1.djvu/143

36, 37] SPEECH OF THE CORINTHIANS 27 situated for the coast voyage to Italy and Sicily ; it stands in the way of an}' fleet coming from thence to the Pelopon- nesus, and can also protect a fleet on its way to Sicily. One word more, which is the sum of all and everything we have to say, and should convince you that you must not abandon us. Hellas has only three considerable navies : — there is ours, and there is yours, and there is the Corinthian. Now, if the Corinthians get hold of ours, and you allow the two to become one, you will have to fight against the united navies of Corcyra and the Pelopon- nesus. But, if you make us your allies, you will have our navy in addition to your own ranged at your side in the impending conflict.' Thus spoke the Corcyraeans : the Corinthians replied as follows : — ' Since these Corcyraeans have chosen to speak, not 37 only of their reception into your alliance, j^^^ neutrality of the but of our misdoings and of the unjust Corcyraeans a pretence war which has been forced upon them ^y «'/'"/' '^'O' conceal . . , their crimes. by us, we too must touch on these two points before we proceed to our main argument, that you may be better prepared to appreciate our claim upon you, and may have a good reason for rejecting their petition. They pretend that they have hitherto refused to make alliances from a wise moderation, but they really adopted this policy from a mean and not from a high motive. They did not want to have an ally who might go and tell of then- crimes, and who would put them to the blush whenever they called him in. Their insular position makes them judges of their own offences against others, and they can therefore afford to dispense with judges appointed under treaties ; for they hardly ever visit their neighbours, but foreign ships are constantly driven to their shores by stress of weather. And all the time they screen them- selves under the specious name of neutrality, making believe that they are unwilling to be the accomplices of other men's crimes. But the truth is that they wish to