§4.87.1οὕτω πολλὴν περιωπὴν τῶν ἡμῖν ἐς τὰ μέγιστα διαφόρων ποιούμεθα, καὶ οὐκ ἂν μείζω πρὸς τοῖς ὅρκοις βεβαίωσιν λάβοιτε ἢ οἷς τὰ ἔργα ἐκ τῶν λόγων ἀναθρούμενα δόκησιν ἀναγκαίαν παρέχεται ὡς καὶ ξυμφέρει ὁμοίως ὡς εἶπον. §4.87.2‘εἰ δ’ ἐμοῦ ταῦτα προϊσχομένου ἀδύνατοι μὲν φήσετε εἶναι, εὖνοι δ’ ὄντες ἀξιώσετε μὴ κακούμενοι διωθεῖσθαι καὶ τὴν ἐλευθερίαν μὴ ἀκίνδυνον ὑμῖν φαίνεσθαι, δίκαιόν τε εἶναι, οἷς καὶ δυνατὸν δέχεσθαι αὐτήν, τούτοις καὶ ἐπιφέρειν, ἄκοντα δὲ μηδένα προσαναγκάζειν, μάρτυρας μὲν θεοὺς καὶ ἥρως τοὺς ἐγχωρίους ποιήσομαι ὡς ἐπ’ ἀγαθῷ ἥκων οὐ πείθω, γῆν δὲ τὴν ὑμετέραν δῃῶν πειράσομαι βιάζεσθαι, §4.87.3καὶ οὐκ ἀδικεῖν ἔτι νομιῶ, προσεῖναι δέ τί μοι καὶ κατὰ δύο ἀνάγκας τὸ εὔλογον, τῶν μὲν Λακεδαιμονίων, ὅπως μὴ τῷ ὑμετέρῳ εὔνῳ, εἰ μὴ προσαχθήσεσθε, τοῖς ἀπὸ ὑμῶν χρήμασι φερομένοις παρ’ Ἀθηναίους βλάπτωνται, οἱ δὲ Ἕλληνες ἵνα μὴ κωλύωνται ὑφ’ ὑμῶν δουλείας ἀπαλλαγῆναι. §4.87.4οὐ γὰρ δὴ εἰκότως γ’ ἂν τάδε πράσσοιμεν, οὐδὲ ὀφείλομεν οἱ Λακεδαιμόνιοι μὴ κοινοῦ τινὸς ἀγαθοῦ αἰτίᾳ τοὺς μὴ βουλομένους ἐλευθεροῦν· §4.87.5οὐδ’ αὖ ἀρχῆς ἐφιέμεθα, παῦσαι δὲ μᾶλλον ἑτέρους σπεύδοντες τοὺς πλείους ἂν ἀδικοῖμεν, εἰ ξύμπασιν αὐτονομίαν ἐπιφέροντες ὑμᾶς τοὺς ἐναντιουμένους περιίδοιμεν. §4.87.6πρὸς ταῦτα βουλεύεσθε εὖ, καὶ ἀγωνίσασθε τοῖς τε Ἕλλησιν ἄρξαι πρῶτοι ἐλευθερίας καὶ ἀίδιον δόξαν καταθέσθαι, καὶ αὐτοὶ τά τε ἴδια μὴ βλαφθῆναι καὶ ξυμπάσῃ τῇ πόλει τὸ κάλλιστον ὄνομα περιθεῖναι. ’
\nThus we exercise great caution regarding what is most disadvantageous to us, and you could not receive a greater assurance in addition to our oaths than from those whose deeds, when examined in light of their words, provide a necessary conviction that it is indeed equally advantageous to both, just as I have said.\n\n"But if, when I offer these terms, you say that you are unable to accept them, yet, claiming to be well-disposed, you demand to be allowed to reject them without suffering harm, and assert that freedom does not appear to you to be free from danger, and that it is just to bring it only to those who are also able to receive it, but to force no one against their will, I shall make the local gods and heroes my witnesses that I have come for your good but fail to persuade you, and I shall attempt to constrain you by laying waste to your land.\n\nAnd I will no longer consider myself to be doing wrong, but rather that some justification is on my side under two compelling necessities: on the part of the Lacedaemonians, so that they may not be harmed, if you are not won over, through your goodwill, by the tribute sent from you to the Athenians; and on the part of the Greeks, so that they may not be prevented by you from being delivered from slavery.\n\nFor indeed we should not be acting reasonably in this, nor are we Lacedaemonians bound to liberate those who do not wish it, except for the sake of some common good.\n\nNor, on the other hand, do we aim at empire; rather, in our eagerness to stop the rule of others, we should be doing wrong to the majority if, while bringing autonomy to all, we should overlook you who oppose us.\n\nTherefore, deliberate well on these matters, and strive to be the first to lead the Greeks toward freedom and to lay up for yourselves eternal glory, and at the same time to avoid harm to your private property and to bestow the fairest name upon your entire city."