Howe after many goinges and commynges, the Athenyans dyd put it into deliberation whither they shulde rather accepte the warre, or obey to the requestes of the Lacedemonyans. Cap. xvii.

AFter that the Lacedemonyans had requyred and summoned the A∣thenyans, and also that the Lacedemonyans were by them requyred and summoned to purge thair offences of the goddes, and the sacrile∣ges of the one parte and on the othere, those Lacedemonyans sente againe to the Athenians to warne them that they shuld restore and set the Po∣tydyans againe into libertie. And suffre the Egynyans, to lyue according to their lawes. But chiefly they declared, that they wold not commēce the warre against them, if they wolde reuoke the decree whyche they hadde made agaynste the Megarens. By whyche they were forbydden, to aryue in the poortes of the Athenyans, and to come to thair markettes, and also to vse marchandise with them. To all whiche requestes, and specyally, touchinge the reuocatiō of the said decree, the Athenyans determyned not to obey. Alleaging agaynst them of Me∣gare, that they occupied the holly and indeuided place, and that they receiued the frutes of Athens. Fynally, yet after all thies aunsweres, thre Ambassadours of the Lacedemonyans came agayne vnto them, to wytt, Raphius,* Malesippus* & Agesandrus,* who without makynge any mention of any of the othere matters, wherof had bene spokenne bifore, saide vnto them this wordes onely in substāce The Lacedemonyans arne mynded to haue peace with youe, the whyche youe maye haue, if youe suffer the Grekes in thair lybertie. Vpon whyche propositiō, the Athenyans, then caused the coūsaille of the cytie to assemble, for to determyne one tyme for all, of the aunswere, whych they had to make. Upon which matter after that many had shewed thair opynyons, the one that the warre shulde be ac∣cepted, the other that the decre against them of Megare shuld be reuoked, rather than by occasyon therof to haue warre, fynally Pericles the sonne of Xantippus,* who was at that tyme the chefest man of the cytie, and most renommed, aswell in woorde, as in dede, stode vp and spake in this manner.