ou without being assailed in turn.

If we really wait until he avows that he is at war with us, we are the
simplest of mortals: for he would not declare that, though he marched
even against Attica and Piraeus; at least if we may judge from his
conduct to others. For example, to the Olynthians he declared when he
was forty furlongs from their city, that there was no alternative, but
either they must quit Olynthus or he Macedonia; though before that time,
whenever he was accused of such an intent, he took it ill and sent
ambassadors to justify himself. Again, he marched toward the Phocians as
if they were allies, and there were Phocian envoys who accompanied his
march, and many among you contended that his advance would not benefit
the Thebans. And he came into Thessaly of late as a friend and ally, yet
he has taken possession of Pherae; and lastly he told these wretched
people of Oreus that he had sent his soldiers out of good-will to visit
them, as he heard they were in trouble and dissension, and it was the
part of allies and true friends to lend assistance on such occasions.
People who would never have harmed him, though they might have adopted
measures of defense, he chose to deceive rather than warn them of his
attack; and think ye he would declare war against you before he began
it, and that while you are willing to be deceived? Impossible. He would
be the silliest of mankind, if whilst you the injured parties make no
complaint against him, but are accusing your own countrymen, he should
terminate your intestine strife and jealousies, warn you to turn against
him, and remove the pretexts of his hirelings for asserting, to amuse
you, that he makes no war upon Athens. O heavens! would any rational
being judge by words rather than by actions, who is at peace with him
and who at war? Surely none. Well then, tell me now: when he sends
mercenaries into Chersonesus, which the king and all the Greeks have
acknowledged to be yours, when he avows himself an auxiliary and writes
us word so, what are such proceedings? He says he is not at war; I
cannot however admit such conduct to be an observance of the peace; far
otherwise: I say, by his attempt on Megara, by his setting up despotism
in Euboea, by his present advance into Thrace, by his intrigues in
Peloponnesus, by the whole course of operations with his army, he has
been breaking the peace and making war upon you; unless indeed you will
say that those who establish batteri