, peace quietly ends our quarrels; and the
guests who come hither under fair pretences for bad ends, will have good
reason for going away without having attained them.

"So far as regards the Athenians, such are the great advantages proved
inherent in a wise policy. Independently of this, in the face of the
universal consent, that peace is the first of blessings, how can we
refuse to make it amongst ourselves; or do you not think that the good
which you have, and the ills that you complain of, would be better
preserved and cured by quiet than by war; that peace has its honours and
splendours of a less perilous kind, not to mention the numerous other
blessings that one might dilate on, with the not less numerous miseries
of war? These considerations should teach you not to disregard my words,
but rather to look in them every one for his own safety. If there be any
here who feels certain either by right or might to effect his object,
let not this surprise be to him too severe a disappointment. Let him
remember that many before now have tried to chastise a wrongdoer, and
failing to punish their enemy have not even saved themselves; while
many who have trusted in force to gain an advantage, instead of gaining
anything more, have been doomed to lose what they had. Vengeance is not
necessarily successful because wrong has been done, or strength sure
because it is confident; but the incalculable element in the future
exercises the widest influence, and is the most treacherous, and yet in
fact the most useful of all things, as it frightens us all equally, and
thus makes us consider before attacking each other.

"Let us therefore now allow the undefined fear of this unknown future,
and the immediate terror of the Athenians' presence, to produce their
natural impression, and let us consider any failure to carry out
the programmes that we may each have sketched out for ourselves as
sufficiently accounted for by these obstacles, and send away the
intruder from the country; and if everlasting peace be impossible
between us, let us at all events make a treaty for as long a term as
possible, and put off our private differences to another day. In fine,
let us recognize that the adoption of my advice will leave us each
citizens of a free state, and as such arbiters of our own destiny, able
to return good or bad offices with equal effect; while its rejection
will make us dependent on others, and thus not only impotent to repel
an insult