"And yet the latter, if brought under, might be kept under; while the
Sicilians, even if conquered, are too far off and too numerous to be
ruled without difficulty. Now it is folly to go against men who could
not be kept under even if conquered, while failure would leave us in
a very different position from that which we occupied before the
enterprise. The Siceliots, again, to take them as they are at present,
in the event of a Syracusan conquest (the favourite bugbear of the
Egestaeans), would to my thinking be even less dangerous to us than
before. At present they might possibly come here as separate states for
love of Lacedaemon; in the other case one empire would scarcely attack
another; for after joining the Peloponnesians to overthrow ours, they
could only expect to see the same hands overthrow their own in the same
way. The Hellenes in Sicily would fear us most if we never went there at
all, and next to this, if after displaying our power we went away again
as soon as possible. We all know that that which is farthest off,
and the reputation of which can least be tested, is the object of
admiration; at the least reverse they would at once begin to look down
upon us, and would join our enemies here against us. You have yourselves
experienced this with regard to the Lacedaemonians and their allies,
whom your unexpected success, as compared with what you feared at first,
has made you suddenly despise, tempting you further to aspire to
the conquest of Sicily. Instead, however, of being puffed up by the
misfortunes of your adversaries, you ought to think of breaking their
spirit before giving yourselves up to confidence, and to understand that
the one thought awakened in the Lacedaemonians by their disgrace is how
they may even now, if possible, overthrow us and repair their dishonour;
inasmuch as military reputation is their oldest and chiefest study.
Our struggle, therefore, if we are wise, will not be for the barbarian
Egestaeans in Sicily, but how to defend ourselves most effectually
against the oligarchical machinations of Lacedaemon.

"We should also remember that we are but now enjoying some respite from
a great pestilence and from war, to the no small benefit of our estates
and persons, and that it is right to employ these at home on our own
behalf, instead of using them on behalf of these exiles whose interest
it is to lie as fairly as they can, who do nothing but talk themselves
and leave the danger to other