Book II - Wilbourhall.org

Ixviii INTRODUCTION. [iv.hoped to raise a fleet of five hundred vessels with theaid of Syracuse. This design was, however, frustratedby Athens.Shortly after the battle of Sybota, Athens, suspectingsome design in Potidaea, ordered that city to givehostages and destroy its fortifications.Potidaea wasa Corinthian colony, but was subject to Athens.Instead of complying, the city revolted in the summerof 432 B.C., and Corinth threw an army of tenthousand men into it before Athens had any adequateforce there. The Athenians had great difficulties tocontend with in the north owing to the opposition ofPerdiccas of Macedon.Another ground of war was that Athens hadexcluded the Megarians from trading with any placeswithin the Athenian empire. The action taken bySparta in this matter shows that Pericles could nothave avoided war had he tried to do so.The plan ofCorinth and Sparta was to squeeze concessions out ofAthens on threat of war until at last Athens shouldrefuse to comply with their demands. Thus Athenswould be weakened by the time she was forced intowar. After war had been decided upon at Sparta,three embassies were sent to Athens, of which thefirst made the ridiculous demand that Pericles shouldbe driven into exile, and the second tliat the siege ofPotidaea, which was now being vigorously pushed on,should be raised, and the Megarian decree rescinded.Lastly, a request was actually made that Athensshould restore independence to her subjects. Withnone of these demands would Athens comply, and herpolicy was rightly guided by Pericles with a view to