CUPID AND LIGEIA.

Cupid had played some wicked trick one day
On sharp Ligeia; and I heard her say,
"Your little rogue! you ought to be unsext."
He was as spiteful, though not quite so vext,
And said (but held half-shut the folding-doors),
"Ah then, my beard will never grow like yours!"

CLVI.

FIRST SPEECH OF PERICLES TO THE
ATHENIANS,

On the Declarations of Corinth and Lacedæmon.

HE Regency of Lacedæmon has resolved to make an irruption into Attica, if we attempt any thing adverse to Potidea, hearing that on the declaration of hostilities by Corinth, we ordered the Potideans, whose infidelity we had detected, to demolish the wall facing Pallene. In reliance on their treason, Perdiccas and the Corinthians had entered into confederacy, and were exciting the defection of our Thracian auxiliaries. Perdiccas prevailed with the Chalcidians to dismantle all their towns upon the seaside, and to congregate in Olynthus. We made a truce, and afterward a treaty, with Perdiccas: he evacuates the territory he had invaded; we strictly beleaguer the revolted Potidea. The ephors of Lacedæmon now summon to appear before them not only their allies, but whosoever has any complaint to prefer against

the Athenians. Hereupon the Megaræans come forward, and protest that they have been prohi. bited from our markets, contrary to treaty; and what is worse, that we exclude them from the possession of Potidea, so convenient for extending their power and authority into Thrace. They appear, in their long oration, to have forgotten nothing, unless that they had murdered our citizens and ambassadors.

By what right, O Athenians, is Lacedæmon our judge? Corinth may impel her into war against us; but Corinth can never place her on the judg ment-seat of Greece; nor shall their united voices make us answer to the citation. We will declare not to her but to all, our reasons and our rights. The Corcyreans had erected a trophy at Leucimna, and had spared after the victory their Corinthian captives they had laid waste the territory of Leucas and they had burnt the arsenal of Cyllene. Meanwhile the Corinthians sent ambassadors to every power in the Peloponese, and enlisted mariners for their service upon every coast. If valour and skill and constancy could have availed the Corcyreans, they would have continued to abstain, as they had ever done, from all alliances. They only sought ours when destruction was imminent; knowing that, in policy and humanity, we never could allow the extinction of one Grecian state, nor consequently the aggrandisement and preponderance of another; and least so when the insolence of Corinth had threatened our naval ascendency (by which all Greece was saved), and the rivalry of Lacedæmon our equality on land. By our

treaty with the Lacedæmonians it is provided that, if any community be not in alliance with one of the parties, it may confederate with either, at its discretion; and this compact it was agreed should be binding not only on the principals but likewise on the subordinates. In such a predicament stands Corcyra.

It might behove us to chastise the inhumanity of a nation which, like Corinth, would devour her own offspring; but it certainly is most just and most expedient, when, instead of reasoning or conferring with us on the propriety of our interference, she runs at once to Sparta, conspiring with her to our degradation, and, if possible, to our ruin. Satisfactorily to demonstrate our justice and moderation, I advise that we stipulate with Corcyra for mutual defence, never for aggression, and admitting no article which, even by a forced interpretation, may contravene our treaty with Lacedæmon.

CLVII.

SECOND SPEECH OF PERICLES.

HE jealousy that Sparta hath ever entertained against us, was declared most flagrantly, when Leotychides, who commanded the Grecian forces at Mycale, drew away with him all the confederates of the Peloponese. We continued to assail the barbarians until we drove them from Sestos, their