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| | Megarian Decree |
 | | Of course the Megarians would complain in Sparta, but Pericles, who was a personal friend of the Spartan king Archidamus II, knew that the Spartan government was not prepared to go to war for the sake of a Corinthian-Athenian conflict. |
 | | In Thucydides' view, the complaints about the Megarian Decree were mere pretexts for war, and were not the real cause, which he seeks in something that looks more like a philosophical statement about human nature than a historical explanation. |
 | | When the [Athenian] Assembly convened to consider the matter, Pericles, who far excelled all his fellow citizens in skill of oratory, persuaded the Athenians not to rescind the action, saying that for them to accede to the demands of the Spartans, contrary to their own interests, would be the first step toward slavery. |
| www.livius.org /mea-mem/megara/decree.html (1165 words) |
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