to be received among the allies of Athens.—Address of the Korkyræan envoys to the Athenian public assembly. Principal topics upon which it insists, as given in Thucydidês.—Envoys from Corinth address the Athenian assembly in reply.—Decision of the Athenians—a qualified compliance with the request of Korkyra. The Athenian triremes sent to Korkyra.—Naval combat between the Corinthians and Korkyræans: rude tactics on both sides.—The Korkyræans are defeated.—Arrival of a reinforcement from Athens—the Corinthian fleet retires, carrying off numerous Korkyræan prisoners.—Hostilities not yet professedly begun between Athens and Corinth.—Hatred conceived by the Corinthians towards Athens.—They begin to stir up revolt among the Athenian allies—Potidæa, colony of Corinth, but ally of Athens.—Relations of Athens with Perdikkas king of Macedonia, his intrigues along with Corinth against her—he induces the Chalkidians to revolt from her—increase of Olynthus.—Revolt of Potidæa—armament sent thither from Athens.—Combat near Potidæa, between the Athenian force and the allied Corinthians. Potidæans, and Chalkidians.—Victory of the Athenians.—Potidæa placed in blockade by the Athenians. 1-75 CHAPTER XLVIII. FROM THE BLOCKADE OF POTIDÆA DOWN TO THE END OF THE FIRST YEAR OF THE PELOPONNESIAN WAR. State of feeling in Greece between the Thirty years’ truce and the Peloponnesian war—recognized probability of war—Athens at that time not encroaching—decree interdicting trade with the Megarians.—Zealous importunity of the Corinthians in bringing about a general war, for the purpose of preserving Potidæa.—Relations of Sparta with her allies—they had a determining vote, whether they would or would not approve of a course of policy which had been previously revived by Sparta separately.—Assembly of the Spartans separately addressed by envoys of the allied powers, complaining that Athens had violated the truce.—The Corinthian envoys address the assembly last, after the envoys of the other allies have inflamed it against Athens.—International customs of the time, as bearing upon the points in dispute between Athens and Corinth.—Athens in the right.—Tenor of the Corinthian address—little allusion to recent wrong—strong efforts to raise hatred and alarm against Athens.—Remarkable picture drawn of Athens by her enemies.—Reply made by an Athenian envoy, accidentally present in Sparta.—His account of the empire of Athens—how it had been acquired, and how it was maintained.—He adjures them not to break the truce, but to adjust all differences by that pacific appeal which the truce provided.—The Spartans exclude strangers, and discuss the point among themselves in the assembly.—Most Spartan speakers are in favor of war. King Archidamus opposes war. His speech.—The speech of Archidamus is ineffectual.