Thucydides Daily Reader

It would bring no honor to you, Spartans, to violate the common laws of Greece and the legacy of your ancestors in this way, or to execute us—your benefactors—merely to satisfy someone else's hatred when you yourselves have suffered no wrong at our hands. It would be far more honorable to spare us and to yield to reasonable compassion. Consider not only the terrible fate that awaits us, but also who we are as people, and remember that misfortune can strike even the innocent without warning. We have every right, driven by desperate need, to make this appeal. We call upon the gods at whose shared altars all Greeks worship to hear our plea. We invoke the oaths your fathers swore, which we now claim as our protection. We beg you by your fathers' graves, and we appeal to their spirits to prevent us from falling into Theban hands—to save their closest allies from being handed over to their bitterest enemies. We remind you of that glorious day when we fought alongside your fathers, performing the most heroic deeds—we who today face the most terrible of fates. Now we must do what is both necessary and most difficult for people in our position: bring our speech to an end, knowing that with its conclusion, mortal danger draws near. In closing, we declare that we did not surrender our city to the Thebans—we would have chosen honorable starvation over that. Instead, we trusted you and surrendered to you. Justice demands that if we fail to convince you, you should at least restore us to our former position and let us face whatever fate awaits us. We implore you, Spartans, not to hand over us Plataeans—who come to you as suppliants, trusting in your protection, and who have been the most loyal of Greek patriots—to the Thebans, our deadliest enemies. Be our saviors, not our destroyers. Do not, while liberating the rest of Greece, bring about our annihilation."

So spoke the Plataeans. The Thebans, fearing that the Spartans might be swayed by this speech, stepped forward and requested permission to address them as well. They argued that since the Plataeans had been permitted to speak at length rather than simply answering the question posed to them, they too should have the opportunity to respond. When permission was granted, the Thebans began:

"We would never have requested to speak if the Plataeans had limited themselves to answering your question directly, rather than launching into accusations against us while mounting an elaborate defense of themselves on matters irrelevant to the current inquiry—matters that weren't even under dispute—and praising themselves for things no one criticizes. But since they have taken this approach, we must respond to their accusations and counter their self-glorification, so that neither our supposed wickedness nor their claimed virtue will influence your decision. Instead, you will hear the truth about both sides and can judge accordingly.