which put an end to the insolence of the barbarians and the poverty of the Hellenes, and
 which, besides, waged war in her own cause more capably than that city which is famed for
 her skill in warfare, and extricated herself from her misfortunes more quickly than these
 same Lacedaemonians—does not this city, I say, deserve to be praised and honored more than
 the state which has been outdistanced by her in all these respects? This, then, is what I
 had in mind to say on this occasion in comparing the achievements of Athens and Lacedaemon and the wars which they fought at the same time
 and against the same adversaries. But I think that, while those who find these words distasteful to listen to will not deny
 that what I have said is the truth nor, again, will they be able to cite other activities
 of the Lacedaemonians through which they brought to pass many blessings to the Hellenes,
 yet they will attempt— as is ever their habit—to denounce our city, to recount the most offensive acts which
 transpired while she held the empire of the sea, to present in a false light the
 adjudication of lawsuits in Athens for the
 allies Members of the Confederacy of Delos had to bring certain lawsuits, especially those
 which involved disloyalty to the league in any way, to Athens for trial. See Isoc. 4.113 , note. and her collection of tribute See Isoc. 7.2 , note. from
 them, and above all to dwell on the cruelties suffered at her hands by the Melians and the
 Scionians and the Toronians, For the treatment of
 Melos and Scione see Isoc. 4.100 , note, and 109.
 Torone was captured by Cleon in 422 B.C. The men of the town were sent as prisoners to Athens, and
 the women and children sold into slavery ( Thuc. 5.3 ). 
 thinking by these reproaches to sully the benefactions of Athens which I have just
 described. Now I, for my part, could not gainsay all the things which might justly be said against
 our city, nor would I attempt to do so; for I should be ashamed, as I have already said in
 another place, In Isoc. Letter
 2.16 . when all other men are of the opinion that not even the gods are
 free from guilt, were I to strain my conscience and attempt to persuade you that our
 commonwealth has never erred in any instance whatsoever. Nevertheless, I think I shall do one thing, namely, show that the city of the Spartans,
 in handling situations such as I have mentioned, has been much more harsh and severe than
 Athens, and that those who seek to promote the reputation of the Spartans by calumniating
 us are short-sighted in the extreme and are themselves to blame for the bad repute which
 their own friends That is, the Spartans. incur at
 our hands.