Thucydides History of the Peloponnesian War 1.66

[1] These were the quarrels between the Peloponnesians and the Athenians. The Corinthians quarrelled the Athenians for besieging Potidaea and in it the men of Corinth and Peloponnesus. The Athenians quarrelled the Peloponnesians for causing their confederate and tributary city to revolt, and for that they had come thither and openly fought against them in the behalf of Potidaea. Nevertheless the war brake not openly forth as yet, and they yet abstained from arms; for this was but a particular action of the Corinthians.

[1] The Athenians and Peloponnesians had these antecedent grounds of complaint against each other: the complaint of Corinth was that her colony of Potidaea , and Corinthian and Peloponnesian citizens within it, were being besieged; that of Athens against the Peloponnesians that they had incited a town of hers, a member of her alliance and a contributor to her revenue, to revolt, and had come and were openly fighting against her on the side of the Potidaeans. For all this, war had not yet broken out: there was still truce for a while; for this was a private enterprise on the part of Corinth .

Dies aber wurde die zweite Veranlassung zum Kriege
zwischen den Athenern und den Peloponnesiern, weil die Ko­
rinther den Athenern nicht vergeben konnten, daß sie ihre
Pflanzstadt Potidäa und die darin befindlichen Korinther und
Peloponnesier belagerten, die Athener aber sich dadurch gekränkt
fühlten, daß die Peloponnesier eine steuerpflichtige Stadt ihres
Bundes zum Abfall verleitet und mit den Potidäern offen gegen
sie gefochten hatten. Förmlich ausgebrochen aber war der
Krieg damit noch nicht, sondern das Schwert steckte einstweilen
noch in der Scheide, denn bis dahin hatten die Korinther
nur auf eigene Hand gehandelt.

LXVI. Tels étaient les griefs réciproques des Athéniens et des Péloponnésiens : les Corinthiens reprochaient aux Athéniens de tenir Potidée, leur colonie, assiégée avec les Corinthiens et les Péloponnésiens qui y étaient enfermés. Les Athéniens accusaient les Péloponnésiens d’avoir fait révolter une ville leur alliée et leur tributaire, et d’être venus ouvertement se joindre aux Potidéates pour les combattre. Cependant la guerre n’était pas encore déclarée et le traité subsistait toujours ; car en tout cela les Corinthiens avaient agi seuls.

Tels furent, entre Athènes et le Péloponèse, les griefs qui précédèrent la guerre. Les Corinthiens se plaignaient que leur colonie de Potidée, avec les soldats de Corinthe et du Péloponèse qu’elle renfermait, fût assiégée par les Athéniens. Ceux-ci à leur tour accusaient les Péloponésiens d’avoir insurgé une ville alliée et tributaire d’Athènes et d’être venus les combattre ouvertement, de concert avec les Potidéates. Néanmoins, la rupture n'avait pas encqre éclaté; la trêve subsistait toüjours; car les Corinthiens n’avaient pas agi en vertu d’une délibération publique.

[1] As between the Athenians and the Peloponnesians, then, these additional grounds of complaint had arisen on either side, the Corinthians being aggrieved because the Athenians were besieging Potidaea, a colony of theirs with men in it from Corinth and the Peloponnesus, the Athenians, because the Peloponnesians had brought about the revolt of a city that was an ally and tributary of theirs, and then had come and openly fought with the Potidaeans against themselves. As yet, however, the war had not openly broken out, but there was still a truce for in these things the Corinthians had acted only on their own authority.

[1] The Athenians then and Peloponnesians had had these previous grounds of complaint against each other; the Corinthians, because Potidaea, which was a colony of their own, and men of Corinth and from the Peloponnese in it, were being besieged; the Athenians against the Peloponnesians, because they had caused the revolt of a city which was their ally and tributary, and had come and openly fought with them in conjunction with the Potidaeans. The war however had not yet positively broken out, but at present there was a suspension of hostilities; for the Corinthians had done these things on their own responsibility alone.

[1] Atque hac quidem accesserant Atheniensibus et Peloponnesiis causae, quibus alteri in alteros accenderentur, Corinthiis quidem, quod Potidaeam, suam coloniam, et viros Corinthios ac Peloponnesios, qui in ea erant, obsiderent; Atheniensibus vero contra Peloponnesios, quod illi civitatem sociam et vectigalem ad defectionem impulissent, et eo profecti pro Potidaeatis aperte seeum pugnarent. Nondum tamen bellum quidem conflatum erat, sed ab armis adhuc abstinebatur. Corinthii enim haee privalim egerant.

Ma le accuse insorte scambievolmente prima della guerra tra Ateniesi e Peloponnesi erano queste. I Corintii accusavano gli Ateniesi dell’ assedio col quale strìngevano Potidea loro colonia e quei Corintii e Peloponnesi che vi si trovavano : gli Ateniesi accusavano i Peloponnesi d’aver ribellata quella città confederata e tributaria d’Atene, e andati colà di aver portato scopertamente le armi contro loro d’accordo co' Potideati. Nondimeno non era per anche scoppiata la guerra , anzi durava tuttora la tregua ; perchè queste cose avevano fatte i Corintii in particolare.