Nay, but can it be that ye feel yourselves bound to take upon you the risk of battles against Messenians and Arcadians and Argives, who are equally matched against you, for the sake of land which is not much in extent nor very fertile, and for confines which are but small, though these peoples have neither gold nor silver at all, for the sake of which desire incites one to fight and to die,-can this be, I say, and will ye choose some other way now, when it is possible for you easily to have the rule over all Asia?" Aristagoras spoke thus, and Cleomenes answered him saying:
Zer beharrizan duzu, beraz, garrantzi handirik gabeko lurralde ez horren handi ez aberatsen aurka diharduzun gerran jarduteko, zeuon pareko indarra duten meseniarren aurka, kasu, edo urrearen edo zilarraren arrastorik ere ez duten arkadiarren eta argostarren aurka, ondasun horien edukitza izanik borrokatzen hiltzeraino edozein gizakume bultzatzen duena? Zeren, Asia osoa erraz eskuratzeko aukera izanik, nahiago izango al duzu beste hori?".