The earlier discussions of the Megarian decrees were confined mainly to the question of their date, number, and authorship. The results of these investigations have been conveniently summarized by Busolt' whose conservative conclusions regarding the questions at issue have been generally accepted. More recently the recognition of the importance of economic factors in ancient history has aroused fresh interest in the commercial policy of Athens as a contributing cause of the Peloponnesian War.2 In the main Busolt's verdicts are sound, but in two instances he has accepted views not warranted by the available evidence. The period during which the decrees could have been in operation falls into three divisions, beginning respectively with the secession of Megara in 446, Athenian intervention in Corcyra in 433, and the opening of the Peloponnesian War in 431. No ancient source definitely records any steps taken by Athens to put economic pressure upon Megara during the first period. Duncker3 was the first to suggest that Aristophanes refers to this period in Acharnians 515-23: 2/,uwv yap avSpes, ovxO rv 7roXLv X'yw, ,uE/.W?O7aE TOVt1, OTt OV L T)V OALY Ayw, dAA' avSpapta /.oXO6ppa, 7rapaKCK0/o/u4EvcX, aTt/Aa Kat 7rapaCri7iua Kat 7rapa4Eva, icUKobAdvret Meyaplwv raT xXavYUCKM KEL 7rOV (KVOV L8OLEV v A-XayOtov -7 7/tov O cK'OSOV X1 XovPop'o 'acL, TavT X7v McyapLKa Kd7rE7rpaT avc0/uOEpov Kat TavTa uev/E 0CruLKpa Kabr9xwpta.