According to Thucydides, What Reason Did Pericles Offer for Rejecting

According to Thucydides, what reason did Pericles offer for rejecting Sparta's ultimatum?

A) Pericles argued that Athens was completely innocent of Sparta's charges and that Sparta was simply trying to provoke Athens's allies into seceding from the Delian League.
B) Pericles insisted that Corinth, Sparta's ally, had attacked Athens first and had to be punished so that Athens would not lose face.
C) Pericles explained that giving in to Sparta would be taken as a sign of weakness and would encourage Athens's allies to withdraw their support.
D) Pericles argued that giving in to Sparta's demand would be a sign of weakness and would only encourage Sparta to take further advantage of Athens.