e people. Towards the end of this period, and about the 350th year of
Rome, the Romans formed the siege of Veji, which lasted ten years.

(M8) I have already observed, that eighty years after the taking of Troy,
the Heraclidae, that is, the descendants of Hercules, returned into the
Peloponnesus, and made themselves masters of Lacedaemon, where two
brothers, Eurysthenes and Procles, sons of Aristodemus, reigned jointly
together.

Herodotus observes,(227) that these two brothers were, during their whole
lives, at variance; and that almost all their descendants inherited the
like disposition of mutual hatred and antipathy; so true it is, that the
sovereign power will admit of no partnership, and that two kings will
always be too many for one kingdom! However, after the death of these two,
the descendants of both still continued to sway the sceptre jointly: and,
what is very remarkable, these two branches subsisted for near nine
hundred years, from the return of the Heraclidae into the Peloponnesus, to
the death of Cleomenes, and supplied Sparta with kings without
interruption, and that generally in a regular succession from father to
son, especially in the elder branch of the family.

The Origin and Condition of the Elotae, or Helots.

When the Lacedaemonians first began to settle in Peloponnesus, they met
with great opposition from the inhabitants of the country, whom they were
obliged to subdue one after another by force of arms, or receive into
their alliance on easy and equitable terms, with the imposition of a small
tribute. Strabo(228) speaks of a city, called Elos, not far from Sparta,
which, after having submitted to the yoke, as others had done, revolted
openly, and refused to pay the tribute. Agis, the son of Eurysthenes,
newly settled in the throne, was sensible of the dangerous tendency of
this first revolt, and therefore immediately marched with an army against
them, together with Soues, his colleague. They laid siege to the city,
which, after a pretty long resistance, was forced to surrender at
discretion. This prince thought it proper to make such an example of them
as should intimidate all their neighbours, and deter them from the like
attempts, and yet not alienate their minds by too cruel a treatment; for
which reason he put none to death. He spared the lives of all the
inhabitants, but at the same time deprived them of their liberty, and
reduced them all to a state of slavery. From thenceforwa