And first, with regard to ARGOS, I will extract the following particulars from former parts of this work. There were in this state three classes of persons; the inhabitants of the city, who were for the most part Dorians, distributed into four tribes; a class of Periœci, and also a class of bondslaves, named gymnesii.(623) The kings, who were at first of the Heraclide family, and afterwards of another dynasty, reigned until the time of the Persian war;(624) there were also officers named artynæ, and a senate possessing extensive powers. All these are traces which seem to prove a considerable resemblance between the constitutions of Argos and Sparta, at least they show that there was no essential difference. But this similarity was put an end to by the destruction of a large portion of the citizens, in the battle with Cleomenes, and the consequent admission of many Periœci to the rights of citizenship.(625) Soon after this period, we find Argos flourishing in population, industry, and wealth;(626) and in the enjoyment of a democratic constitution.(627) The latter, however, was ill adapted to acquire the ascendency in Peloponnesus, which Argos endeavoured to obtain after the peace of Nicias. Hence the people appointed a board of twelve men, with full powers to conclude treaties with any Greek state that was willing to join their party; but in case of Sparta or Athens proposing any such alliance, the question was to be first referred to the whole people.(628) The state also, in order to form the nucleus of an army, levied a body of well-armed men,(629) who were selected from the higher ranks.(630) It was natural that these should endanger the democracy; and after the battle of Mantinea (B.C. 418.) they overthrew it, in concert with the Lacedæmonians, after having put the demagogues to death.(631) Their dominion, however, only lasted for eight months, as an insurrection and battle within the city deprived them of their power, and reinstated the democracy.(632) Alcibiades the Athenian completed this change by the expulsion of many oligarchs, who were still remaining in the city;(633) afterwards he wished to overthrow the democracy by means of his friends,(634) in consequence of which they were all killed. Two parties, however, must have still continued to exist in this state. Æneas the Tactician relates, that the rich purposing to attack the people for the second time, and on a certain night having introduced many soldiers into the city, the leaders of the people hastily summoned an assembly, and ordered that every armed man should that night pass muster in his tribe,(635) by which means the rich were prevented from uniting themselves in a body. The _leaders of the people_ (δήμου προστάται(636)) are here manifestly democratic magistrates, who rose to power during the contests between the opposite factions, and differed chiefly from the demagogues of Athens, in that their authority was official, without which