The Siege and belief of Ardea一W hilst this was zoinpr on in .home, am Dassaaors came xrom.araea, appealinry, in the name of the ancient alliance and recently renewed treaty, fox help for their city which was almost destroyed. Thev’ were not anowea, tney saza, to enjoy the peace wnzcn 7.n pursuance or the sounaestpolzcVtheVnaa maintainea with长ome. owinp, to internal aisputes. L ne origin ana occasion or these is said to have been party struggles, which have been and will be more ruinous to the majority of States than external wars or famine and pestilence or whatever else is ascribed to the wrath of the gods as the last evil which a State can suffer. Two young men were courting a maiden of plebeian descent celebrated for her beauty. One of them, the’乡rl's equal in vas encouraged by her guardians, who belonged ss;the other, a young noble captivated solely by her beauty, was supported by the sympathy and good-will of the no bill 1ty Party feeling had even penetrated into the girl's home, for the mother, who wanted her daughter to make as splendid a match as possible, preferred the young noble, whilst the guardians, carrying their partisanship even into such a matter as this, were working for the man of their own class. As the matter could not be settled within the four walls of the house, they brought it into court. After hearing the appeals of the mother and of the guardians, the magistrates granted the disposal of the girl's hand in accordance with the mother's wishes. Taut violence won the day, for the guardians, after haranguing a number of their partisans in the Forum on the iniquity of the verdict, collected a body of men and carried off the maiden from her mother's house. They were met by a still more determined troop of nobles, assembled to follow theiryoung comrade, who was furious at the outrage. A desperatefight ensued and the plebeians got the worst of it. In a verydifferent spirit from the Roman plebs they marched, fullyarmed, out of the city and took possession of a hill from whichthey raided the lands of the .nobles and laid them waste with 脉and sword. A multitude of artisans who had previously taken no part In the conflict, excited by the hope of plund二， preparations were made to besiege the city. war were present in the city, as though it with the madness of the two young men who nuptials out of their ear country 's ruin. Both sides felt the need of an addition to the nobles prevailed on the Romans to come to the relief of their beleaguered city; the plebs induced the Volscians to join them in attacking Ardea. The Volscians, under the leadership of Cluilius, the Equan, were the first to come, and drew lines of circumvallation round the enemy's walls. When news of this reached Rome the consulM.Geganius at once left with an axmv and fixed his camp three miles distant from the enemy, and as the day was declining he ordered his men to rest. At the fourth watch he ordered an advance, and so expeditiously was the task undertaken and completed, that at sunrise the Volscians saw themselves enclosed by a stronger circunivallation than the one which they had themselves carried round the city.s In another direction the consul constructed a covered way up to the wall of A.raea ay wnicn nis xrienas in the city could go to and fro.