from which its members were drawn. And this association with the Senate leads us naturally to the third question connected with the political character of the gentes, i.e. their relation to the primitive council of the state. The theory of an ultimate connexion between the two originates with the correspondence of the number of the gentes and of the Senate. Both are given by tradition as 300. The Roman community is said to have originated with the amalgamation of three domains (tribus) into one.[1] The rise of the Senate from 100, its original number as constituted by Romulus, to 300 as its final number, is accounted for by the gradual amalgamation of these three tribes with their 100 gentes each.[2] A parallel to the original centumviral constitution of the Senate is found in the centumviri of the Italian towns, and is supposed to be derived from the same invariable division of a tribus into 100 gentes.[3]
The chief objections to this view are the symmetrical number into which it divides the gentes, and the fact that the Senate is, according to the best tradition, a body of nominees selected by the chief magistrate. But yet there is an element of truth in the theory. The Senate did rise from 100 to 300 in consequence of the incorporation of fresh elements into the community, and therefore in consequence of an increase of the gentes. The kings and early consuls would doubtless, in the exercise of their powers of selection, wish to see each of the patrician clans represented in their council. Hence the addition of new clans would add new members to that body, and hence the inferior place occupied in the Senate by the gentes minores, the younger branch of the Patriciate.
Although the clan itself was inexpansive, the number of the clans, even in the old patrician community, was not. It was possible for new gentes to be added to the community, and even for old gentes to quit it. Tradition speaks of the reception of six clans that had once belonged to the parent state of Alba—the Cloelii, Curiatii, Geganii, Julii, Quinctilii (or Quinctii), and Servilii;[4] and Sabine races as well, such as the Valerii,[5] are also said to have been admitted. The reception of new gentes was
