This body was probably originally composed of all the Fathers of the
families, but in historical times it was limited to THREE HUNDRED
members, holding life office, and appointed during the regal period by
the king. Later the appointment was made by the Consuls, still later
by the Censors, and for nearly one hundred years before Christ all
persons who had held certain offices were thereby vested with the
right of seats in the Senate. Hence, during this later period, the
number of Senators was greatly in excess of three hundred. The
Senators, when addressed, were called PATRES, or "Fathers," for they
were Fathers of the families.

The Romans, as we saw above, were divided at first into three tribes,
_Ramnes_, _Tities_, and _Luceres_ Each tribe was subdivided into
ten districts called CURIAE, and each curia into ten clans called GENTES
(3 tribes, 30 curiae, and 300 gentes). Every Roman citizen, therefore,
belonged to a particular family, at the head of which was a _pater-
familias_; every family belonged to a particular _gens_, named
after a common ancestor; every gens belonged to a particular _curia_;
and every curia to a particular _tribe_.

We have learned that in the early government of Rome there was a king,
and a senate that advised the king. Besides this, there was an
assembly composed of all Roman citizens who could bear arms.
[Footnote: We must remember that at this time no one was a Roman
citizen who did not belong to some family. All other residents were
either slaves or had no political rights, i.e. had no voice in the
government.] This assembly of Roman citizens met, from time to time,
in an enclosed space called the COMITIUM, which means a place of
gathering or coming together. This was between the Palatine and