ance, was never abolished, and was held to the last by Patricians
only. Moreover, in the event of neither consul being able to
hold the election of successors, the same old plan was followed
as on a vacancy of the throne, namely the appointment of an
interrex by the Patrician senators, with a temporary imperium for
the purpose. When the consuls had to assign some special
function, such as command in war, to one of the two, this was
done either by voluntary agreement or by casting lots. Such was
Roman unity in duality.

24. Senate. The Senate of this period was a continuation
of the old Council of the King, but the choice of members had
passed to the consuls. The normal or ideal number was 300.
Senators had to be men of ripe age, at all events over 46 years.
In practice they held their places for life, unless removed on the
ground of acts customarily regarded as disgraceful. Whether any
Plebeians were actually included in their number has been doubted.
In any case they must have been very few. No doubt the choice
of members amounted to a sort of rough representation of the
Patrician clans. The House seem to have been addressed
collectively as patres, for after the admission of Plebeians we
hear that the patres and those enrolled with them (conscripti) were
addressed jointly as patres conscripti. Senators soon, if not from
the first, came to be allowed a foremost place on all public
occasions, and certain distinctions of dress. Grades of rank
soon arose among the members, for those who had held public
office continued to wear the semi-royal gown of the consul. At
first no doubt the Fathers were simply the Advisory Board of the
consuls, but as a permanent body by the side of changing
magistrates they could hardly help acquiring more and more
influence. The Senate quickly became the store-house of ex-
perience, the exponent of public custom and precedent. It was
able to meet on short notice and give advice in emergencies, for
the members normally lived in the city or within easy reach.
The right to make proposals (sententiam dicere) and to vote by
division (discessio) existed early, and enabled the opinion of the
majority to be ascertained with ease. But the power of the
presiding magistrate, great even in later times, was probably
dominant at first to an extraordinary degree. It lay with him
to put a question to the House or not, and opinions could only
be expressed at his invitation. But in this primitive procedure

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