Note 211 — Chapter II · THE SOCIAL COMPOSITION OF THE PRIMITIVE POPULUS
Reading edition
Rep. ii. 20. 35: “Duplicavit illum pristinum patrum numerum et antiquos patres maiorum gentium appellavit, quos priores sententiam rogabat, a se adscitos minorum.” The connection shows that Cicero is speaking of two classes of senators distinguished by the rank of the gentes from which they respectively came.