Within the Senate, itself an oligarchy, a narrow ring, namely the nobiles, or descendants of consular houses, whether patrician or plebeian in origin, regarded the supreme magistracy as the prerogative of birth and the prize of ambition. 3 The patricians continued to wield an influence beyond all relation to their number; and the nobiles, though a wider class, formed yet a distinct minority in the Senate. […] Licinius Murena, descendants of ancient and famous houses of praetorian rank.) […] Pompeius’ repute was evil enough with his own class; when he formed an alliance with the Metelli he placed deadly weapons in the hand of his rival, namely the appeal to the People against oligarchy, oppression and murder: cum duce Sullano gerimus civilia bella. 1 For revenge and as an example to deter posterity from raising dissension at Rome, Sulla outlawed his adversaries, confiscated their property and deprived their descendants of all political rights. […] Nor would a seat in the lower ranks of the Senate at Rome have been an extreme honour and unmixed blessing to the descendant of Etruscan kings or even to an Italian magnate.