Then, as now, there were great patrician families in luxury, preserving for themselves power and wealth, and what else is accounted worth possessing; and there was the populace crushed and groaning, sweating, bleeding, starving, and perishing in the Roman kennels.

That was a republic; the mightiest we have seen." Philippe strove with his impatience.

"At least you will admit--you have, in fact, admitted it--that we could not be worse governed than we are ?" "That is not the point.

The point is should we be better governed if we replaced the present ruling class by another?
Without some guarantee of that I should be the last to lift a finger to effect a change.

And what guarantees can you give?
What is the class that aims at government?
I will tell you.