Jan 2, 2013
Mr. Gibbon,
I have just received your account of the life and death of Rome's noble Emperor Julian and quite agree that the man was a worthy prince. The philosopher ends his life by declaring "I have considered the happiness of the people as the end of government." Nobly said! I shall have to borrow any extant works of this wise ruler.
My time is short today, but I must pose this question: how can any gov't know the happiness of 300,000,000 individual souls? If their happiness is created by different pleasures, can any government fulfill such an end? Poor Julian's dying words are but an empty shell if we fail to fill out the meaning of happiness and truly discern the capabilities of government in its various forms.
Respectfully yours,
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