As the republic of letters brings forward the best literary productions, by giving to genius a fair and universal chance; so the representative system of government is calculated to produce the wisest laws, by collecting wisdom from where it can be found.
In "Rights of Man," Paine draws a parallel between the meritocratic nature of literature and the ideal of representative government.
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It was Government dethroning Government; and the old one, by attempting to make a new one, made a chasm.
To account for this sudden transition, it is proper to observe that there are two distinct species of popularity; the one excited by merit, and the other by resentment.