Full Idea
With a large state in the hands of one man there is too great a distance between the prince and the people, and the state lacks cohesiveness. This requires intermediate orders of nobility to fill them. A small state is ruined by all these social levels.
Gist of Idea
Large states need a nobility to fill the gap between a single prince and the people
Source
Jean-Jacques Rousseau (The Social Contract (tr Cress) [1762], III.06)
Book Reference
Rousseau,Jean-Jacques: 'The Basic Political Writings', ed/tr. Cress,Donald A. [Hackett 1987], p.184
A Reaction
[compressed] This seems to be a justification for the French ancien regime. Presumably this bit was not quoted much in 1789. Why must the gap be filled by 'nobility'? What about an elected house of lords?