It is striking to find the author of the Wealth of Nations, the founder of a long line of plutologists who are commonly believed to exalt the material means of happiness above all other, declaring that ``wealth and greatness are mere trinkets of frivolous utility'', and that ``in ease of body and peace of mind, all the different ranks of life are nearly upon a level, and the beggar who suns himself by the side of the highway possesses that security which kings are fighting for.'' Adam Smith, Moral Sentiments, Part iv. chap. i.