"The Wisest, Brightest, Meanest Of Mankind!"
Context: The topic of the fourth epistle of Pope's essay is the nature of happiness. He points out that external rewards are not always conducive to contentment. He notes that riches, honors, noble birth, fame, superior talent cannot, whether singly or in combinations, insure happiness for the individual. Only virtue whose object is universal, he says, can bring happiness, and that "the perfection of Virtue and Happiness consists in a conformity to the Order Of Providence here and a resignation to it here and hereafter." To prove his points he offers a handful of examples:
To sigh for ribands if thou art so silly,
Mark how they grace Lord Umbra or Sir Billy.
Is yellow dirt the passion of thy life?
Look but on Gripus or on Gripus' wife.
If parts allure thee, think how Bacon shined,
The wisest, brightest, meanest of mankind!
Or, ravish'd with the whistling of a name,
See Cromwell damn'd to everlasting fame!
If all united thy ambition call,
From ancient story learn to scorn them all.
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