Written by a Spanish Jesuit priest living in the 17th century, the Pocket Oracle and Art of Prudence is the golden container of exactly 300 aphorisms, each of sparkling beauty, and all designed to guide a ruler in the affairs of life. All are written with matchless verve and inimitable wit, which make the book a congenial read. Most are so fitly spoken, that they may well exemplify the "apples of gold in settings of silver" the Bible extols. Literary style and elegance aside, which facilitates the commission of text to memory, the book stands out as a superb source of practical advice, outstripping Marcus Aurelius and Schopenhauer in the genre of wisdom literature. The author synthesizes the wisdom of the East and the West to produce a work applicable across the ages. One does not need to be a ruler or businessperson to profit from Baltasar's sagely work, and many aphorisms are directed towards the improvement of talent, the management of relationships and the management of personal affairs.
All except for 3 aphorisms are consistent with traditional Christian morality in their insistence on virtue, which the author describes in a way that is compatible sagacity, talent and intellect. The 3 aphorisms that stand apart, do so for their apparent ruthlessness, their concession to human weakness and the need for expedient action in Machiavellian world of realpolitik, and I will not list them here. It is perhaps by way of compensation that Baltasar, a Jesuit priest, concludes the book with on a strong ethical note, from which the various threads of the book finally converge:
"Virtue links all perfections and is the centre of all happiness. It makes a person prudent, circumspect, shrewd, sensible, wise, brave, restrained, upright, happy, praiseworthy, a true and comprehensive hero. Three S's make someone blessed: being saintly, sound and sage. Virtue is the sun of the little world of man and its hemisphere is a clear conscience. It is so fine, it gains the favour of both God and mankind."
Although plodding minds decry the excessive use of metaphor and literary flourish and perceive that the text is nothing more but cryptic collection of gnomic sayings, the clever use of rich allegory by way of exposition makes the intended meaning indisputable. This text is as entertaining as it is profound - a rare jewel, and exemplar of Spanish baroque. This is a useful text that, for the most part, which provides advice on how to navigate the rocky shoals of virtue, without slipping into the stupidity of ingenue nor ruthless expedience. As Schopenhauer puts it: "a constant companion". One might very well enjoy it for its aesthetic qualities as much as for its subtility.
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