Note 27 — Chapter VII

Baltasar Gracian was born in Calatayud, Aragon, in 1601, and entered the Society of Jesus in 1619. He taught belles-lettres, philosophy, moral theology, and the Holy Scriptures, and preached for several years. He was rector of the college at Taragona, Catalonia, where he died December 6, 1658. His first book, El Heroë, appeared in 1630. The most famous of his numerous works was his Criticon, which is probably the book referred to in the text. It is a sort of satire on the vices and customs of the times; and in places reminds one of Pilgrim’s Progress. It was published in three parts, the first in 1650 at Madrid, and the other two at Huesca, in 1653. Most of his works were published under his brother Lorenzo’s name. His talent in writing is vitiated by his affectation and other faults. See Ticknor’s History of Spanish Literature (New York, 1854); Sommervogel’s Bibliothèque; Moreri’s Dictionaire, iv, p. 174; and Hoefer’s Nouvelle biographie générale, xxi, cols. 570, 571.