The translator, Mr. Jacobs, has endeavored to produce Gracian's Laconism and "Cultismo" in his own version, and even tried to retain Gracian's many paronomasias and jingles of similar sound. Jacobs may have here and there introduced others of his own to redress the balance for cases where he found it impossible to produce the same effect in English. In such cases, Jacobs generally gives the original in the Notes. Wherever possible he replaced Spanish proverbs and proverbial phrases by English ones, and throughout tried to preserve the characteristic rhythm and brevity of the proverb.