Cómo el predicador ha de reprender en el púlpito los pecados públicos de los Reyes

The ardent intellectual debate, which is developed in Spain throughout the Seventeenthcentury, on the lawfulness of reproaching the king from the pulpit presupposes the ability to distinguishwhat is useful from what is ethically reprehensible. Therefore, it is essential the adoption by the preachersof a reasonable strategy based on both the intentional concealment of the most dangerous truths and theimplementation of a sophisticated communication mechanism in function of the rules of royal decorumand stratified morality. Speaking in an indirect way, silent accusation, demure reticence are the mosteffective techniques to fit the status of the listener, without thereby giving up the educational work.