Vade Mecum, part 2, Maurice Assuf and Maquiavel

The teacher Assuf, as most people referred to him, was a man of distinguished bearing, always dressed in impeccable suits, including the waistcoat (hence a three-piece suit), beautiful silk ties, and driving a car that was unique in the city, perhaps even in the country: an exceptionally elegant metallic gray English Bentley, with the steering wheel on the right-hand side. He was an example that a lawyer could succeed through the practice of his profession. Ill-intentioned gossip claimed that he had inherited a fortune from his father, a Lebanese immigrant who traded in fabrics, but it was clearly the envy of the resentful.

His lectures were carefully prepared and well delivered. There was no question on which he could not speak with authority, clarity, and brilliance.

The course on the History of National Law (HDN) began with the origins of Brazilian Law: Portuguese law, with its "Ordenações Filipinas." Portuguese law, in turn, derived from Roman law, which itself had Greek influences. Portuguese law was also strongly influenced by Arab law and Anglo-Saxon law. It was fascinating.

During a lecture on Arab law, while the professor was explaining that almost every Portuguese word beginning with "al" has Arabic origins, giving examples such as alvará, alforria, alfândega, alferes, and algemas, one of the female students interrupted him to say "almôndega" (meatball). From that day on, the entire class knew her only as "Meatball." It is quite possible that no one remembers her real name.

Another memorable feature of Assuf's classes was that they always began and ended exactly on schedule, on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. At the end of each class, he would walk toward the door and, with remarkable skill, throw the piece of chalk at the blackboard (which was then commonly called the "slate") so that it struck the board and landed perfectly in the chalk tray beneath it. Only someone who has tried doing that knows how difficult it is; most of the time the chalk falls to the floor. It's like shooting a basketball into the hoop without practice. It simply doesn't go in, except by chance.

Besides Roman, Arab, and Anglo-Saxon law, the History of National Law course covered many other subjects. One of them was Niccolò Machiavelli, who, in 1513, wrote the world-famous book "The Prince," published posthumously in 1532. Both the book and Machiavelli himself remain controversial, with several famous quotations attributed to him:

Ø "It is better to be feared than loved."

Ø "The ends justify the means."

Ø "God will not do everything, lest He deprive us of free will and of the share of glory that belongs to us."

Ø "A prince is also highly esteemed when he acts as a true friend or enemy; that is, when he openly declares himself in favor of some and against others, a policy that is always more useful than neutrality."

At the time, because of Golbery and the reputation for being Machiavellian that he had acquired, the subject was extremely fashionable. Since every year Assuf devoted an entire week to Machiavelli, that year many former students decided to return and attend the lectures to revisit the topic. As a result, instead of the usual forty students, there were about forty more eager to attend. The School administration had to move the lectures to an auditorium capable of accommodating between eighty and one hundred people.

The week was a great success, not only because of the topic itself but also because of Assuf's profound knowledge and philosophical interpretations. Motivated by the larger audience, he excelled even more.

On Friday, after the final lecture, the professor walked toward the door, threw the chalk, which landed perfectly in the tray, and left. The audience burst into applause, both for the lectures and for the chalk throw.

Assuf heard them, returned to the room, climbed onto the small stage at the front of the lecture hall, gestured as if saying: "_silence", the applause stopped, and silence prevailed. After about five seconds of silence (the technique of an experienced speaker), Assuf said:

_I see that the students are very enthusiastic about Machiavelli and the Machiavellians!

A rhetorical pause.

_But remember: Machiavelli never rose above being an adviser.

He then left without saying another word. The class absorbed the message, took another five seconds to react, and responded with twice as much applause. Assuf must have heard it while descending the building's staircase and getting into his Bentley, his ego satisfied, on his way to enjoy his well-deserved 25-year-old whisky with the feeling of a job well done.

Miguel Fernández y Fernández, engineer, chronicler, and columnist, member of the National Academy of Engineering and the Engineering Institute # written in 2024Nov/Dec R2025DecRd, 4,144 characters