It's on the left. To the left of the main door, I mean. One of the baroque statues flanking entrance has it wrapped around its arm.

The two statues, a bit worn by our inclement air, are not exceptional, but the whole is quite good. The best is the Latin motto on the arch of the door: Patet ómnibus ianua, cor valde magis: "For all is open the door and much more the heart". An exciting motto for a City Hall. It will be difficult to find something better.

Quite a statement of intent. Supported, moreover, by the two statues. The one on the right, with a sword held high and a scale tucked under the other arm, clearly represents justice. And the one on the left, with the serpent and a kind of ostensorium, is prudence. These are the main virtues for governing: prudence and justice. Although courage is also needed to move things forward and oppose the scoundrels. And moderation or temperance, to be balanced in everything. Justice has been without a sword for some time. But they have replaced it. And they have done well, because it needs a sword to be respected. But its strength is not based on the sword but on reason.

They are the four classical virtues: prudence, justice, fortitude or courage, and temperance or moderation. From Plato's Republic to the Pamplona City Council, some 2,400 years of public and private ideals have gone by, which summarize our western culture. Plato considered the four virtues necessary for the good government of cities and people. And it seemed to him the most central of the Education for citizenship.

The ostensory that prudence carries is, in reality, a mirror to look at everything carefully (speculate). And the coiled serpent comes from the Gospel of St. Matthew: "Be wise as serpents and harmless as doves"; prudence needs the supposed cunning of serpents to calculate what is going to happen. Although it also needs the simplicity of doves, because, when one is honest, there is no need to cheat or hide anything. Some images of prudence (not ours) have, in addition, two faces, front and back. This is reminiscent of the Roman god Janus. With one face, it looks to the past, and signifies experience. And with the other, it looks to the future, and signifies foresight. Everything needs prudence. And it is very appropriate to remember it in January, which is the month of Janus (Ianuarius).

These civil virtues, which are equally useful for the aediles as for the citizens, have these days in Pamplona another curious illustration. In the file General of Navarra, there is an interesting exhibition on "The law of Navarra" that Mercedes Galán has mounted. In it, you can see a magnificent "Libro de Juras de los Alcaldes de Pamplona", from the 13th century, no less. It is open on a beautiful miniature, somewhat worn, on which the oath was sworn, I suppose, by placing the hand. In the explanation we read that the new Mayor committed himself to defend and respect justice and added "and that by bienquerencia, odio, parcialitat, favor, ganancia ni perdida, non fare ni juzgare, sino berdat (truth), oídas las partes en todo lo que querrán decir et alegar" (and that the parties heard in everything they wanted to say and allegar).

The fact is that hearing both sides when it comes to judging, was and is the most elementary rule of justice and prudence. And it is the same for public and private life. There is neither justice nor prudence, if in resolving a dispute between two, both parties are not heard. Or if when it is necessary to judge someone, even if it is from the inside, one does not know the reasons he has. And sometimes it is very difficult.

Prudence is not the art of cowardice or indecision, it is the art of getting it right. And to get it right with a criterion that is that of justice. Not that of whim or advantage; not that of favoritism or rancor.

In 2400 years, our life has changed a lot and humanity has known enormous progress, also in Pamplona. But as far as the wisdom of life and Education for citizenship are concerned, as long as we are human beings and we want to live as human beings, the same convictions that have built our coexistence and have guided our Education for millennia are useful to us.

The statues of prudence and justice have pedestals with white marble plaques, which seem to have been placed later. One reads that the height above sea level in Alicante is 444.67 meters. And on the other, that the height above sea level in Santander, is 443.80 meters. The plates do not add much to the set. Rather, they give it a realistic and prosaic touch. And somewhat comical, because it is not clear how they have been able to measure the two decimals or how long the level of the two seas has been still.

In any case, what is really interesting is not how high we live above sea level, but how high we live at the level of humanity and civility that the virtues represented by the statues, and the motto above the door of our City Hall, claim.