An Essay on True and Apparent Beauty in which from Settled Principles is Rendered the Grounds for Choosing and Rejecting Epigrams

This essay opens a celebrated seventeenth‑century anthology of epigrams, offering a thoughtful guide to how readers might tell “true” beauty from the merely attractive. Framed as a practical handbook for students, it explains that the twin goals of any good book are instruction and character‑building, with the latter taking precedence. The author warns that many collections are riddled with vulgar or corrupting material, and he sets out a systematic approach to sift the worthwhile from the indecent.

Drawing on both ancient and modern poets, the writer explains his method of preservation: he keeps everything of Catullus and Martial that has literary merit, stripping away the lowest, most obscene lines, and applies the same strict judgement to all other selections. The piece also includes a curated assortment of succinct sayings from Latin, Greek, Spanish and Italian sources, showing how even brief maxims can shape a mind. By the end of the first act, listeners will see how careful curation can turn a potentially dangerous library into a source of moral and intellectual profit.