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

** "An Essay on True and Apparent Beauty in which from Settled Principles is Rendered the Grounds for Choosing and Rejecting Epigrams" by Pierre Nicole is a 17th-century exploration of beauty, particularly in short, witty poems, where the author establishes guidelines on how to judge literary works based on morality; it suggests genuine beauty comes from blending outward appearance with the truthful essence of both the subject and the audience, advocating that lasting and widely accepted beauty is better than what is temporary and varies from person to person, providing readers with a framework for choosing poems that are not only skillfully written but also morally good, stressing the importance of meaning, style, and honesty in art, while at the same time warning against indecent or untrue material, with these beliefs about beauty acting as both instructions for understanding literature and ethical advice, especially for younger audiences. **