Page:The Works of Alexander Pope (1717).djvu/354
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318
The FIRST BOOK of
Serene he look'd, and gave an awful [1]nod,
And all the trembling spheres confess'd the God.
At Jove's assent, the deities around
In solemn state the consistory crown'd:
Next, a long order of inferior pow'rs
Ascend from hills, and plains, and shady bow'rs;
Those from whose urns the rowling rivers flow,
And those that give the wandring winds to blow;
Here all their rage, and ev'n their murmurs cease,
And sacred silence reigns, and universal peace.
A shining synod of majestic Gods
Gilds with new lustre the divine abodes,
Heav'n seems improv'd with a superior ray,
And the bright arch reflects a double day.
The monarch then his solemn silence broke,
The still creation listen'd while he spoke,
Each sacred accent bears eternal weight,
And each irrevocable word is fate.
And all the trembling spheres confess'd the God.
At Jove's assent, the deities around
In solemn state the consistory crown'd:
Next, a long order of inferior pow'rs
Ascend from hills, and plains, and shady bow'rs;
Those from whose urns the rowling rivers flow,
And those that give the wandring winds to blow;
Here all their rage, and ev'n their murmurs cease,
And sacred silence reigns, and universal peace.
A shining synod of majestic Gods
Gilds with new lustre the divine abodes,
Heav'n seems improv'd with a superior ray,
And the bright arch reflects a double day.
The monarch then his solemn silence broke,
The still creation listen'd while he spoke,
Each sacred accent bears eternal weight,
And each irrevocable word is fate.
- ↑ Placido quatiens tamen omnia Vultu, is the common reading; I believe it should be Nutu, with reference to the word quatiens.
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