Around her silver throne the planets glow, And stars unnumber'd trembling beams bestow: Around her throne the vivid planets roll, And stars unnumber'd gild the glowing pole; Clear gleams of light o'er the dark trees are seen, o'er the dark trees a yellow sheds, O'er the dark trees a yellower _green_ they shed, gleam verdure And tip with silver all the _mountain_ heads forest And tip with silver every mountain's head. The valleys open, and the forests rise, The vales appear, the rocks in prospect rise, Then shine the vales, the rocks in prospect rise. All nature stands reveal'd before our eyes; A flood of glory bursts from all the skies. The conscious shepherd, joyful at the sight, Eyes the blue vault, and numbers every light. The conscious _swains rejoicing at the_ sight, shepherds gazing with delight, Eye the blue vault, and bless the _vivid_ light, glorious useful So many flames before _the navy_ blaze, proud Ilion And lighten glimmering Xanthus with their rays; Wide o'er the fields to Troy extend the gleams, And tip the distant spires with fainter beams; The long reflections of the distant fires Gild the high walls, and tremble on the spires; Gleam on the walls, and tremble on the spires; A thousand fires at distant stations bright, Gild the dark prospect, and dispel the night. Of these specimens every man who has cultivated poetry, or who delights to trace the mind from the rudeness of its first conceptions to the elegance of its last, will naturally desire a greater number; but most other readers are already tired, and I am not writing only to poets and philosophers. The Iliad was published volume by volume, as the translation proceeded: the four first books appeared in 1715. The expectation of this work was undoubtedly high, and every man who had connected his name with criticism, or poetry, was desirous of such intelligence as might enable him to talk upon the popular topick. Halifax, who, by having been first a poet, and then a patron of poetry, had acquired the right of being a judge, was willing to hear some books while they were yet unpublished. Of this rehearsal Pope afterwards gave the following account[122]: