Chapter XII: Part I (6)

Next Jonas stands, bull faced but chicken-souled,
Who once the silver Sanhedrim controuled,
Their gold tipped tongue; gold his great council's bawd,
Till by succeeding Sanhedrims outlawed.
He was preferred to guard the sacred store,
There lordly rolling in whole mines of ore;
To dicing lords a cully favourite,
He prostitutes whole cargoes in a night.
Then to the top of his ambition come,
Fills all his sayls for hopeful Absalom;
For his religion's as the reason calls,
God's in possession, in reversion Baal's;
He bears himself a dove to mortal race,
And though not man, he can look heaven i' th' face.
Never was compound of more different stuff,
A heart in lambskin, and a conscience buff.
]

[Footnote 348: Otway attributes the same magic power to the king's speech. After calling on a painter to depict a tumultuous senate, he adds,

But then let mighty Charles at distance stand,
His crown upon his head, and sceptre in his hand,
To send abroad his word; or, with a frown,
Repel and dash the aspiring rebels down.
Unable to behold his dreaded ray,
Let them grow blind, disperse, and reel away;
Let the dark fiends the troubled air forsake,
And all new peaceful order seem to take.
_Windsor Castle._
]

ABSALOM AND ACHITOPHEL.