[40]
There is one door into the church of St. Peter’s, which is called the Holy Door. This is always walled up, except on this distinguished37 year; and even then no person is permitted to enter by it, but in the humblest posture38. The pilgrims, and many others, prefer crawling into the church upon their knees, by this door; to walking in, the usual way, by any other. I was present at the shutting up of this Holy Door. The Pope being seated on a raised seat, or kind of throne, surrounded by Cardinals39 and other ecclesiastics40, an anthem41 was sung, accompanied by all sorts of musical instruments. During the performance, his Holiness descended42 from the throne, with a golden trowel in his hand, placed the first brick, and applied43 some mortar44; he then returned to his seat, and the door was instantly built up by more expert, though less hallowed, workmen; and will remain as it is now, till the beginning[41] of the nineteenth century, when it will be again opened, by the Pope then in being, with the same solemnity that it has been now shut. Though his Holiness places but a single brick, yet it is very remarkable45 that this never fails to communicate its influence, in such a rapid and powerful manner, that, within about an hour, or at most an hour and a half, all the other bricks, which form the wall of the Holy Door, acquire an equal degree of sanctity with that placed by the Pope’s own hands. The common people and pilgrims are well acquainted with this wonderful effect. At the beginning of this Jubilee-year, when the late wall was thrown down, men, women, and children scrambled46 and fought for the fragments of the bricks and mortar, with the same eagerness which less enlightened mobs display, on days of public rejoicing, when handfuls of money are thrown among them. I have been often assured that those pieces of brick, besides[42] their sanctity, have also the virtue47 of curing many of the most obstinate48 diseases: and, if newspapers were permitted at Rome, there is not the least reason to doubt, that those cures would be attested49 publicly by the patients, in a manner as satisfactory and convincing as are the cures performed daily by the pills, powders, drops, and balsams advertised in the London newspapers. After the shutting of the Holy Door, mass was celebrated at midnight; and the ceremony was attended by vast multitudes of people. For my own part, I suspended my curiosity till next day, which was Christmas-day, when I returned again to St. Peter’s church, and saw the Pope perform mass on that solemn occasion. His Holiness went through all the evolutions of the ceremony with an address and flexibility50 of body, which are rarely to be found in those who wear the tiara; who are, generally speaking, men bowing under the load of years and infirmities. His[43] present Holiness has hitherto suffered from neither. His features are regular, and he has a fine countenance51; his person is straight, and his movements graceful52. His leg and foot are remarkably53 well made, and always ornamented54 with silk stockings, and red slippers55, of the most delicate construction. Notwithstanding that the papal uniforms are by no means calculated to set off the person to the greatest advantage, yet the peculiar56 neatness with which they are put on, and the nice adjustment of their most minute parts, sufficiently57 prove that his present Holiness is not insensible of the charms of his person, or unsolicitous about his external ornaments58. Though verging59 towards the winter of life, his cheeks still glow with autumnal roses, which, at a little distance, appear as blooming as those of the spring. If he himself were less clear-sighted than he seems to be, to the beauties of his face and person, he could not also be deaf to the voices of the women, who[44] break out into exclamations60, in praise of both, as often as he appears in public. On a public occasion, lately, as he was carried through a particular street, a young woman at a window exclaimed, “Quanto e bello! O quanto e bello!” and was immediately answered by a zealous old lady at the window opposite, who, folding her hands in each other, and raising her eyes to heaven, cried out, with a mixture of love for his person, and veneration62 for his sacred office, “Tanto e bello, quanto e santo!” When we know that such a quantity of incense63 is daily burnt under his sacred nostrils64, we ought not to be astonished, though we should find his brain, on some occasions, a little intoxicated65.
Vanity is a very comfortable failing; and has such an universal power over mankind, that not only the gay blossoms of youth, but even the shrivelled bosom66 of age, and the contracted heart of bigotry,[45] open, expand, and display strong marks of sensibility under its influence.
After mass, the Pope gave the benediction67 to the people assembled in the Grand Court, before the church of St. Peter’s. It was a remarkably fine day; an immense multitude filled that spacious68 and magnificent area; the horse and foot guards were drawn69 up in their most showy uniform. The Pope, seated in an open, portable chair, in all the splendour which his wardrobe could give, with the tiara on his head, was carried out of a large window, which opens on a balcony in the front of St. Peter’s. The silk hangings and gold trappings with which the chair was embellished70, concealed71 the men who carried it; so that to those who viewed him from the area below, his Holiness seemed to sail forward, from the window self-balanced in the air, like a celestial72 being. The instant he appeared, the music struck up, the bells rung from[46] every church, and the cannon73 thundered from the castle of St. Angelo in repeated peals74. During the intervals75, the church of St. Peter’s, the palace of the Vatican, and the banks of the Tiber, re-echoed the acclamations of the populace. At length his Holiness arose from his seat, and an immediate61 and awful silence ensued. The multitude fell upon their knees, with their hands and eyes raised towards his Holiness, as to a benign76 Deity77. After a solemn pause, he pronounced the benediction, with great fervour; elevating his outstretched arms as high as he could; then closing them together, and bringing them back to his breast with a slow motion, as if he had got hold of the blessing78, and was drawing it gently from heaven. Finally, he threw his arms open, waving them for some time, as if his intention had been to scatter79 the benediction with impartiality80 among the people.
No ceremony can be better calculated for striking the senses, and imposing81 on the understanding, than this of the Supreme82 Pontiff giving the blessing from the balcony of St. Peter’s. For my own part, if I had not, in my early youth, received impressions highly unfavourable to the chief actor in this magnificent interlude, I should have been in danger of paying him a degree of respect, very inconsistent with the religion in which I was educated.
[1] The Carmen Seculare of Horace was composed on occasion of those celebrated by Augustus in the year of Rome 736.
[2] To this last abridgement I am indebted for having seen the ceremonies and processions on the termination of this sacred year.
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1
chapel
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n.小教堂,殡仪馆 | |
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zeal
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n.热心,热情,热忱 | |
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3
zealous
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adj.狂热的,热心的 | |
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formerly
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adv.从前,以前 | |
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5
climax
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n.顶点;高潮;v.(使)达到顶点 | |
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humility
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n.谦逊,谦恭 | |
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adoration
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n.爱慕,崇拜 | |
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stump
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n.残株,烟蒂,讲演台;v.砍断,蹒跚而走 | |
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9
pious
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adj.虔诚的;道貌岸然的 | |
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10
thigh
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n.大腿;股骨 | |
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uncommon
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adj.罕见的,非凡的,不平常的 | |
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12
imputed
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v.把(错误等)归咎于( impute的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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hypocrisy
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n.伪善,虚伪 | |
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entirely
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ad.全部地,完整地;完全地,彻底地 | |
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15
frictions
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n.摩擦( friction的名词复数 );摩擦力;冲突;不和 | |
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jubilee
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n.周年纪念;欢乐 | |
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secular
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n.牧师,凡人;adj.世俗的,现世的,不朽的 | |
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18
recollecting
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v.记起,想起( recollect的现在分词 ) | |
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determined
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adj.坚定的;有决心的 | |
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20
analogous
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adj.相似的;类似的 | |
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21
favourable
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adj.赞成的,称赞的,有利的,良好的,顺利的 | |
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propitious
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adj.吉利的;顺利的 | |
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dominions
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统治权( dominion的名词复数 ); 领土; 疆土; 版图 | |
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clement
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adj.仁慈的;温和的 | |
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25
abridged
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削减的,删节的 | |
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celebrated
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adj.有名的,声誉卓著的 | |
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interval
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n.间隔,间距;幕间休息,中场休息 | |
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retrenched
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v.紧缩开支( retrench的过去式和过去分词 );削减(费用);节省 | |
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29
alteration
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n.变更,改变;蚀变 | |
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derive
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v.取得;导出;引申;来自;源自;出自 | |
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fatigue
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n.疲劳,劳累 | |
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emigrants
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n.(从本国移往他国的)移民( emigrant的名词复数 ) | |
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devout
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adj.虔诚的,虔敬的,衷心的 (n.devoutness) | |
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34
amorous
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adj.多情的;有关爱情的 | |
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disposition
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n.性情,性格;意向,倾向;排列,部署 | |
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transgressions
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n.违反,违法,罪过( transgression的名词复数 ) | |
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distinguished
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adj.卓越的,杰出的,著名的 | |
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posture
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n.姿势,姿态,心态,态度;v.作出某种姿势 | |
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cardinals
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红衣主教( cardinal的名词复数 ); 红衣凤头鸟(见于北美,雄鸟为鲜红色); 基数 | |
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ecclesiastics
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n.神职者,教会,牧师( ecclesiastic的名词复数 ) | |
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anthem
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n.圣歌,赞美诗,颂歌 | |
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42
descended
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a.为...后裔的,出身于...的 | |
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applied
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adj.应用的;v.应用,适用 | |
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mortar
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n.灰浆,灰泥;迫击炮;v.把…用灰浆涂接合 | |
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remarkable
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adj.显著的,异常的,非凡的,值得注意的 | |
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scrambled
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v.快速爬行( scramble的过去式和过去分词 );攀登;争夺;(军事飞机)紧急起飞 | |
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virtue
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n.德行,美德;贞操;优点;功效,效力 | |
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48
obstinate
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adj.顽固的,倔强的,不易屈服的,较难治愈的 | |
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49
attested
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adj.经检验证明无病的,经检验证明无菌的v.证明( attest的过去式和过去分词 );证实;声称…属实;使宣誓 | |
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50
flexibility
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n.柔韧性,弹性,(光的)折射性,灵活性 | |
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51
countenance
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n.脸色,面容;面部表情;vt.支持,赞同 | |
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52
graceful
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adj.优美的,优雅的;得体的 | |
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53
remarkably
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ad.不同寻常地,相当地 | |
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54
ornamented
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adj.花式字体的v.装饰,点缀,美化( ornament的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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55
slippers
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n. 拖鞋 | |
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56
peculiar
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adj.古怪的,异常的;特殊的,特有的 | |
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57
sufficiently
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adv.足够地,充分地 | |
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ornaments
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n.装饰( ornament的名词复数 );点缀;装饰品;首饰v.装饰,点缀,美化( ornament的第三人称单数 ) | |
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verging
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接近,逼近(verge的现在分词形式) | |
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60
exclamations
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n.呼喊( exclamation的名词复数 );感叹;感叹语;感叹词 | |
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61
immediate
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adj.立即的;直接的,最接近的;紧靠的 | |
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62
veneration
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n.尊敬,崇拜 | |
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63
incense
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v.激怒;n.香,焚香时的烟,香气 | |
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64
nostrils
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鼻孔( nostril的名词复数 ) | |
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intoxicated
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喝醉的,极其兴奋的 | |
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66
bosom
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n.胸,胸部;胸怀;内心;adj.亲密的 | |
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benediction
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n.祝福;恩赐 | |
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spacious
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adj.广阔的,宽敞的 | |
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drawn
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v.拖,拉,拔出;adj.憔悴的,紧张的 | |
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embellished
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v.美化( embellish的过去式和过去分词 );装饰;修饰;润色 | |
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71
concealed
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a.隐藏的,隐蔽的 | |
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72
celestial
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adj.天体的;天上的 | |
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73
cannon
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n.大炮,火炮;飞机上的机关炮 | |
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74
peals
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n.(声音大而持续或重复的)洪亮的响声( peal的名词复数 );隆隆声;洪亮的钟声;钟乐v.(使)(钟等)鸣响,(雷等)发出隆隆声( peal的第三人称单数 ) | |
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intervals
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n.[军事]间隔( interval的名词复数 );间隔时间;[数学]区间;(戏剧、电影或音乐会的)幕间休息 | |
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76
benign
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adj.善良的,慈祥的;良性的,无危险的 | |
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77
deity
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n.神,神性;被奉若神明的人(或物) | |
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blessing
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n.祈神赐福;祷告;祝福,祝愿 | |
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scatter
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vt.撒,驱散,散开;散布/播;vi.分散,消散 | |
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impartiality
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n. 公平, 无私, 不偏 | |
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imposing
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adj.使人难忘的,壮丽的,堂皇的,雄伟的 | |
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supreme
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adj.极度的,最重要的;至高的,最高的 | |
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