Applying what I learned from history along with some liberal interpretations of advice from my friend Fred the Printer, this has now become this:
Image may be NSFW.
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I switched the drop cap from 30 point Univers to 48 point Akzidenz Grotesk, indented the second and third line by an en space, and switch the “he” in “the” to caps. It’s not entirely unpleasing.