The Portuguese monopolized the East India trade to themselves for about a century; and it was only indirectly, and through them, that the other nations of Europe could either send out or receive any goods from that country.
— from An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations by Adam Smith

[The equivalent to an army corps, according to Ssu-ma Fa, consisted nominally of 12500 men; according to Ts`ao Kung, the equivalent of a regiment contained 500 men, the equivalent to a detachment consists from any number between 100 and 500, and the equivalent of a company contains from 5 to 100 men.
— from The Art of War by active 6th century B.C. Sunzi

And anon Sir Gingalin put his spear in his rest, and ran upon Sir Tristram and brake his spear; and Sir Tristram at that time had but a sword, and gave him such a buffet upon the helm that he fell down from his saddle, and his sword slid adown, and carved asunder his horse's neck.
— from Le Morte d'Arthur: Volume 1 by Malory, Thomas, Sir

The telescope is supported upon a stone pillar in the centre, and a clockwork arrangement compensates for the earth's rotation, and allows a star once found to be continuously observed.
— from The Country of the Blind, and Other Stories by H. G. (Herbert George) Wells

and went to the Opera, and saw the last act of “The Bondman,” and there found Mr. Sanchy and Mrs. Mary Archer, sister to the fair Betty, whom I did admire at Cambridge, and thence took them to the Fleece in Covent Garden, there to bid good night to Sir W. Pen who staid for me; but Mr. Sanchy could not by any argument get his lady to trust herself with him into the tavern, which he was much troubled at, and so we returned immediately into the city by coach, and at the Mitre in Cheapside there light and drank, and then yet her at her uncle’s in the Old Jewry.
— from The Diary of Samuel Pepys — Complete by Samuel Pepys

I waited half an hour in a large room without any fire, and as cold as ice.
— from The Letters of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart — Volume 01 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

There are inclinations of affection which sometimes spring in us, without the consultation of reason; and by a fortuitous temerity, which others call sympathy; of which beasts are as capable as we.
— from Essays of Michel de Montaigne — Complete by Michel de Montaigne

"I trust that you are as comfortable as circumstances permit," said Holmes when the final arrangements were made.
— from His Last Bow: An Epilogue of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle

The skin of the wolf appears in folklore as a charm against hydrophobia; its teeth are best for cutting children’s gums, and its bite, if survived, is an assurance against any future wound or pain.
— from Demonology and Devil-lore by Moncure Daniel Conway

He was a man with some amount of self-importance and a certain air of command.
— from A Study in Scarlet by Arthur Conan Doyle

She was exotic in an astrachan cap and a short beaver coat; she slid on the ice and shouted, and he panted after her, rotund with laughter....
— from Babbitt by Sinclair Lewis

His answer, when finally given, was not at all clear, at least so the boys thought.
— from The Wonder Island Boys: Adventures on Strange Islands by Roger Thompson Finlay

After a certain age they all seem to give way to it.
— from The Wizard's Son, Vol. 1 (of 3) by Mrs. (Margaret) Oliphant

Of the articles, we especially notice Cranmer , remarkable for the candor and the coolness of perception with which the character of its benevolent and gifted, but inconsistent and vacillating subject, is discussed:— Cromwell , which gives a completer, more authentic, and less prejudiced account of the eventful life of the great Puritan leader than is to be found in any other publication known to us:— Crusades , a complete picture in little of those great fitful blazes of religious enthusiasm by which it flickered into its final extinction; (for, afterward, only a semblance of it was made a stalking-horse by politicians;) and this article is quite a model of epitome:— Cuneiform Inscriptions , in which the writer has presented concisely and clearly the fruits of a careful examination of all the many theories that have been broached with regard to these important and puzzling records of the ancient world, without revealing a preference, if he have one, for any; a wise course, where, in a case of such consequence, the views of learned men are so conflicting, but one not always easily followed:— Damascus Blades , a very interesting, and, for general purposes, a very full description of the peculiarities of those famous, and, it appears, not too much lauded weapons:— Deaf and Dumb , a very copious article of eleven pages, rich in historical and biographical detail, and giving full accounts of the various methods of instruction adopted for this class of persons in all times and countries, with a large body of statistical information upon the subject; an article of great interest, but perhaps undue length:— Death , which conveys much information on a subject as to which the grossest and most deplorable misconceptions prevail; an article equally remarkable for its careful and minute presentation of the phenomena of death and for the placid and philosophical spirit in which it is written:— Deluge , in which, with the ingenuity before shown in the treatment of similar subjects, the various accounts of that event, and the facts and theories relating to it, are laid before the reader in a manner to which no one, of whatever creed, can object, and a new and very ingenious and rational mode of accounting for the phenomenon in question is proposed;— Dog , the fulness of which makes it acceptable to the lover of natural history, the sporting man, and the general reader:—and the last article, Education , one of great value, which describes the systems of instruction pursued in all ages and countries, and which, without entering upon the support of any one of them, presents to the reader such an impartial and detailed summary of the distinguishing features of them all, that he can form an intelligent opinion upon them for himself.
— from The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 05, No. 27, January, 1860 A Magazine of Literature, Art, and Politics by Various

"This feat of the 'Yeowomen'—who have struggled against a certain amount of ridicule in England since they started a horse ambulance and camp some six or seven years ago—is worth emphasis because it is only one instance, striking but by no means unique, of the complete triumph of women workers during the past few months!"
— from Fanny Goes to War by Pat Beauchamp Washington

"William!" said a voice, and I seemed in my phantasy to be running about among the flowers as a child again.
— from The Men of the Moss-Hags Being a history of adventure taken from the papers of William Gordon of Earlstoun in Galloway by S. R. (Samuel Rutherford) Crockett

In carrying out night marches, the company should be practised as an advanced guard to a column, and as a company acting alone.
— from Night Operations for Infantry Compiled for the Use of Company Officers by C. T. Dawkins

Most of the cells have, too, a glassed or grated recess in front of this inscription wall, holding tributes or memorials—dried flowers, colored images of saints and angels, crucifixes, and the like.
— from Spanish Highways and Byways by Katharine Lee Bates

Besides, I knew perfectly well that the disdain with which he talked of physical toil was founded not so much on reverence for the sacred fire as on a secret dread that I should become a workman, and should set the whole town talking about me; what was worse, all my contemporaries had long ago taken their degrees and were getting on well, and the son of the manager of the State Bank was already a collegiate assessor, while I, his only son, was nothing!
— from Project Gutenberg Compilation of 233 Short Stories of Chekhov by Anton Pavlovich Chekhov