As my dear mother stood on the threshold between life and death at Mornex that sad spring, he was untiring in all kindly offices of friendship.
— from The Travels of Marco Polo — Volume 1 by Rustichello of Pisa

But since she has breathed into you a soul, and implanted in you intelligence by means of which you now behold in memory many past events, though they are no longer before you: and further since your reasoning power discovers many future events and reveals them as it were to the eyes of your mind; and again your imagination sketches for you not only those present events which are going on under your eyes and allows you to judge and survey them, but also reveals to you things at a distance and many thousand stades 329 removed more clearly than what is going on at your feet and before your eyes, what need is there for such grief and resentment?
— from The Works of the Emperor Julian, Vol. 2 by Emperor of Rome Julian

For many things seemingly favourable to a democracy destroy a democracy, and many things seemingly favourable to an oligarchy destroy an oligarchy.
— from Politics: A Treatise on Government by Aristotle

So over the water with my wife, and Deb., and Mercer, to Spring-Garden, and there eat and walked; and observe how rude some of the young gallants of the town are become, to go into people’s arbours where there are not men, and almost force the women; which troubled me, to see the confidence of the vice of the age: and so we away by water, with much pleasure home.
— from The Diary of Samuel Pepys — Complete by Samuel Pepys

Full of curiosity they got up and dressed, and met their sister as she was returning with the box under her arm.
— from The Arabian Nights Entertainments by Andrew Lang

He defended himself with intentional awkwardness when he was brought up for trial, kept up his part with the most perfect self-possession and without any signs of the despair and anguish that he felt in his heart, and, condemned and degraded and made to suffer martyrdom in his honor as a man and a soldier—he was an officer—he did not protest, but went to prison as one of those criminals whom society gets rid of like noxious vermin.
— from Complete Original Short Stories of Guy De Maupassant by Guy de Maupassant

Mothers and daughters are making the same bargain every day in Vanity Fair.
— from Vanity Fair by William Makepeace Thackeray

One day, while playing on the lawn of the chateau, I unintentionally threw him down while running; and furious at his fall, he rose up, drew his poniard, which he always wore, and dashed after me to strike me.
— from Recollections of the Private Life of Napoleon — Complete by Louis Constant Wairy

It costs a Dollar a Month to sleep in these Sheds.
— from The Battle with the Slum by Jacob A. (Jacob August) Riis

Their most trifling communications were scrutinized with so much jealousy that when any of importance were to be made it required a dexterity almost miraculous to screen them from the ever-watchful eye of espionage.
— from Court Memoirs of France Series — Complete by Various

The strangest and ugliest old crockery, pictured over with monstrosities,—the Palissy ware, embossed with vegetables, fishes, lobsters, that look absolutely real; the delicate Sevres china, each piece made inestimable by pictures from a master's hand;—in short, it is a despair and misery to see so much that is curious and beautiful, and to feel that far the greater portion of it will slip out of the memory, and be as if we had never seen it.
— from Passages from the English Notebooks, Volume 2. by Nathaniel Hawthorne

She was not a strong vessel; and her orders were to avoid any battles with the powerful ships of the "Yankee" navy, but to seize and destroy all merchantmen that should come in her way.
— from The Naval History of the United States. Volume 2 by Willis J. (Willis John) Abbot

He looked about dazed a moment, then seeing me and comprehending, he pointed excitedly, but vaguely.
— from The Exploits of Elaine by Arthur B. (Arthur Benjamin) Reeve

Now it is a clearly proved fact that the Great Fire stopped just three doors east of St. Dunstan's, as did also, Mr. Timbs says,
— from Old and New London, Volume I A Narrative of Its History, Its People, and Its Places by Walter Thornbury

Then when he had reduced every one to abysmal depression and many to silent pitiful tears, he cried, "Soyez des optimistes," and seemed to think that the crying would suffice.
— from Round about Bar-le-Duc by Susanne R. (Susanne Rouviere) Day