when the chamade was beat, and the corporal helped my uncle up it, and followed with the colours in his hand, to fix them upon the ramparts—Heaven!
— from The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman by Laurence Sterne

The man that takes his earnings, must be able to convince him that he has a perfect right to do so.
— from My Bondage and My Freedom by Frederick Douglass

He had been asked to conduct his Paradies und Peri at a concert to be given at the theatre; but his peculiar awkwardness in conducting on that occasion aroused my sympathy for the conscientious and energetic musician whose work made so strong an appeal to me, and a kindly and friendly confidence soon grew up between us.
— from My Life — Volume 1 by Richard Wagner

And (because all the Churches had their Presbyters ordained in the same manner,) where the word is Constitute, (as Titus 1.5.)
— from Leviathan by Thomas Hobbes

Once, he went aloft, and the rope broke, and they caught him shrieking; twice, he went aloft, and the rope broke, and they caught him shrieking; then, the rope was merciful, and held him, and his head was soon upon a pike, with grass enough in the mouth for all Saint Antoine to dance at the sight of.
— from A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens

Even father Olmedo himself, who never for a moment left his side, and who, notwithstanding all his efforts, had not been able to convert him to Christianity, could not refrain from shedding tears.
— from The Memoirs of the Conquistador Bernal Diaz del Castillo, Vol 1 (of 2) Written by Himself Containing a True and Full Account of the Discovery and Conquest of Mexico and New Spain. by Bernal Díaz del Castillo

“Damsel,” said Sir Beaumains, “at thy command, he shall obtain his life.
— from The Legends of King Arthur and His Knights by Knowles, James, Sir

But are there Coprolites here?
— from Madam How and Lady Why; Or, First Lessons in Earth Lore for Children by Charles Kingsley

She laughed at him, and immediately Crossjay popped out on her from behind a tree, causing her to clap hand to heart and stand fast.
— from The Egoist: A Comedy in Narrative by George Meredith

But after this Columbus had a harder time than ever with his men, for they were sure he was leading them all astray.
— from The True Story of Christopher Columbus, Called the Great Admiral by Elbridge S. (Elbridge Streeter) Brooks

The tubular bridge across the Conway has been built in a style that accords with the old architecture, and I observed that one little sprig of ivy had rooted itself in the new structure.
— from Passages from the English Notebooks, Complete by Nathaniel Hawthorne

"She's been a terrible creature," he explained, wagging his hard old hickorynut head and clawing his beard with a kind of spiritual rapacity for devouring the worst of Sal's character.
— from A Circuit Rider's Wife by Corra Harris

Never again, she felt sure, would the drawing-room piano be able to cause her a moment's irritation.
— from Mary Wollaston by Henry Kitchell Webster

A gave B a 20 dollar note, which, not being able to change, he went to C, who gave him four $5 notes.
— from Merry's Book of Puzzles by J. N. (John Newton) Stearns