He was twice elevated to the last-mentioned dignity, by Caracalla and by Alexander; for he possessed the uncommon talent of acquiring the esteem of virtuous princes, without alarming the jealousy of tyrants.
— from The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire Table of Contents with links in the HTML file to the two Project Gutenberg editions (12 volumes) by Edward Gibbon

But all the subordinate Movements are incomplete in the parts of the time, and are different in kind from the whole movement and from one another (I mean, for instance, that the fitting the stones together is a Movement different from that of fluting the column, and both again from the construction of the Temple as a whole: but this last is complete as lacking nothing to the result proposed; whereas that of the basement, or of the triglyph, is incomplete, because each is a Movement of a part merely).
— from The Ethics of Aristotle by Aristotle

A breeze had sprung up, swaying inward the muslin curtains, and bringing a fresh scent of mignonette and petunias from the flower-box on the balcony.
— from The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton

Steeled knights of the Conquest, bearded statesmen of Queen Elizabeth and high-ruffed ladies of her court were mingled with characters of comedy, such as a parti-colored Merry Andrew jingling his cap and bells, a Falstaff almost as provocative of laughter as his prototype, and a Don Quixote with a bean-pole for a lance and a pot-lid for a shield.
— from Twice Told Tales by Nathaniel Hawthorne

The twins were now playing again right merrily for the troubles of childhood are but as fleeting summer showers.
— from Ulysses by James Joyce

The quick lark's closest-carolled strains, The shadow rushing up the sea, The lightningflash atween the rain, The sunlight driving down the lea, The leaping stream, the very wind, That will not stay, upon his way, To stoop the cowslip to the plains, Is not so clear and bold and free As you, my falcon Rosalind.
— from The Early Poems of Alfred Lord Tennyson by Tennyson, Alfred Tennyson, Baron

[76] to Xenophon, inviting him to come and be a friend of Cyrus.
— from The Lives and Opinions of Eminent Philosophers by Diogenes Laertius

That day the floor was covered with garden things, drying for winter; corn and beans and fat yellow cucumbers.
— from My Antonia by Willa Cather

Just as Sophia arrived at the conclusion of her story, there arrived in the room where the two ladies were sitting a noise, not unlike, in loudness, to that of a pack of hounds just let out from their kennel; nor, in shrillness, to cats, when caterwauling; or to screech owls; or, indeed, more like (for what animal can resemble a human voice?) to those sounds which, in the pleasant mansions of that gate which seems to derive its name from a duplicity of tongues, issue from the mouths, and sometimes from the nostrils, of those fair river nymphs, ycleped of old the Naïades; in the vulgar tongue translated oyster-wenches; for when, instead of the antient libations of milk and honey and oil, the rich distillation from the juniper-berry, or, perhaps, from malt, hath, by the early devotion of their votaries, been poured forth in great abundance, should any daring tongue with unhallowed license prophane, i.e. , depreciate, the delicate fat Milton oyster, the plaice sound and firm, the flounder as much alive as when in the water, the shrimp as big as a prawn, the fine cod alive but a few hours ago, or any other of the various treasures which those water-deities who fish the sea and rivers have committed to the care of the nymphs, the angry Naïades lift up their immortal voices, and the prophane wretch is struck deaf for his impiety.
— from History of Tom Jones, a Foundling by Henry Fielding

In vain your ears have heard the sage, And listened to the lore of age, Untaught, though lectured many a day, The first great lesson, to obey, 'Tis marvel Rávaṇ reigns and rules Whose counsellors are blind and fools.
— from The Rámáyan of Válmíki, translated into English verse by Valmiki

A young Englishman, who had been for some time an occasional visitor to the house, became smitten with one of the daughters; and one fine evening, as the five sisters were taking the air in a carriage in the avenues of the Eugi, they met him in his cabriolet, accompanied by a friend.
— from The Anatomy of Suicide by Forbes Winslow

In the new struggle as in the old the friendship of Burgundy could alone bring a favourable issue, and such a friendship would have to be paid for by sacrifices even more terrible than those which had been wrenched from the need of Charles the Seventh.
— from History of the English People, Volume III The Parliament, 1399-1461; The Monarchy 1461-1540 by John Richard Green

I can add but a few facts to the information M. de Reaumur has communicated relative to swarms.
— from New observations on the natural history of bees by François Huber

Major Jones, of the British army, commanded a battery, and fell, while at his post, during the swaying to and fro of the armies across the clearing, toward evening, when several of the cannons were taken and retaken a number of times.
— from The Pictorial Field-Book of the Revolution, Vol. 1 (of 2) or, Illustrations, by Pen And Pencil, of the History, Biography, Scenery, Relics, and Traditions of the War for Independence by Benson John Lossing

[188] LONDON PRIDE AND COCKNEY CLAY From drinking fiery poison in a den Crowded with tawdry girls and squalid men, Who hoarsely laugh and curse and brawl and fight: I wake from day dreams to this real night.
— from The Haunts of Old Cockaigne by Alexander M. (Alexander Mattock) Thompson

I don't care a bit about Fudge's suspicions now, you all know I am clear.
— from Louis' School Days: A Story for Boys by E. J. (Edith J.) May

We own ourselves to be our own creators and benefactors, and fling off all sentiments of gratitude to him.
— from The Existence and Attributes of God, Volumes 1 and 2 by Stephen Charnock

Towards night all hands commenced a breastwork a few yards from the river, and lay, I shall not say, slept within them.
— from A correct and authentic narrative of the Indian war in Florida with a description of Maj. Dade's massacre, and an account of the extreme suffering, for want of provision, of the army—having been obliged to eat horses' and dogs' flesh, &c, &c. by Barr, James, Captain

It was a gorgeous and stupendous dream—a dream of rising life itself—rising till it would curve and break and fall, and the inevitable thing would happen that would bring her finally into his hungry arms, complete, mother and woman, a spiritual love securely founded on the sweet and wholesome earth.… H2 anchor CHAPTER XI.
— from The Wave: An Egyptian Aftermath by Algernon Blackwood