Falcons are swift; the Eagle's proud and bold; By Ravens sorrow is foretold; The Crow announces miseries to come; All are content if singing or if dumb.
— from The Fables of La Fontaine Translated into English Verse by Walter Thornbury and Illustrated by Gustave Doré by Jean de La Fontaine

I confess to a strong lurch towards Calvinism (in some of its doctrines) that strengthens as I grow older.
— from James Russell Lowell, A Biography; vol 2/2 by Horace Elisha Scudder

The smuggling trade flourished greatly at that period, and there were receivers and distributors of smuggled wine, spirits, and other commodities in every town and in very many villages throughout the county in spite of its distance from the sea-coast.
— from A Shepherd's Life: Impressions of the South Wiltshire Downs by W. H. (William Henry) Hudson

But they were all placed in a regular manner, on the banks of the canals which passed through the city in some of its districts, or in the sides of the streets which intersected it in other quarters.
— from The Storehouses of the King; Or, the Pyramids of Egypt What They Are and Who Built Them by Jane (Trill) van Gelder

CHAPTER III S ometimes I doubt the longevity of our bliss,” he said.
— from Sandburrs by Alfred Henry Lewis

He had raised his voice in his eagerness and while he spoke the curtains had been softly opened, and the dull glimmer of the lamp which stood in front of Orpheus fell on a head which was charming in spite of its disorder.
— from Serapis — Volume 01 by Georg Ebers

Some of the bric-à-brac was not clean in spite of its dusting, and this had to be carefully washed in warm water and wiped dry before it was put in place.
— from A Little Housekeeping Book for a Little Girl; Or, Margaret's Saturday Mornings by Caroline French Benton