In Mangaia, a Polynesian island, religious and civil authority were lodged in separate hands, spiritual functions being discharged by a line of hereditary kings, while the temporal government was entrusted from time to time to a victorious war-chief, whose investiture, however, had to be completed by the king.
— from The Golden Bough: A Study of Magic and Religion by James George Frazer

The parson said grace, which was not a short familiar one, such as is commonly addressed to the Deity in these unceremonious days, but a long, courtly, well-worded one of the ancient school.
— from The Sketch-Book of Geoffrey Crayon by Washington Irving

They waited some time, expecting that every moment he might be seen returning in the distance, but at length the Indian grew frightened, and prostrating himself before the throne, he said to the king, "Sire, your Highness must have noticed that the prince, in his impatience, did not allow me to tell him what it was necessary to do in order to return to the place from which he started.
— from The Arabian Nights Entertainments by Andrew Lang

We only know that he paused suddenly, drew a long and deep breath, and looked anxiously on, as two of the principal members of the Dingley Dell club approached Mr. Pickwick, and said— ‘We are about to partake of a plain dinner at the Blue Lion, Sir; we hope you and your friends will join us.’
— from The Pickwick Papers by Charles Dickens

And more he would have said; and more he spoke, Which sounded like a clamour in a vault, That mought not be distinguish'd; but at last, I well might hear, delivered with a groan, 'O farewell, Warwick!' WARWICK.
— from The Complete Works of William Shakespeare by William Shakespeare

Pont de Bricques , a little village about a mile from Boulogne.
— from Napoleon's Letters to Josephine, 1796-1812 For the First Time Collected and Translated, with Notes Social, Historical, and Chronological, from Contemporary Sources by Emperor of the French Napoleon I

It changed it as from a mask to a face: the deep lines left his features; the very complexion seemed clearer and fresher; that swart, sallow, southern darkness which spoke his Spanish blood, became displaced by a lighter hue.
— from Villette by Charlotte Brontë

So home to dinner, being a little troubled to see Pembleton out again, but I do not discern in my wife the least memory of him.
— from The Diary of Samuel Pepys — Complete by Samuel Pepys

“‘Trifles, like straws, upon the surface flow; He who would search for pearls must dive below,’ are lines which have done much mischief.
— from The Works of Edgar Allan Poe, The Raven Edition Table Of Contents And Index Of The Five Volumes by Edgar Allan Poe

For all the goods that the heaven covereth, and that the earth containeth, in all their dimensions of height, depth, breadth, and length, are not of so much worth as that we should for them disturb or disorder our affections, trouble or perplex our senses or spirits.
— from Gargantua and Pantagruel by François Rabelais

On quitting his beloved country he paid it this homage in a letter to his minister: “With these beautiful and vast countries, France loses 70,000 inhabitants 9 of a rare quality; a race of people unequaled for their docility, bravery and loyalty.
— from Montreal, 1535-1914. Vol. 2. Under British Rule, 1760-1914 by William H. (William Henry) Atherton

The description of the canon as he joined the procession is somewhat amusing:— “His hat hung at his back down by a lace, For he had ridden more than trot or pace, He hadde pricked like as he were wood.
— from The Mystery and Romance of Alchemy and Pharmacy by C. J. S. (Charles John Samuel) Thompson

Remember, young lady, three-thirty, sharp , at the entrance everybody uses, opposite Dizzy's statue—the same which you are never on any account to call Dizzy, but always Lord Disraeli, with the respect that becomes a foreigner!
— from An American Girl in London by Sara Jeannette Duncan

In Greenland itself there is not a spot more desolate, bleak, and lonely.
— from Lancashire: Brief Historical and Descriptive Notes by Leo H. (Leo Hartley) Grindon

This was not very agreeable to one of my retiring disposition, but a look from George brought back my courage, and I found myself waiting rather anxiously for the questions I expected to hear put.
— from Initials Only by Anna Katharine Green

With the dark forces of the gorge dragging them downward and the sunshine drawing them triumphantly up—between gravitation and light—they poise, destruction beneath and life beckoning from above.
— from A West Country Pilgrimage by Eden Phillpotts

He was thoroughly tired, and had intended to go to his room at the earliest moment and repair damages by a long night's rest.
— from One Wonderful Night: A Romance of New York by Louis Tracy

She was a very attractive little thing, with a soft brown skin covered with a downy bloom, and looked charming in her new clothes.
— from The Hidden Force: A Story of Modern Java by Louis Couperus