One of Pauthier's most interesting notes is a long extract from the official Directory of Ceremonial under the Mongol Dynasty, which admirably illustrates the chapters we have last read.
— from The Travels of Marco Polo — Volume 1 by Rustichello of Pisa

When the Pyrates saw how Things went, they resolutely prepar’d themselves for a desperate Defence; and tho’ three to one odds, Worley and his Crew determined to fight to the last Gasp, and receive no Quarters, agreeably to what they had before sworn; so that they must either Dye or Conquer upon the Spot.
— from A General History of the Pyrates: from their first rise and settlement in the island of Providence, to the present time by Daniel Defoe

Then, taking two days of calm under the line, we painted her on the outside, giving her open ports in her streak, and finishing off the nice work upon the stern, where sat Neptune in his car, holding his trident, drawn by sea-horses; and re-touched the gilding and coloring of the cornucopia which ornamented her billet-head.
— from Two Years Before the Mast by Richard Henry Dana

Now that I have sketched the people who inhabit the district of country under consideration, I will proceed to discuss the future.
— from Memoirs of General William T. Sherman — Complete by William T. (William Tecumseh) Sherman

Their numbers seem to be multiplied by the strong and various discriminations of character; under the shield of freedom, on the wings of emulation and vanity, each Athenian aspired to the level of the national dignity; from this commanding eminence, some chosen spirits soared beyond the reach of a vulgar eye; and the chances of superior merit in a great and populous kingdom, as they are proved by experience, would excuse the computation of imaginary millions.
— 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

These are the coarsest mills, in which all gossip is first rudely digested or cracked up before it is emptied into finer and more delicate hoppers within doors.
— from Walden, and On The Duty Of Civil Disobedience by Henry David Thoreau

This relationship was as useful to England as any of her colonial possessions, depending of course upon the scene of the principal operations at any particular time.
— from The Influence of Sea Power Upon History, 1660-1783 by A. T. (Alfred Thayer) Mahan

Postellus, in his first book, c. 7, de orbis concordia , useth as an effectual argument (as indeed it is) to persuade them that will not believe there be spirits or devils.
— from The Anatomy of Melancholy by Robert Burton

—Those employed in setting up batteries are liable to suffer from soreness of hands and the destruction of clothing unless proper precautions be taken to prevent the same.
— from Hawkins Electrical Guide v. 04 (of 10) Questions, Answers, & Illustrations, A progressive course of study for engineers, electricians, students and those desiring to acquire a working knowledge of electricity and its applications by N. (Nehemiah) Hawkins

Failures in aim, indolence, morbid glooms, doubts of capacity, unwise words, irritable interferences—what a vista of mistakes as one looks back!
— from The Silent Isle by Arthur Christopher Benson

From this heat of Parties all the moderate Men fell in with their Queen, and were heartily for Peace and Union: The other, who were now distinguish'd by the Title of High Solunarians , call'd these all Crolians and Low Solunarians , and began to Treat them with more Inveteracy than they us'd to do the Crolians themselves, calling them Traytors to their Country, Betrayers of their Mother, Serpents harbour'd in the Bosom, who bite, sting and hiss at the Hand that succour'd them; and in short the Enmity grew so violent, that from hence proceeded one of the subtilest, foolishest, deep, shallow Contrivances and Plots that ever was hatcht or set on foot by any Party of Men in the whole Moon, at least who pretended to any Brains , or to half a degree of common Understanding.
— from The Consolidator; or, Memoirs of Sundry Transactions from the World in the Moon by Daniel Defoe

It was just as likely as not that a party of rebels might drive up as they sat there and either shoot them down or call upon them to surrender.
— from The Rising of the Red Man A Romance of the Louis Riel Rebellion by John Mackie

What is wanted is a social system which tends to bring within the reach of all the comforts and the joys of life which men legitimately desire, and [392] which does not tend, as our present social system does, to overload a small number of men with more wealth than they need, or desire, or can use, while the millions are crushed with toil and pinched with semi-starvation.
— from The Expositor's Bible: The First Epistle to the Corinthians by Marcus Dods

He approved—so he assured his correspondent—of checking those fanatics who were engaged in sowing absurd and vile doctrines, or created unnecessary tumults.
— from History of the Rise of the Huguenots Vol. 1 by Henry Martyn Baird

The reply brought down a good deal of chaff upon me.
— from Baily's Magazine of Sports and Pastimes, Volume 85 January to June, 1906 by Various

Of course certain forms of elaboration involve great pains and labour; but the mere fact that a piece of work is decorated does not show that it has cost any more in time and execution than if it were plain,—frequently many hours have been saved by the device of covering up defects with cheap ornament.
— from Arts and Crafts in the Middle Ages A Description of Mediaeval Workmanship in Several of the Departments of Applied Art, Together with Some Account of Special Artisans in the Early Renaissance by Julia de Wolf Gibbs Addison

He instructs me to say that you are not to decide, discuss, or confer upon any political question.
— from The Papers and Writings of Abraham Lincoln, Complete by Abraham Lincoln