They violated, by the hasty murder of Marcus, the oath of fidelity which they had imposed on themselves; and their disapprobation of his manners may seem to inscribe an honorable epitaph on his tomb.
— 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

A man’s heart beats, and the blood circulates, which it is not in his power by any thought or volition to stop; and therefore in respect of these motions, where rest depends not on his choice, nor would follow the determination of his mind, if it should prefer it, he is not a free agent.
— from An Essay Concerning Humane Understanding, Volume 1 MDCXC, Based on the 2nd Edition, Books 1 and 2 by John Locke

Whatever Marianne was desirous of, her mother would be eager to promote—she could not expect to influence the latter to cautiousness of conduct in an affair respecting which she had never been able to inspire her with distrust; and she dared not explain the motive of her own disinclination for going to London.
— from Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen

And what quite confounded me, when he did open his mouth, it was to utter the falsehood that I had occasioned the uproar, and Hareton was not to blame!
— from Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë

Not even the lovely smile that crept about the dimples of her mouth could hide this shadow of sin and sorrow.
— from She by H. Rider (Henry Rider) Haggard

the female is darker or has much less white about her.
— from The Journals of Lewis and Clark, 1804-1806 by William Clark

I was seated opposite Henriette who was, as a matter of course, monopolizing the general attention, but she would have met with the same success if she had been surrounded by a circle of ladies whom she would certainly have thrown into the shade by her beauty, her wit, and the distinction of her manners.
— from The Memoirs of Jacques Casanova de Seingalt, 1725-1798. Complete by Giacomo Casanova

The doctor opened his mouth, tried to say something, but said nothing: he could not speak.
— from Project Gutenberg Compilation of 233 Short Stories of Chekhov by Anton Pavlovich Chekhov

Above this habiliment there shone like decorations of honor many flowers, yellow, white, blue, or pink, quick to fill the ambient air with the sweet perfumes stored up in their hearts.
— from The Marquis of Peñalta (Marta y María): A Realistic Social Novel by Armando Palacio Valdés

As decent a veil as possible was thrown over the transaction, and the Duke departed on his mission.
— from The Rise of the Dutch Republic — Complete (1555-84) by John Lothrop Motley

This device also proved fairly successful, but the dangers of handling mined nets were considerable and disasters resulted.
— from Submarine Warfare of To-day How the Submarine Menace Was Met and Vanquished, with Descriptions of the Inventions and Devices Used, Fast Boats, Mystery Ships, Nets, Aircraft, &c. &c., Also Describing the Selection and Training of the Enormous Personnel Used in This New Branch of the Navy by Charles W. (Charles William) Domville-Fife

Upon reaching it, Tecumseh deemed it prudent to draw off his men, lest the whites should rally and renew the attack.
— from Life of Tecumseh, and of His Brother the Prophet With a Historical Sketch of the Shawanoe Indians by Benjamin Drake

[45] which the regiment had long carried, the subject was, after some discussion and correspondence, submitted to the decision of His Majesty, whose commands and pleasure on this head will be found in the following letter:— " Horse-Guards, 31st July, 1835.
— from Historical Record of the Fifth Regiment of Foot, or Northumberland Fusiliers Containing an Account of the Formation of the Regiment in 1674, and of Its Subsequent Services to 1837 by Richard Cannon

But I simply won't have you fussing about the details of his manufacture, and all his trimmings.
— from Captivity by Leonora Eyles

The illustrious family of the Alcmaeonidae was especially concerned in this act of murder and sacrilege, and the Spartans, in reviving the memory of an ancient crime, were aiming a blow at Pericles, who was descended on his mother's side from the Alcmaeonidae.
— from Stories from Thucydides by Thucydides

Nuremberg became the centre of Marlborough's supply system, which was elaborated in a manner far in advance of his age; and the devastation [57] of Bavaria made him even more dependent on his magazines than he would otherwise have been.
— from Battles of English History by H. B. (Hereford Brooke) George