"They have know me since I was little," said Mrs. Fisher— everybody seemed to have known Mrs. Fisher since or when she was little.
— from The Enchanted April by Elizabeth Von Arnim

The physician declared that he would never repeat what he should tell him, and Bruno said, 'You must know, then, honey doctor mine, that not long since there was in this city a great master in necromancy, who was called Michael Scott, for that he was of Scotland, and who received the greatest hospitality from many gentlemen, of whom few are nowadays alive; wherefore, being minded to depart hence, he left them, at their instant prayers, two of his ablest disciples, whom he enjoined still to hold themselves in readiness to satisfy every wish of the gentlemen who had so worshipfully entertained him.
— from The Decameron of Giovanni Boccaccio by Giovanni Boccaccio

The great sculptor, David d'Angers, was arrested in his own house, 16, Rue d'Assas; the Commissary of Police on entering, said to him,— "Have you any arms in your house?
— from The History of a Crime The Testimony of an Eye-Witness by Victor Hugo

But in so far as time consists in an order of before and after, there is no need to make such a distinction; the time-order which events seem to have is, so far as we can see, the same as the time-order which they do have.
— from The Problems of Philosophy by Bertrand Russell

Were there such a Combination of honest Men, who without any Regard to Places would endeavour to extirpate all such furious Zealots as would sacrifice one half of their Country to the Passion and Interest of the other; as also such infamous Hypocrites, that are for promoting their own Advantage, under Colour of the Publick Good; with all the profligate immoral Retainers to each Side, that have nothing to recommend them but an implicit Submission to their Leaders; we should soon see that furious Party-Spirit extinguished, which may in time expose us to the Derision and Contempt of all the Nations about us.
— from The Spectator, Volume 1 Eighteenth-Century Periodical Essays by Steele, Richard, Sir

Machiavelli, when commenting on this election, says that he who thinks new favours will cause great personages to forget old injuries deceives himself.
— from The Prince by Niccolò Machiavelli

The parson was a little, meagre, black-looking man, with a grizzled wig that was too wide and stood off from each ear; so that his head seemed to have shrunk away within it, like a dried filbert in its shell.
— from The Sketch-Book of Geoffrey Crayon by Washington Irving

He would have preferred marrying the second daughter of John Colt, of New Hall, in Essex, but chose her elder sister, that he might not subject her to the discredit of being passed over.
— from Utopia by More, Thomas, Saint

The Squire himself was not good at the writing of letters, and, though he did insist on seeing this epistle, so that he might be satisfied that Caldigate had been asked in good faith, he did not know how to propose alterations.
— from John Caldigate by Anthony Trollope

Sums—varying from L30,000 to a pension of 1500 pistolets a year—were mentioned, as the stipulated price of his treason, by Norris, Wilkes, Conway, and others; but the Duke of Parma, in narrating the whole affair in a private letter to the King, explicitly stated that he had found Stanley "singularly disinterested."
— from PG Edition of Netherlands series — Complete by John Lothrop Motley

It was accordingly expected that he would ask for the consulship, and everybody supposed that he would be a candidate for the consulship and the tribunate at the same time.
— from Plutarch's Lives, Volume 4 (of 4) by Plutarch

Or had it already reached the full measure of its stature, as the civilization of Egypt seems to have done some time before the Persians conquered that country, or as that of China did many centuries ago?
— from South America: Observations and Impressions New edition corrected and revised by Bryce, James Bryce, Viscount

He whom--Oh, but I cannot bear to speak of it, Adolph, and I groan in bed when I think that my conduct may have contributed extra sorrow to his blameless life.
— from The Sauciest Boy in the Service: A Story of Pluck and Perseverance by Gordon Stables

Yet he had even suggested that he and I act the play together, I not knowing that it was to be a duel between two criminals.
— from Plays by August Strindberg, Second series by August Strindberg

[80] Elkanah and all his household again went to offer the yearly sacrifice to Jehovah, but Hannah did not go up, for she said to her husband, "When the child is weaned, then I will take him, and he shall go to Jehovah's temple and live there the rest of his life." Elkanah said to her, "Do what seems best to you; wait until you have weaned him; only may Jehovah help you to do what you have promised."
— from The Children's Bible by Henry A. Sherman

But have you ever spoken to him about it—spoken really earnestly and seriously? Bolette.
— from The Lady from the Sea by Henrik Ibsen

But the monster has grown to such an enormous size that, holding his tail in his mouth, he encircles the whole earth.
— from The Elder Eddas of Saemund Sigfusson; and the Younger Eddas of Snorre Sturleson by Snorri Sturluson

No one came to the inn for cheer after they entered in that evening, so they had the place quite to themselves.
— from Marjorie Dean, College Junior by Josephine Chase