If we go astray, we deprive ourselves of a great excuse before the tribunal of the sovereign judge.
— from Emile by Jean-Jacques Rousseau

"—But Saul was amazed at the strange delivery he had received; and being greatly affected with the moderation and the disposition of the young man, he groaned; and when David had done the same, the king answered that he had the justest occasion to groan, "for thou hast been the author of good to me, as I have been the author of calamity to thee; and thou hast demonstrated this day, that thou possessest the righteousness of the ancients, who determined that men ought to save their enemies, though they caught them in a desert place.
— from Antiquities of the Jews by Flavius Josephus

Half an hour ago, however, you would have seen me in a very different rôle—first of all, injecting opium into a woman who had come to me with what the peasants call I the goad,' and we dysentery, and then pulling out some teeth for a second woman.
— from Fathers and Sons by Ivan Sergeevich Turgenev

By such Arts as these, in the Space of a few Years, their Body was greatly increased, they then began to separate themselves, and remove at a greater Distance from one another, for the Convenience of more Ground, and were divided like Jews, into Tribes, each carrying with him his Wives and Children, (of which, by this Time they had a large Family,) as also their Quota of Dependants and Followers; and if Power and Command be the Thing which distinguish a Prince, these Ruffians had all the Marks of Royalty about them, nay more, they had the very Fears which commonly disturb Tyrants, as may be seen by the extream
— 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

Said Giotto, 'And what didst thou tell me that I was to paint?'
— from Lives of the Most Eminent Painters Sculptors and Architects, Vol. 01 (of 10) Cimabue to Agnolo Gaddi by Giorgio Vasari

In the Gigantomachia, Ares was defeated by the Aloidæ, the two giant-sons of Poseidon, who put him in chains, and kept him in prison for thirteen months.
— from Myths and Legends of Ancient Greece and Rome by E. M. Berens

Her issue ruled for thirty-one generations in direct descents, or from 1120 to 610 before Christ; when the military minister, [18] connected by blood, was chosen by the chiefs who rebelled against the last Pandu king, represented as “neglectful of all the cares of government,” and whose deposition and death introduced a new dynasty.
— from Annals and Antiquities of Rajasthan, v. 1 of 3 or the Central and Western Rajput States of India by James Tod

But Ráma's heart once more gave way Beneath his grief and wild dismay.
— from The Rámáyan of Válmíki, translated into English verse by Valmiki

When the Philistines understood that David was made king of the Hebrews, they made war against him at Jerusalem; and when they had seized upon that valley which is called The Valley of the Giants, and is a place not far from the city, they pitched their camp therein; but the king of the Jews, who never permitted himself to do any thing without prophecy, 6 and the command of God and without depending on him as a security for the time to come, bade the high priest to foretell to him what was the will of God, and what would be the event of this battle.
— from Antiquities of the Jews by Flavius Josephus

By the last accounts from the Continent, we heard that a general action was daily expected.
— from The Life of a Regimental Officer During the Great War, 1793-1815 by A. F. (Augustus Ferryman) Mockler-Ferryman

It is often alloyed with other metals, chiefly with iron or gold; also with diamonds.
— from Popular Scientific Recreations in Natural Philosphy, Astronomy, Geology, Chemistry, etc., etc., etc. by Gaston Tissandier

It is a fact well known to antiquaries, though visual evidence of it is becoming scarce, that most of the great works of Gothic architecture which date from this period were profusely adorned with lewd sculptures whose subjects were taken from the religious orders.
— from The History of Prostitution: Its Extent, Causes, and Effects throughout the World by William W. Sanger

Boswell will find his way to Streatham before he goes, and will detail this great affair.
— from Life of Johnson, Volume 5 Tour to the Hebrides (1773) and Journey into North Wales (1774) by James Boswell

The stately ship is seen no more, The fragile skiff attains the shore; And while the great and wise decay, And all their trophies pass away, Some sudden thought, some careless rhyme, Still floats above the wrecks of Time.
— from Through the Year with Famous Authors by Mabel Patterson

Frau Brühl evidently wished to be the greatest beauty of that evening and she had put on a gold and white dress in which she looked like a virgin.
— from Count Brühl by Józef Ignacy Kraszewski

When she spoke it was gravely and with determination, the voice of a woman.
— from The Wasted Generation by Owen Johnson