Here is a magnificent theme and a superb background for a great novel, and George Eliot read and studied till she felt sure that she understood the place, the time, and the people of her story.
— from English Literature Its History and Its Significance for the Life of the English-Speaking World by William J. (William Joseph) Long

The hero, when to manly years he grew, Alcides' uncle, old Licymnius, slew; For this, constrain'd to quit his native place, And shun the vengeance of the Herculean race, A fleet he built, and with a numerous train Of willing exiles wander'd o'er the main; Where, many seas and many sufferings past, On happy Rhodes the chief arrived at last: There in three tribes divides his native band, And rules them peaceful in a foreign land; Increased and prosper'd in their new abodes By mighty Jove, the sire of men and gods; With joy they saw the growing empire rise, And showers of wealth descending from the skies.
— from The Iliad by Homer

“I should like to,” said she, “but I am afraid I have not got enough room;” and so saying she placed herself in a position to shew me that she was speaking the truth, and that if she did not make me die it was not her fault.
— from The Memoirs of Jacques Casanova de Seingalt, 1725-1798. Complete by Giacomo Casanova

He is thick-set, about five feet nine inches in height, with a heavy square jaw, nose remarkably long and straight for a Tibetan, eyebrows pronounced and turning upwards in a phenomenal manner—probably trained so, to make his appearance more forbidding—face pockmarked, general expression resolute and sinister.
— from The Unveiling of Lhasa by Edmund Candler

The decisive victory of Fehrbellin, in which the great Elector routed a Swedish army much superior in numbers to his own, showed how gloriously he performed his part of the programme.
— from Famous Assassinations of History from Philip of Macedon, 336 B. C., to Alexander of Servia, A. D. 1903 by Francis Johnson

The longer slavery existed, the weaker the Southern giant became, until, toiling on, the South became bankrupt through slavery, and toiling on, every year of the war under free labour found the North growing ever richer and stronger.
— from The Battle of Principles A Study of the Heroism and Eloquence of the Anti-Slavery Conflict by Newell Dwight Hillis

La Grivotte, Elise Rouquet, and Sophie Couteau were all three there.
— from The Three Cities Trilogy: Lourdes, Complete by Émile Zola

But now, the tents o'erturn'd, the war dogs fled, Now fearless Freedom rears at last her head Matcht with celestial Peace,--my friends, beware To shade the splendors of so bright a pair; Complete their triumph, fix their firm abode, Purge all privations from your liberal code, Restore their souls to men, give earth repose, And save your sons from slavery, wars and woes.
— from The Columbiad: A Poem by Joel Barlow

For one book George Eliot received a sum equal to forty thousand dollars, and her income after "Adam Bede" was published was never less than ten thousand dollars a year.
— from Little Journeys to the Homes of the Great Philosophers, Volume 8 by Elbert Hubbard

When she lost sight of her Pamela came out of the old windmill, and taking up the position she had chosen for making her sketch, she got everything ready and set to, and was soon absorbed in her work.
— from The Girls of Chequertrees by Marion St. John Webb