Hearing this, Alexander thought it was advisable to pursue with all his might; and though his men and horses were already quite fatigued by the incessant severity of their labours, he nevertheless proceeded, and, travelling a long way all through the night and the next day till noon, arrived at a certain village, where those who were leading Darius had encamped the day before.
— from The Anabasis of Alexander or, The History of the Wars and Conquests of Alexander the Great by Arrian

Give me any instance then of a man as wise as you can fancy him possible to be, that has spent all his younger years in poring upon books, and trudging after learning, in the pursuit whereof he squanders away the pleasantest time of his life in watching, sweat, and fasting; and in his latter days he never tastes one mouthful of delight, but is always stingy, poor, dejected, melancholy, burthensome to himself, and unwelcome to others, pale, lean, thin-jawed, sickly, contracting by his sedentariness such hurtful distempers as bring him to an untimely death, like roses plucked before they shatter.
— from In Praise of Folly Illustrated with Many Curious Cuts by Desiderius Erasmus

Mrs Tapkins likewise discovers her omission, and with promptitude repairs it; for herself; for Miss Tapkins, for Miss Frederica Tapkins, for Miss Antonina Tapkins, for Miss Malvina Tapkins, and for Miss Euphemia Tapkins.
— from Our Mutual Friend by Charles Dickens

The vodka had upset him and his head was reeling, but instead of lying down, he put all his clothes together in a bundle, said a prayer, took his stick, and went out.
— from Project Gutenberg Compilation of 233 Short Stories of Chekhov by Anton Pavlovich Chekhov

His loving disciples had built him a new hermitage, known as "Nagendra Math."
— from Autobiography of a Yogi by Paramahansa Yogananda

What said he to thee this day, Daughter, my daughter?' 'Oh, said he nought, but did he this: Thrice on my lips did he press a kiss,
— from The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood by Howard Pyle

" In his comedies of London life, despite his trend towards caricature, Jonson has shown himself a genuine realist, drawing from the life about him with an experience and insight rare in any generation.
— from The Alchemist by Ben Jonson

The Viper was no sooner revived by the warmth than it turned upon its benefactor and inflicted a fatal bite upon him; and as the poor man lay dying, he cried, "I have only got what I deserved, for taking compassion on so villainous a creature."
— from Aesop's Fables; a new translation by Aesop

Hiller now saw that he had been wrong in not taking my advice before, and in not shortening the opera by one act and altering the end, and he now fancied that he was doing me a great favour by at last declaring himself ready to act on my suggestion in the event of another performance of his opera being possible.
— from My Life — Volume 1 by Richard Wagner

Omas half running, half leaping, drove his way like a wedge through the surging swarm.
— from The Daughter of the Chieftain : the Story of an Indian Girl by Edward Sylvester Ellis

So I told him; but he said, after seeing what it cost my father to watch dear Margaret's long decay, he would never entail the like on him.
— from The Trial; Or, More Links of the Daisy Chain by Charlotte M. (Charlotte Mary) Yonge

Her husband at last discovered her mysteriously poking a hole down a disused well, and promptly had the well cleaned out; but of course nothing was found save the usual well contents, and thus the years rolled on.
— from Stage-coach and Tavern Days by Alice Morse Earle

He is literally drinking himself to death.
— from Little Wolf: A Tale of the Western Frontier by Mary Ann Mann Cornelius

As Bryce looked down, he leaned forward more and more, until the greater part of his body was directly over the lighted space.
— from The Great Stone of Sardis by Frank Richard Stockton

Where in the Southron's Fatherland Is that 'last ditch,' his final stand?
— from The Continental Monthly, Vol. 2, No. 2, August, 1862 Devoted to Literature and National Policy by Various

Write and learn: Dogs have— Dogs— Dogs are— Blunt claws.
— from Chambers's Elementary Science Readers Book I by Various

When I opened the book they'd begin crying 'way in advance, long before that stanza came describing his last dying howl.
— from The Crow's Nest by Clarence Day

He could see little of his face, for the head was thrust forward from the stooping, misshapen shoulders, and his long, dark hair hung about his cheeks and shaded his countenance.
— from The Duke's Motto: A Melodrama by Justin H. (Justin Huntly) McCarthy

Cutter some time after died a lingering death, having experienced besides his wounds the terrors of a coward in power overtaken by vengeance.”
— from The History of Saint Augustine, Florida by William W. (William Whitwell) Dewhurst