My signs are a rain-proof coat, good shoes, and a staff cut from the woods, No friend of mine takes his ease in my chair, I have no chair, no church, no philosophy, I lead no man to a dinner-table, library, exchange, But each man and each woman of you I lead upon a knoll, My left hand hooking you round the waist, My right hand pointing to landscapes of continents and the public road.
— from Leaves of Grass by Walt Whitman

He wore a low-crowned felt hat, spread out at the base by tight jamming upon the head for security in high winds, and a coat like Dr. Johnson's; his lower extremities being encased in ordinary leather leggings and boots emphatically large, affording to each foot a roomy apartment so constructed that any wearer might stand in a river all day long and know nothing of damp—their maker being a conscientious man who endeavoured to compensate for any weakness in his cut by unstinted dimension and solidity.
— from Far from the Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy

I wish as well as every body else to be perfectly happy; but, like every body else it must be in my own way.
— from Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen

And so they marched and struggled on and up through endless years and spaces and ever the black beggar looked back past death and pain toward the maid and ever the maid strove forward with lovelit eyes, but ever the great and silken shoulders of the king of Yonder Kingdom arose between the princess and the sun like a cloud of storms.
— from Darkwater: Voices from Within the Veil by W. E. B. (William Edward Burghardt) Du Bois

Observe that the i is long except before -er and in fit . a.
— from Latin for Beginners by Benjamin L. (Benjamin Leonard) D'Ooge

And those who may have been frightened into the belief that coffee is not for them should do a little experimenting before exposing themselves to the dangers of the coffee-substitute habit.
— from All About Coffee by William H. (William Harrison) Ukers

Whatever pure thou in the body enjoy'st (And pure thou wert created) we enjoy In eminence, and obstacle find none Of membrane, joynt, or limb, exclusive barrs: Easier then Air with Air, if Spirits embrace, Total they mix, Union of Pure with Pure Desiring; nor restrain'd conveyance need As Flesh to mix with Flesh, or Soul with Soul.
— from The Poetical Works of John Milton by John Milton

Happily, however, the gentleman in question turned out to be a pacifist, who, though ready enough to cane insolent lackeys, had no desire to cross swords with their masters; and, calling upon Bassompierre, he offered him so many excuses and apologies that, instead of fighting, the latter ended by embracing him.
— from A Gallant of Lorraine; vol. 1 of 2 François, Seigneur de Bassompierre, Marquis d'Haronel, Maréchal de France, 1579-1646 by H. Noel (Hugh Noel) Williams

They have finely exemplified the best Yankee traits; but in no instance were these traits merged in a personality large enough, bold enough, and copious and democratic enough to give them national and continental significance.
— from Whitman: A Study by John Burroughs

Mrs. Victor alone has printed a general statement of the portions of the history written by her, a course in which she was influenced by years of absolute independence in directing her literary energies before entering Mr. Bancroft's employ, and a consequent appreciation of the rights and honors of authorship.
— from The Quarterly of the Oregon Historical Society, Vol. IV March, 1903-December, 1903 by Oregon Historical Society

After the death of Llewellin, the last prince of Wales, this was at length effected by Edward I.; but still, the Marches, not being included in the division of the land into counties became a scene of such anarchy, that it was found necessary to institute a court of judicature for that district alone.
— from The Wye and Its Associations: A Picturesque Ramble by Leitch Ritchie

The lady then ventured to raise her voice as high as misses of eighteen may venture in the company of old doctors, and her description of the reply was that she heard an internal grumbling like Etna before explosion, which rolled up his mouth, and there formed itself into the distinct words, ‘When I want any, I’ll ask for it,’ which were the only words she heard him speak during the day.
— from Eclectic Magazine of Foreign Literature, Science, and Art, January 1885 by Various

Someone raised a brand from the fire, and by its light they saw two umfaans bearing on their heads a large earthen bowl each.
— from The Outspan: Tales of South Africa by Percy Fitzpatrick

He was faint from long exertion; but even Dion, master of sword-play though he was, could not find a spot in his antagonist's body unguarded by his quick ward.
— from Deborah: A tale of the times of Judas Maccabaeus by James M. (James Meeker) Ludlow

Pugatchef was gnawing the bone of a horse for food when his false friends ran up to him, saying, "Come, you have long enough been emperor."
— from Historic Tales: The Romance of Reality. Vol. 08 (of 15), Russian by Charles Morris

I don't beleave a tomater will keep a man enny more helthy than red clover will, but i am just like evry body else, i wanted tew git sum better than i waz, and i went to skool to the tomato, and have got learnt how tew eat them, if they are filled with salt and pepper, and soaked well in good sider vinegar.
— from Josh Billings on Ice, and Other Things by Josh Billings