The bell-ringers would have had a ring of bells for me, but there was but one, Tim, who was too fat to pull; and I rode off before the vicar, Doctor Bolter (who had succeeded old Mr. Texter, who had the living in my time), had time to come out to compliment me; but the rapscallions of the beggarly village had assembled in a dirty army to welcome me, and cheered ‘Hurrah for Masther Redmond!’
— from Barry Lyndon by William Makepeace Thackeray

The hunters joined me at 1 oClock, I dispatched 2 men to prosue an Indian roade over the hills for a fiew miles, at the narrows I assended a mountain from the top of which I could See that the river forked near me the left hand appeared the largest & bore S. E. the right passed from the West thro an extensive Vallie, I could See but three Small trees in any Direction from the top of this mountain.
— from The Journals of Lewis and Clark, 1804-1806 by William Clark

I still remember, that after you had thus amused me, I know not how long, with your fine philosophy, all I retained of it was a multitude of barbarous and dark words, proper to bewilder, perplex, and tire out the best wits, and only invented the better to cover the vanity and ignorance of men like yourself, that would make us believe that they know all, and that under those obscure and ambiguous words are hid great mysteries which they alone are capable to understand.
— from Annals and Antiquities of Rajasthan, v. 1 of 3 or the Central and Western Rajput States of India by James Tod

So you strolled along the terrace, saw the summer moonlight pour all its radiance on the waters, as they rippled on the shore, till at length you gathered courage, when you saw that none was nigh—did you draw her close and tell her that you loved her?
— from The Art of Public Speaking by J. Berg (Joseph Berg) Esenwein

I always thought there was some evil history back of all that.” The “drawing-rooms” particularly abounded in remarks of this nature.
— from Les Misérables by Victor Hugo

Pantagruel set up one trophy in memorial of their valour, and Panurge another in remembrance of the hares.
— from Gargantua and Pantagruel by François Rabelais

But the admission of political aims is reserved only for the higher grades of the Order.
— from Secret Societies And Subversive Movements by Nesta Helen Webster

And, therefore, each generation as it comes and goes must rise or fall in proportion as it raises or lowers the citizenship standard, for each generation must prove its own worth as must each individual his own virtues.
— from Boy Scouts Handbook The First Edition, 1911 by Boy Scouts of America

M. de Choiseul deceived me, for he knew very well that peace would not be made; but I had no definite project, and I repented of having given M. de Boulogne my confidence, and also of having done anything for the Government, the reward of which was not immediate and certain.
— from The Memoirs of Jacques Casanova de Seingalt, 1725-1798. Complete by Giacomo Casanova

Then the high-minded Othello running the perpetual and imminent risk of being caught thieving—slipping through loop-holes—mouse-holes—key-holes.
— from Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, Volume 67, Number 414, April, 1850 by Various

Even when electricity came, presenting an infinitesimal risk of fire, the Government refused to have the vast building wired.
— from Paris Vistas by Helen Davenport Gibbons

But even in Melbourne all women are not interested in the actual possession of this much-coveted privilege, and I remember one labourer’s wife saying to me: “I don’t want no vote, not I!
— from On the Wallaby Through Victoria by Elinor Mordaunt

The meat rations had to be supplemented by tinned provisions; and increased rations of oats had to take the place of hay and straw.
— from The Franco-German War of 1870-71 by Moltke, Helmuth, Graf von

We commonly supped in different parties, and I recollect one night when we English manifested our too common indisposition to conform ourselves to foreign customs, or rather to put ourselves out of our own way, by all going together to one table, to the number of twelve or fourteen of us, and admitting only one Frenchman, the Marquis de Noailles, M. de la Fayette's brother-in-law, who spoke our own language like an Englishman, and appeared more than any of the other French to be one of ourselves.
— from Private Papers of William Wilberforce by William Wilberforce

I do not lend upon pledges, and I require only the interest customary in Holland.
— from A Philosophical Dictionary, Volume 06 by Voltaire

We published an interesting review of the life of the late Sir Donald Stewart, who had just died in England.
— from War's Brighter Side The Story of The Friend Newspaper Edited by the Correspondents with Lord Roberts's Forces, March-April, 1900 by Julian Ralph

The human conscience in these long years of peace, and its resultant opportunities for education, has grown tender to the cry of agony—the pallid face of a hungry child finds a quick response to its mute appeal; but when we know that hundreds are rendered homeless every day, and countless thousands are killed and wounded, men and boys mowed down like a field of grain, and with as little compunction, we grow a little bit numb to human misery.
— from In Times Like These by Nellie L. McClung

If there was any pleasure in this—and when is not increased importance pleasurable?—it was speedily brought to an end, as soon as the trials of the conspirators began, and intelligence of more and more traitors being arrested in different parts, and increased rumours of the number suspected, or actually implicated, reaching the ears of the Duke.
— from The King's Highway by G. P. R. (George Payne Rainsford) James