As Obadiah ’s was a mixed case——mark, Sirs,——I say, a mixed case; for it was obstetrical,—— scrip -tical, squirtical, papistical——and as far as the coach-horse was concerned in it,——caballistical——and only partly musical;— Obadiah made no scruple of availing himself of the first expedient which offered; so taking hold of the bag and instruments, and griping them hard to- 295 gether with one hand, and with the finger and thumb of the other putting the end of the hat-band betwixt his teeth, and then slipping his hand down to the middle of it,—he tied and cross-tied them all fast together from one end to the other (as you would cord a trunk) with such a multiplicity of round-abouts and intricate cross turns, with a hard knot at every intersection or point where the strings met,—that Dr. Slop must have had three fifths of Job ’s patience at least to have unloosed them.—I think in my conscience, that had N ATURE been in one of her nimble moods, and in humour for such a contest——and she and Dr. Slop both fairly started together——there is no man living which had seen the bag with all that Obadiah had done to it,——and known likewise the great speed the Goddess can make when she thinks proper, who would have had the least doubt remaining in his mind—which of the two would have carried off the prize.
— from The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman by Laurence Sterne

And others squared, and many others round, And certain of them many-angled too In many modes.
— from On the Nature of Things by Titus Lucretius Carus

By these we judge, and we cannot otherwise judge, of the several artificial modes of religion and society, and determine of them as they approach to or recede from this standard.
— from The Works of the Right Honourable Edmund Burke, Vol. 01 (of 12) by Edmund Burke

And he hath many other precious stones and many other rubies and carbuncles; but those be the greatest and the most precious.
— from The Travels of Sir John Mandeville by Mandeville, John, Sir

This Mrs Wilkins, at length, so resented, that she very openly showed all manner of respect and fondness to little Tommy, in opposition to Mrs Blifil.
— from History of Tom Jones, a Foundling by Henry Fielding

'Madam,' said he, 'I know not how you fared with him; I only know that yesternight, whenas he came to me and I did your message to him, he suddenly transported my soul amongst such a multitude of roses and other flowers that never was the like thereof seen here below, and I abode in one of the most delightsome places that was aye until the morning; but what became of my body meanwhile I know not.'
— from The Decameron of Giovanni Boccaccio by Giovanni Boccaccio

Thinking, therefore, was simply a matter of repetition, and all the enjoyment of speech and dialogue could only lie in their form.
— from The Dawn of Day by Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche

As Obadiah's was a mixed case—mark, Sirs,—I say, a mixed case; for it was obstetrical,—scrip-tical, squirtical, papistical—and as far as the coach-horse was concerned in it,—caballistical—and only partly musical;—Obadiah made no scruple of availing himself of the first expedient which offered; so taking hold of the bag and instruments, and griping them hard together with one hand, and with the finger and thumb of the other putting the end of the hat-band betwixt his teeth, and then slipping his hand down to the middle of it,—he tied and cross-tied them all fast together from one end to the other (as you would cord a trunk) with such a multiplicity of round-abouts and intricate cross turns, with a hard knot at every intersection or point where the strings met,—that Dr. Slop must have had three fifths of Job's patience at least to have unloosed them.—I think in my conscience, that had Nature been in one of her nimble moods, and in humour for such a contest—and she and Dr. Slop both fairly started together—there is no man living which had seen the bag with all that Obadiah had done to it,—and known likewise the great speed the Goddess can make when she thinks proper, who would have had the least doubt remaining in his mind—which of the two would have carried off the prize.
— from The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman by Laurence Sterne

I saw a man of respectable appearance, polite, modest, speaking little but well, reserved in his answers, and with the manners of olden times.
— from The Memoirs of Jacques Casanova de Seingalt, 1725-1798. Complete by Giacomo Casanova

A Good Imagination Gone Wrong S PRING had come once more to Green Gables—the beautiful capricious, reluctant Canadian spring, lingering along through April and May in a succession of sweet, fresh, chilly days, with pink sunsets and miracles of resurrection and growth.
— from Anne of Green Gables by L. M. (Lucy Maud) Montgomery

Possibly they had never before realized what a powerful lever for good such a method of returning a grudge may become.
— from The Banner Boy Scouts; or, The Struggle for Leadership by George A. Warren

Indeed they are taken from a different class of society: in the continental states, men, from inferior situations, enter the army with a view to obtain a subsistence; in the British service alone, men of rank and fortune leave the enjoyment and opulence of peaceful life, to share in the toils and the hardships of war.
— from Travels in France during the years 1814-15 Comprising a residence at Paris, during the stay of the allied armies, and at Aix, at the period of the landing of Bonaparte, in two volumes. by Patrick Fraser Tytler

Let us assume by way of hypothesis that you are a man of sense, a man of reason as well as of rhyme.
— from Hard Cash by Charles Reade

To Gilbert, it was simply another mode of recreation and amusement.
— from Solaris Farm: A Story of the Twentieth Century by Milan C. Edson

But thoughtful men can scarcely be content with such a modicum of reason, and they distinguish between ultimate principles and minor maxims which stand in need of justification by their reference to principles.
— from A Handbook of Ethical Theory by George Stuart Fullerton

The organization of attractive industry will be the reconciliation of spirit and matter, of religion and the world; it will be the admission of Christ into all our spheres; it will make all nature holy, and clothe religion in the garb of nature.
— from Brook Farm: Historic and Personal Memoirs by John Thomas Codman

They still swarmed about, making or renewing acquaintances, here acting as interpreters and there trading on their own account.
— from The Story of Tonty by Mary Hartwell Catherwood

He perceived that the people were being deceived, and, wishing to set them right, sent a Master of Requests and an Almoner, two very worthy men, to learn the truth.
— from The Heptameron of Margaret, Queen of Navarre A Linked Index to the Project Gutenberg Edition by Marguerite, Queen, consort of Henry II, King of Navarre