Others have been encouraged to speak of themselves, because they found the subject worthy and rich; I, on the contrary, am the bolder, by reason the subject is so poor and sterile that I cannot be suspected of ostentation.
— from Essays of Michel de Montaigne — Complete by Michel de Montaigne

In less than an hour, he had painted Marthe, and the likeness was so perfect and speaking, that I cried: "Stop!
— from My Memoirs by Marguerite Steinheil

But then he saw me looking, for it was so pretty a sight that I could not help it, and he remembered.
— from A Roman Singer by F. Marion (Francis Marion) Crawford

And I ate heartily though I knew not what they would do with me: for as yet I had never heard of the "condemned man's supper," and therefore the partaking of this glorious first meal was to me so pleasant and sweet that I cannot sufficiently express, declare, and boast of it to mankind; yea, hardly do I believe I ever tasted greater pleasure in my life than then.
— from The Adventurous Simplicissimus being the description of the Life of a Strange vagabond named Melchior Sternfels von Fuchshaim by Hans Jakob Christoph von Grimmelshausen

There was at the same period a second tavern in Covent Garden kept by Ben Long, Long’s brother.
— from The Works of Aphra Behn, Volume V by Aphra Behn

Nevertheless he swore to her that this love had taken root in his heart in the days of his earliest youth, though it was only during the past seven years that it had caused him pain,—and yet, in truth, not pain, but so pleasing a sickness that its cure would be his death.
— from The Tales of the Heptameron, Vol. 3 (of 5) by Marguerite, Queen, consort of Henry II, King of Navarre

"A watch inspector was appointed whose duty it was to examine every important official's watch once in a stated period and see that it conformed to the [228] requirements.
— from Christopher and the Clockmakers by Sara Ware Bassett

[486] The winds that went forth to bring the quails was so powerful a storm that it could have destroyed the world, so great was God's anger against the ungrateful people, and it was only due to the merits of Moses and Aaron that this wind finally left the world upon its hinges.
— from The Legends of the Jews — Volume 3 by Louis Ginzberg

It was so poignant a sensation that it crossed the borderline into pain.
— from The Ideal by Stanley G. (Stanley Grauman) Weinbaum

His face was so peaceful and smiling that I could hardly have recognised the worried, fever-worn features of yesterday.
— from The Stark Munro Letters Being series of twelve letters written by J. Stark Munro, M.B., to his friend and former fellow-student, Herbert Swanborough, of Lowell, Massachusetts, during the years 1881-1884 by Arthur Conan Doyle