For if we measure the distance from the soles of the feet to the top of the head, and then apply that measure to the outstretched arms, the breadth will be found to be the same as the height, as in the case of plane surfaces which are perfectly square.
— from The Ten Books on Architecture by Vitruvius Pollio

When you saw Bobby in the Duke's Servant,[6] you said, what a pity such a pretty fellow was only a servant.
— from The Works of Charles and Mary Lamb — Volume 2 Elia and The Last Essays of Elia by Charles Lamb

The carriage rose and sunk on its long springs with a peculiar stateliness of motion.
— from The Sketch-Book of Geoffrey Crayon by Washington Irving

19 This instinct lingers in the faith accorded to medicine in the form of decoction, pill, bolus or poultice made from the sacred writing and piously swallowed; in the reverence paid to the idol for its own sake, and in the charm or amulet worn by the soldier in his cap or by the gentleman in his pill-box, tobacco-pouch or purse.
— from The Religions of Japan, from the Dawn of History to the Era of Méiji by William Elliot Griffis

His eyes rested upon Rastignac, to whom he spoke with a pleasant smile that seemed strangely at variance with the savage expression in his eyes.—“Our little bargain still holds good, dear boy; you can accept any time you like!
— from Father Goriot by Honoré de Balzac

Whenever he attended the shows of gladiators, there stood at his feet a little boy dressed in scarlet, with a prodigiously small head, with whom he used to talk very much, and sometimes seriously.
— from The Lives of the Twelve Caesars, Complete by Suetonius

The interior was shadowy with a peculiar shade.
— from Far from the Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy

Whereupon Paul Petrovitch exchanges greetings all round (not excluding little Mitia), and, in particular, kisses Thenichka's hand (which she has not learnt to offer in the right way), drinks a twice-filled glass to the company at large, and says with a profound sigh: "May you all be happy, my friends!
— from Fathers and Sons by Ivan Sergeevich Turgenev

"What a fine thing it is to understand two different languages," he said, with a perplexed sigh.
— from The Marvelous Land of Oz by L. Frank (Lyman Frank) Baum

“Suddenly, without any preliminary sound in the midst of the utter stillness, the door of my room swung slowly open.
— from The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle

[752] “Rome to-day has sunk back to its old heathen state,” where, as Paul says, licentiousness prevailed.
— from Luther, vol. 1 of 6 by Hartmann Grisar

“To the king!” said she, with a proud smile.
— from Henry VIII and His Court: A Historical Novel by L. (Luise) Mühlbach

he begged, pulling her to him, and she, as usual, submitting without a protest, said, yes, she did.
— from The Rosie World by Parker Fillmore

He was best when he was at sea, and although Mrs. Stevenson was a poor sailor and often suffered greatly from seasickness, she accompanied him on all his wanderings in the South Seas and on rougher waters, with the greatest spirit.
— from The Life of Mrs. Robert Louis Stevenson by Nellie Van de Grift Sanchez

Of Sir Toby himself—that most whimsical, madcap, frolicsome old toper, so full of antics and fond of sprees, with a plentiful stock of wit, which is kept in motion by an equally plentiful lack of money—it is enough to say, with our Mr. Verplanck, that "he certainly comes out of the same associations where the Poet saw Falstaff hold his revels"; and that, though "not Sir John, nor a fainter sketch of him, yet he has an odd sort of a family likeness to him."
— from Shakespeare: His Life, Art, And Characters, Volume I. With An Historical Sketch Of The Origin And Growth Of The Drama In England by Henry Norman Hudson

Graced with her clean white apron, her shapely head crowned by the glory of her simply plaited hair, she was a pleasing sight for any man to look upon.
— from Jennie Gerhardt: A Novel by Theodore Dreiser

When quite cold, the resulting ‘button,’ if of silver, is removed by the pliers or tongs from the cupel, and after being flattened on a small anvil of polished steel, with a polished steel hammer, to detach adhering oxide of lead, and cleaned with a small hard brush, is very accurately weighed.
— from Cooley's Cyclopædia of Practical Receipts and Collateral Information in the Arts, Manufactures, Professions, and Trades..., Sixth Edition, Volume I by Richard Vine Tuson

If it worked as he hoped, this odd creature might one day provide earth scientists with a priceless store of information about intelligent life on Planet X!
— from Tom Swift and The Visitor from Planet X by Appleton, Victor, II