Of all the works of Plato the Symposium is the most perfect in form, and may be truly thought to contain more than any commentator has ever dreamed of; or, as Goethe said of one of his own writings, more than the author himself knew.
— from Symposium by Plato

Under the reign of Theodosius, after Christianity had enjoyed, during more than sixty years, the sunshine of Imperial favor, the ancient and illustrious church of Antioch consisted of one hundred thousand persons, three thousand of whom were supported out of the public oblations.
— from The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire Table of Contents with links in the HTML file to the two Project Gutenberg editions (12 volumes) by Edward Gibbon

'Well, ma'amselle, as I was saying, these preparations about the castle, and these strange-looking people, that are calling here every day, and the Signor's cruel usage of my lady, and his odd goings-on—all these, as I told Ludovico, can bode no good.
— from The Mysteries of Udolpho by Ann Ward Radcliffe

[Pg 139] Time and circumstances have effectually disposed of the water-carrier, his occupation is gone, it is impossible London can ever again see a man bent beneath the weight of a yoke and two enormous pails, vociferating “ Any fresh and fair Spring Water here? ”
— from A History of the Cries of London, Ancient and Modern by Charles Hindley

That of the late B. D. Perkins, which, at about the same time, had been formed by Mr. Perkins in Europe, and imported by him into this country, was also placed in New-York, and both cabinets (for both were freely shown to the curious, by their liberal and courteous proprietors) contributed more than any causes had ever done before, to excite in the public mind an active interest in the science of mineralogy.
— from American Journal of Science, Vol. 1. by Various

This power of generalization distinguishes all that he has written, and the student of the Mécanique Analytique is amazed when he comes to a chapter headed “ Equations Différentielles pour la solution de tous les problèmes de Dynamique ,” which, on examination, he finds equally applicable, and equally applied, to the vibrations of a pendulum or the motion of a planet.
— from The Gallery of Portraits: with Memoirs. Volume 2 (of 7) by Arthur Thomas Malkin

He was sought for everywhere, for the authorities considered him extremely dangerous, and felt confident, from his character, that the emperor would not be safe while the desperate noble lived.
— from The Underground World: A mirror of life below the surface by Thomas Wallace Knox

Statesmen in that year asked themselves how the Americas could have ever developed their enormous Asiatic commerce, without having a point d’appui , or base of operations, in Oriental waters?
— from Looking Forward: A Dream of the United States of the Americas in 1999 by Arthur Bird

Tired out and anxious, Celeste Seldon, after eating sparingly of the food given her by the chief, sat down with her back to a tree, and, closing her eyes, dropped into a deep sleep.
— from Buffalo Bill's Spy Trailer; Or, The Stranger in Camp by Prentiss Ingraham

His countenance was pale, his beard thin, his expression sad; his lungs were delicate, yet he had a strong voice; his pronunciation was so clear and sweet as to attract attention; and modulating his speech more like that of a petitioner than a commander, he easily drew to himself the ears and minds of those who listened to him.
— from Isabella Orsini: A Historical Novel of the Fifteenth Century by Francesco Domenico Guerrazzi

Paper hawkers crowd there at certain hours each day, then rush away, vying with one another to call attention to their stock-in-trade.
— from Historic Paris by Jetta Sophia Wolff