So nothing came of these trials; and Jo corked up her inkstand, and said, in a fit of very wholesome humility,— "I don't know anything; I'll wait till I do before I try again, and, meantime, 'sweep mud in the street,' if I can't do better; that's honest, at least;" which decision proved that her second tumble down the bean-stalk had done her some good.
— from Little Women; Or, Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy by Louisa May Alcott

There is a thing, Harry, which thou hast often heard of, and it is known to many in our land by the name of pitch: this pitch, as ancient writers do report, doth defile; so doth the company thou keepest: for, Harry, now I do not speak to thee in drink, but in tears; not in pleasure, but in passion; not in words only, but in woes also.
— from The Complete Works of William Shakespeare by William Shakespeare

When the pipes were broken that supplied the camp with water, the Praetorians were reduced to intolerable distress; but in their turn they made desperate sallies into the city, set fire to a great number of houses, and filled the streets with the blood of the inhabitants.
— 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

When the pipes were broken that supplied the camp with water, the Prætorians were reduced to intolerable distress; but in their turn they made desperate sallies into the city, set fire to a great number of houses, and filled the streets with the blood of the inhabitants.
— 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

And is it not for the same reason that the Water and acid Spirits which are mix'd together in Vinegar, Aqua fortis , and Spirit of Salt, cohere and rise together in Distillation; but if the Menstruum be poured on Salt of Tartar, or on Lead, or Iron, or any fix'd Body which [Pg 382] it can dissolve, the Acid by a stronger Attraction adheres to the Body, and lets go the Water?
— from Opticks Or, A Treatise of the Reflections, Refractions, Inflections, and Colours of Light by Isaac Newton

I then observed Shakespeare standing between Betterton and Booth, and deciding a difference between those two great actors concerning the placing an accent in one of his lines: this was disputed on both sides with a warmth which surprised me in Elysium, till I discovered by intuition that every soul retained its principal characteristic, being, indeed, its very essence.
— from A Journey from This World to the Next by Henry Fielding

The struggle continued for four days, but Cavaignac's artillery and the discipline of his troops at last crushed resistance; and after the Archbishop of Paris had been mortally wounded in a heroic effort to stop further bloodshed, the last bands of the insurgents, driven back into the north-eastern quarter of the city, and there attacked with artillery in front and flank, were forced to lay down their arms.
— from A History of Modern Europe, 1792-1878 by Charles Alan Fyffe

“Formal concessions are not granted either to public prostitutes or those with whom they lodge; neither are there in Denmark brothels, in the ordinary sense of the term, as they are found in other countries.”
— from The History of Prostitution: Its Extent, Causes, and Effects throughout the World by William W. Sanger

"Who told him that it does better in the atmosphere of a stable?" "Lady Wilding's cousin, Mr. Sharpless.
— from Cleek, the Master Detective by Thomas W. Hanshew

In joyous youthful prime, Drink that marks out the downward road To want and disease and crime Drink in the lordly hall, Pour out the blood-red wine,— And grey hairs sorrow over the grave, That is dug before its time Drink for the darling son,
— from Verses and Rhymes By the Way by Norah

Where did you take them?" "Who said that I did?" boldly inquired the man addressed.
— from Married Life; Its Shadows and Sunshine by T. S. (Timothy Shay) Arthur

There is one little girl with the face of an angel—I honestly confess I’ve never seen an angel’s face, and don’t suppose I ever shall till I die, but I think it is that sort of face.
— from On the Stage--and Off: The Brief Career of a Would-Be Actor by Jerome K. (Jerome Klapka) Jerome