“Is not that government both unjust and ungrateful, that is so prodigal of its favours to those that are called gentlemen, or goldsmiths, or such others who are idle, or live either by flattery or by contriving the arts of vain pleasure, and, on the other hand, takes no care of those of a meaner sort, such as ploughmen, colliers, and smiths, without whom it could not subsist?
— from Utopia by More, Thomas, Saint

The crowd round the icon suddenly parted and pressed against Pierre.
— from War and Peace by Tolstoy, Leo, graf

[Pg 181] Oz should treat them in so poor a fashion, after sending them to undergo hardships and slavery.
— from The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank (Lyman Frank) Baum

Had any one, but a few instants before, told me that I should have ever known any man but Charles, I would have spit in his face or had I been offered infinitely a greater sum of money than that I saw paid for me, I had spurned the proposal in cold blood.
— from Memoirs of Fanny Hill A New and Genuine Edition from the Original Text (London, 1749) by John Cleland

Coffee that has not been sold before arrival in San Francisco is generally sampled on the docks during unloading, although this is sometimes postponed until the consignment is in the warehouse.
— from All About Coffee by William H. (William Harrison) Ukers

V. move slowly &c. adv.; creep, crawl, lag, slug, drawl, linger, loiter, saunter; plod, trudge, stump along, lumber; trail, drag; dawdle &c. (be inactive) 683; grovel, worm one's way, steal along; job on, rub on, bundle on; toddle, waddle, wabble[obs3], slug, traipse, slouch, shuffle, halt, hobble, limp, caludicate|, shamble; flag, falter, trotter, stagger; mince, step short; march in slow time, march in funeral procession; take one's time; hang fire &c. (be late) 133. retard, relax; slacken, check, moderate, rein in, curb; reef; strike sail, shorten sail, take in sail; put on the drag, apply the brake; clip the wings; reduce the speed; slacken speed, slacken one's pace; lose ground.
— from Roget's Thesaurus by Peter Mark Roget

Probably few crowned heads have wished to imitate Sancho Panza in this manner.
— from The Memoirs of Jacques Casanova de Seingalt, 1725-1798. Complete by Giacomo Casanova

Withal, a man to be rather pitied when he is not to be feared; for there is something pathetic about him at times, as if the huge commercial machine which has worked him into his frock coat had allowed him very little of his own way and left his affections hungry and baffled.
— from Man and Superman: A Comedy and a Philosophy by Bernard Shaw

There is some private talk carried on betwixt him and Mrs. Jervis, that she don't tell me of; but yet she is very kind to me, and I don't mistrust her at all.
— from Pamela, or Virtue Rewarded by Samuel Richardson

I pressed it to my lips, while the rough soldiers gathered around, mourning over this worthiest prey of death, as if regret and endless lamentation could re-illumine the extinguished spark, or call to its shattered prison-house of flesh the liberated spirit.
— from The Last Man by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley

Galen knew that the energy of fire might be [II-747, II-748] applied to many useful purposes; and that, by the instrumentality of it, many secrets in nature were to be discovered, which otherwise must for ever lie hid; and he instances this in several places of his works.
— from The Every-day Book and Table Book. v. 3 (of 3) Everlasting Calerdar of Popular Amusements, Sports, Pastimes, Ceremonies, Manners, Customs and Events, Incident to Each of the Three Hundred and Sixty-five Days, in past and Present Times; Forming a Complete History of the Year, Month, and Seasons, and a Perpetual Key to the Almanac by William Hone

It is said that in some parts of India the natives always leave one-tenth of their grain-crops for the monkeys, and thus 4 the animals content themselves with this offering, and refrain from devastating the fields, as they would otherwise do.
— from Bible Animals; Being a Description of Every Living Creature Mentioned in the Scripture, from the Ape to the Coral. by J. G. (John George) Wood

This idea she proceeded to carry out, with what initial success we have already seen.
— from Far from the Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy

The Air in general is mild, temperate and healthful, and the Soil so fertile, that in some places it produces 100 for {233} one of Corn, and of Maiz 200; but the great Rains in Summer hinder their having good Oil and Wine.
— from A Cruising Voyage Around the World by Woodes Rogers

One of them is very large and black, and so venomous that its sting produces a fever: it is most commonly to be met with on the ground.
— from Wanderings in South America by Charles Waterton

Then I say, Paul, that you insult others by your doubts--others who have loved you longer.
— from Red Rowans by Flora Annie Webster Steel

The gentleman pronounced over him some energetic expression, as a funeral oration, and then proposed that I should play a game with him.
— from Marie; a story of Russian love by Aleksandr Sergeevich Pushkin