This being regularly attested by a notary, and a procuration affixed, he directed me to send it, with a letter of his writing, to a merchant of his acquaintance at the place; and then proposed my staying with him till an account came of the return.
— from The Life and Adventures of Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe

No money circulated excepting gold coins, so plentiful was this metal; and though there was famine in other lands, the crops never failed in Crete, so that people might seek there all the things which they needed to have.
— from The Younger Edda; Also called Snorre's Edda, or The Prose Edda by Snorri Sturluson

In that form of imaginative literature, which in our day is the most popular and the most possible, the Russians at the present moment seem to me to hold the field.”
— from Project Gutenberg Compilation of 233 Short Stories of Chekhov by Anton Pavlovich Chekhov

And the perfect morning, so fresh and fair, basking in the light, as though laughing at its own beauty, seemed to whisper, “Why not?”
— from The Garden Party, and Other Stories by Katherine Mansfield

The people on their part may think that cognition is knowing all about things, but the philosopher must say to himself: "When I analyze the process that is expressed in the sentence, 'I think,' I find a whole series of daring assertions, the argumentative proof of which would be difficult, perhaps impossible: for instance, that it is I who think, that there must necessarily be something that thinks, that thinking is an activity and operation on the part of a being who is thought of as a cause, that there is an 'ego,' and finally, that it is already determined what is to be designated by thinking—that I KNOW what thinking is.
— from Beyond Good and Evil by Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche

At each of these gates of the city, a prætor was stationed, the minister of Imperial avarice; heavy customs were imposed on the vessels and their merchandise; the oppression was retaliated on the helpless consumer; the poor were afflicted by the artificial scarcity, and exorbitant price of the market; and a people, accustomed to depend on the liberality of their prince, might sometimes complain of the deficiency of water and bread.
— 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

The poor Marionette stood as if turned to stone, with wide eyes, open mouth, and the empty halves of the egg-shell in his hands.
— from The Adventures of Pinocchio by Carlo Collodi

CHAPTER LV I resolve to ingratiate myself with the Mother, and am favoured by accident—the Precise Lady finds her husband, and quit the Coach—the Captain is disappointed of his dinner—we arrive at Bath—I accompany Miss Snapper to the Long-room, where she is attacked by beau Nash, and, turns the Laugh against him—I make love to her, and receive a check—Squire her to an Assembly, where I am blessed with a Sight of my dear Narcissa, which discomposes me so much, that Miss Snapper, observing my disorder, is at pains to discover the Cause—is piqued at the Occasion, and, in our way home, pays me a sarcastic Compliment—I am met by Miss Williams, who is the maid and Confidante of Narcissa—she acquaints me with her Lady's regard for me while under the disguise of a Servant, and describes the Transports of Narcissa on seeing me at the Assembly, in the Character of a Gentleman—I am surprised with an Account of her Aunt's Marriage, and make an Appointment to meet Miss Williams the next day During this unsocial interval, my pride and interest maintained a severe conflict on the subject of Miss Snapper, whom the one represented as unworthy of notice, and the other proposed as the object of my whole attention: the advantages and disadvantages of such a match were opposed to one another by my imagination; and, at length, my judgment gave it so much in favour of the first, that I resolved to prosecute my scheme with all the address in my power.
— from The Adventures of Roderick Random by T. (Tobias) Smollett

And falling at the king’s feet, the poor man said, “Lord, it was told me, that at this time of thy marriage thou wouldst give to any man the gift he asked for, so it were not unreasonable.”
— from The Legends of King Arthur and His Knights by Knowles, James, Sir

Oh!' she muttered, clinging to me for a moment and staring across to where the sun, already set beyond the purple mountains, sent up broad bars of gold and crimson, reflected in the calm waters of the Gulf.
— from Captain Macedoine's Daughter by William McFee

The works of mercy are insisted on, and high-born ladies are most frequently the ministering angels of the poor man's sick-bed, and the instructors of his children, and nurses of his orphans.
— from Life of Father Ignatius of St. Paul, Passionist (The Hon. & Rev. George Spencer). by Pius a Sp. Sancto (Pius a Spiritu Sancto)

"Matt, I want you to promise me something.
— from Motor Matt's Promise; or, The Wreck of the Hawk by Stanley R. Matthews

The mob was everywhere; and although the police made some arrests and had some fights, they were too weak to effect much.
— from The Great Riots of New York, 1712 to 1873 by Joel Tyler Headley

Says the writer of the Reminiscences: "There was one person just at this time whom I did not then appreciate as I afterwards did—Sir Walter Scott, then plain Mr. Scott.
— from Highways and Byways in the Border Illustrated by Andrew Lang

All such weapons belong to the old, old times, or to poor, miserable, second-rate Indians, who cannot buy anything better.
— from The Talking Leaves: An Indian Story by William O. Stoddard