My Lord, That acuteness of penetration into characters and designs, and that nice discernment of human passions and practices, which have raised you to your present height of station and dignity of employment, have long shown you that dedicatory addresses are written for the sake of the author more frequently than of the patron; and, though they profess only reverence and zeal, are commonly dictated by interest or vanity.
— from The Works of Samuel Johnson, LL.D. in Nine Volumes, Volume 05 Miscellaneous Pieces by Samuel Johnson

Maillebois, lying over in Westphalia with his 30 or 40,000, on 'Check to your King' this year past, had, on sight of these Anti-Dunkirk movements, been ordered to look Dunkirk way, and at length to move thitherward, for protection of Dunkirk.
— from History of Friedrich II of Prussia — Volume 14 by Thomas Carlyle

In this method of process I must differ from him, because the young plants have only six months (being the slowest growing months of the year) to make roots, and then these roots are entirely cut off, which considerably retards the plants in their growth.
— from The different modes of cultivating the pine-apple From its first introduction into Europe to the late improvements of T.A. Knight, esq. by J. C. (John Claudius) Loudon

The opportunities which the young people have of seeing and conversing with each other are at the birnbangs , or public festivals.
— from Studies in the Psychology of Sex, Volume 3 Analysis of the Sexual Impulse; Love and Pain; The Sexual Impulse in Women by Havelock Ellis

"Did he touch you pretty hard?" "Oh, say two thousand, jest like that!" The sheriff whistled.
— from The Ridin' Kid from Powder River by Henry Herbert Knibbs

"In order to your proper handling of such a subject."— Spect. cor.
— from The Grammar of English Grammars by Goold Brown

I don’t object to your putting hosts of slumbering incentives in Lisa’s mind, but a slumbering incentive is not vulgar and debasing, like a bribe.’
— from Marm Lisa by Kate Douglas Smith Wiggin