Until now the English never had approached the peaceful valley of the Meuse.
— from The Executioner's Knife; Or, Joan of Arc by Eugène Sue

At last an old man came up and told us not to encamp near the wells, as the women of the village could not come for water.
— from Harper's New Monthly Magazine No. XVI.—September, 1851—Vol. III. by Various

Unless necessity therefor exists, no person will require a sentinel to quit his piece, even to allow it to be inspected.
— from Manual for Noncommissioned Officers and Privates of Cavalry of the Army of the United States 1917. To be also used by Engineer Companies (Mounted) for Cavalry Instruction and Training by United States. War Department

Our profession is ruined by bunglers who understand neither the epoch nor their art.
— from The Works of Balzac: A linked index to all Project Gutenberg editions by Honoré de Balzac

Nevertheless the train was pulled up, neither the engine nor any of the carriages got off the line, and the men in charge of the train seemed to think very lightly of the matter.
— from North America — Volume 2 by Anthony Trollope