Cain— Dublin University Magazine Boaz Asleep— Bp.
— from Poems by Victor Hugo

If I look rightly within myself, never was injury done unto me by any creature, and therefore I have nought whereof to complain before Thee.
— from The Imitation of Christ by à Kempis Thomas

Taking the whole kingdom at an average, therefore, the whole amount of the duties upon malt, beer, and ale, cannot be estimated at less than twenty-four or twenty-five shillings upon the produce of a quarter of malt.
— from An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations by Adam Smith

Tears of vexation dropped upon my breast and the groan I smothered in a sigh nearly wracked my soul.
— from The Satyricon — Complete by Petronius Arbiter

For the most of our pleasures, say they, wheedle and caress only to strangle us, like those thieves the Egyptians called Philistae; if the headache should come before drunkenness, we should have a care of drinking too much; but pleasure, to deceive us, marches before and conceals her train.
— from Essays of Michel de Montaigne — Complete by Michel de Montaigne

The sarcastic tone of this reply might have provoked a rather acrimonious retort from Miss Squeers, who, besides being of a constitutionally vicious temper—aggravated, just now, by travel and recent jolting—was somewhat irritated by old recollections and the failure of her own designs upon Mr. Browdie; and the acrimonious retort might have led to a great many other retorts, which might have led to Heaven knows what, if the subject of conversation had not been, at that precise moment, accidentally changed by Mr. Squeers himself ‘What do you think?’ said that gentleman; ‘who do you suppose we have laid hands on, Wackford and me?’ ‘Pa! not Mr—?’
— from Nicholas Nickleby by Charles Dickens

I hesitated once, debating with myself, whether, if I had the power of saying ‘Yes’ or ‘No,’ I would allow it to be tried in certain cases, where the terms of imprisonment were short; but now, I solemnly declare, that with no rewards or honours could I walk a happy man beneath the open sky by day, or lie me down upon my bed at night, with the consciousness that one human creature, for any length of time, no matter what, lay suffering this unknown punishment in his silent cell, and I the cause, or I consenting to it in the least degree.
— from American Notes by Charles Dickens

He said, as if he had been considering whether he could forgive me or not, No, I cannot yet forgive her neither.—She has given me great disturbance, has brought great discredit upon me, both abroad and at home: has corrupted all my servants at the other house; has despised my honourable views and intentions to her, and sought to run away with this ungrateful
— from Pamela, or Virtue Rewarded by Samuel Richardson

It was nearly ten o’clock at night when I cast myself down upon my bed, and began to gather my scattered wits, and reflect upon what I had seen and heard.
— from She by H. Rider (Henry Rider) Haggard

I could never understand this until I journeyed myself from Oporto to Plymouth, when I lay for seven days upon my back, and could not have stirred had I seen the eagle of the regiment carried off before my eyes.
— from The Exploits of Brigadier Gerard by Arthur Conan Doyle

Add to this that I depended upon my being able to mention it with address, and make him swallow the pill without reluctance.
— from French Classics by William Cleaver Wilkinson

All at once the water disappeared under my boat and I was on dry land.
— from Myths and Folk-tales of the Russians, Western Slavs, and Magyars by Jeremiah Curtin

God does not rain down upon men bread and raiment from heaven, as he could do with infinite ease; but he imposes upon them the necessity of gaining both by hard labor.
— from Companion to the Bible by E. P. (Elijah Porter) Barrows

I lived for some days upon my bread and water, which being all used up at last I prepared for death.
— from Fairy Tales from the Arabian Nights by E. Dixon

Tuesday morning, at 10 o’clock, began what is called “Children’s Day,” being a similar exhibition of accomplishments by the primary department, under Mrs. Brown and Miss McKinley, both natives of Charleston and of kindred blood with their pupils.
— from The American Missionary — Volume 36, No. 7, July, 1882 by Various

They imposed certain rates and duties upon marriages, births, and burials, bachelors, and widows.
— from The History of England in Three Volumes, Vol.II. Continued from the Reign of William and Mary to the Death of George II. by T. (Tobias) Smollett