If he say, he ought rather to suffer death, then he authorizeth all private men, to disobey their Princes, in maintenance of their Religion, true, or false; if he say, he ought to bee obedient, then he alloweth to himself, that which hee denyeth to another, contrary to the words of our Saviour, "Whatsoever you would that men should doe unto you, that doe yee unto them;" and contrary to the Law of Nature, (which is the indubitable everlasting Law of God) "Do not to another, that which thou wouldest not he should doe unto thee.
— from Leviathan by Thomas Hobbes

another Ship of 20 Guns, a Sloop of four Guns, and another Sloop last taken; with this little Fleet, they got into a small Harbour, or Road, the N. W. Part of the Island, and warp’d up two Creeks, which were made by a little Island lying within the Bay; (I am the more particular now, because I shall take Leave of the Gentlemen, at this Place.)
— from A General History of the Pyrates: from their first rise and settlement in the island of Providence, to the present time by Daniel Defoe

When I had brought my adventures down to the present day, who seemed very much affected with the different circumstances of my fortune; and saying, with a smile, she believed my distresses were now at a period, proceeded to inform me that the lady whom she served was no other than the charming Narcissa, who had honoured her with her confidence for some time; in consequence of which trust, she had often repeated the story of John Brown with great admiration and regard; that she loved to dwell upon the particulars of his character, and did not scruple to own a tender approbation of his flame.
— from The Adventures of Roderick Random by T. (Tobias) Smollett

You know that sailor habit of referring to the weather in every connection.
— from Lord Jim by Joseph Conrad

I spent the two days of expectation in a whirl of impatient joy, which prevented me from eating and sleeping; for it seemed to me that no other love had ever given me such happiness, or rather that I was going to be happy for the first time.
— from The Memoirs of Jacques Casanova de Seingalt, 1725-1798. Complete by Giacomo Casanova

She had one request to make, and this was, that when the next moon of midsummer should arrive, they should visit the spot where she then stood.
— from Haw-Ho-Noo; Or, Records of a Tourist by Charles Lanman

I am glad to tell you that Lord Arden and his sister were polite enough to wait till he awoke of his own accord, instead of shouting “hi!” or rattling the smooth brown iron latch of the gate, as some children would have done.
— from The House of Arden: A Story for Children by E. (Edith) Nesbit

He flushed, but did not answer, and when a few weeks later he and Silvia Holland had played together for some charitable entertainment, his venerable mentor had sought him out, ready to bestow her blessing at the earliest possible moment, approving his practical judgment and his good taste.
— from An American Suffragette by Isaac Newton Stevens

They ended the morning’s wanderings in Jane’s own particular bower, known to the family as the Weeping Willows because she had once retired there to cry out her troubles, and had been discovered in a very moist state by Frank, who was a merciless tease.
— from Chicken Little Jane on the Big John by Lily Munsell Ritchie

Since his eyes began to fail, he had cultivated the salutary habit of resting them every half-hour or so.
— from The House of Mystery: An Episode in the Career of Rosalie Le Grange, Clairvoyant by Will Irwin

Agnes was prettier than ever, I thought, and although I knew the style had only reached Twin Mounds the week before, she wore a dress cut in what was then known as the “Princess” pattern.
— from The Story of a Country Town by E. W. (Edgar Watson) Howe

“Oh, that was him you saw hurrying off,” replied the scout master, with a faint smile.
— from The Boy Scouts of the Field Hospital by Robert Shaler

Humphreys of Sussex has only retired two or three seasons, and for a long time he got a lot of wickets.
— from Cricket by A. G. (Allan Gibson) Steel

Reaching the veranda steps, he threw away his cigarette, mounted them and crossed to where the outer door stood hospitably open, revealing the wide hall within, its shadowy recesses softly penetrated by the light from a quaint lamp swung from the low, studded ceiling.
— from A Colony of Girls by Kate Livingston Willard