Quick Excerpts, from a Library of 492 Titles

Generated 2022-07-28 13:25:53

Excerpt #1, from Nonsense Novels, by Stephen Leacock

…the Husky, Edward the Earwig, Rollo the Rumbottle, and many others. In the meantime the Lady Isolde stood upon the battlements and mourned for the absent Guido. The love of Guido and Isolde was of that pure and almost divine type, found only in the middle ages. They had never seen one another. Guido had never seen Isolde, Isolde had never seen Guido. They had never heard one another speak. They had never been together. They did not know one another. Yet they loved. Their love had sprung into being suddenly and romantically, with all the mystic charm which is love’s greatest happiness. Years before, Guido had seen the name of Isolde the Slender painted on a fence. He had turned pale, fallen into a swoon and started at once for Jerusalem. On the very same day Isolde in passing through the streets of Ghent had seen the coat of arms of Guido hanging on a clothes line. She had fallen back into the arms of her tire-women more dead than alive. Since that day they had loved. Isolde would wander forth from the castle at earliest morn, with the…

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Excerpt #2, from A System of Logic, Ratiocinative and Inductive, by John Stuart Mill

…the story of Cæsar’s accidentally stumbling in the act of landing on the African coast; and the presence of mind with which he converted the direful presage into a favorable one by exclaiming, “Africa, I embrace thee.” Such omens, it is true, were often conceived as warnings of the future, given by a friendly or a hostile deity; but this very superstition grew out of a pre-existing tendency; the god was supposed to send, as an indication of what was to come, something which people were already disposed to consider in that light. So in the case of lucky or unlucky names. Herodotus tells us how the Greeks, on the way to Mycale, were encouraged in their enterprise by the arrival of a deputation from Samos, one of the members of which was named Hegesistratus, the leader of armies. Cases may be pointed out in which something which could have no real effect but to make persons think of misfortune, was regarded not merely as a prognostic, but as something approaching to an actual cause of it. The εὐφήμει of the Greeks, and favete linguis, or bona verba quæso, of the Romans, evince the care with which they endeavored to repress the utterance of any word expressive or suggestive of ill fortune; not from notions of delicate politeness, to which their general mode of conduct and feeling had very little reference, but from bona fide alarm lest the event so suggested to the imagination should in fact occur. Some vestige of a similar superstition has been known to exist among uneducated persons…

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Excerpt #3, from The philosophy of biology, by James Johnstone

…Time { has already on { swung_ { M times M + n times M + 2n times P swings | | | | {The water in it is now and now the kettle { the kettle at and so boils { is at on { T° T° + t° T° + 2t° 100° Tempera- { | | | | ture {The volume it is now and now It is { of mercury in | | and so | { the thermo- | | on | { meter is | | | { V V + v V + 2v W What we call time here is only a series of simultaneously occurring events. The standard events are the positions of the hands of the clock on the clock face, that is, lengths of arc recording the number of swings of the pendulum that have occurred since the beginning of the operation of the boiling of the kettle. When this began, the hands of the clock were at, say, 4.30, and the temperature of the water was then, say, 17° C.; and, when it ended, the hands of the clock…

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Excerpt #4, from The Prose Tales of Alexander Pushkin, by Aleksandr Sergeevich Pushkin

…“Why do you think so, Maria Ivanovna?” “Because–he is so sarcastic. I do not like Alexei Ivanitch. He is very disagreeable to me; yet it is strange: I should not like to displease him. That would cause me great uneasiness.” “And what do you think, Maria Ivanovna–do you please him or not?” Maria Ivanovna blushed and grew confused. “I think,” said she, “I believe that I please him.” “And why do you think so?” “Because he once proposed to me.” “Proposed! He proposed to you? And when?” “Last year; two months before your arrival.” “And you refused?” “As you see. Alexei Ivanitch is, to be sure, a sensible man and of good family, and possesses property; but when I think that I should have to kiss him under the crown[3] in the presence of everybody–no! not for anything in the world!” Maria Ivanovna’s words opened my eyes and explained a great many things. I now understood why Shvabrin calumniated her so remorselessly. He had probably observed our mutual inclination towards each other, and endeavoured to produce a coolness between us. The words which had been the cause of our quarrel appeared to me still more abominable,…

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Excerpt #5, from The Story of King Arthur and his Knights, by Howard Pyle

…Now whiles they thus stood all together, there issued out from the castle the Lady Ettard and an exceedingly gay and comely Court of esquires and ladies, and these came across the meadow toward where Sir Pellias and the others stood. Then when Sir Pellias beheld that lady approach, he drew his misericordia and cut the thongs of his helmet, and took the helmet off of his head, and thus he went forward, bareheaded, for to meet her. [Sidenote: Sir Pellias greets the Lady Ettard in courteous wise.] But when he had come nigh to her he beheld that she was many times more beautiful than that image of her painted upon the ivory panel which he had aforetime beheld, wherefore his heart went forth unto her with a very great strength of liking. So therewith he kneeled down upon the grass and set his hands together palm to palm, before her, and he said: “Lady, I do very greatly crave thy forgiveness that I should thus have done battle against thy credit. For, excepting that I did that endeavor for my Queen, I would rather, in another case, have been thy champion than that of any lady whom I have ever beheld.” Now at that time Sir Pellias wore about his neck the collar of emeralds and opal stones and gold which the Lady of the Lake had given to him. Wherefore, when the Lady Ettard looked upon him, that necklace drew her heart unto him with very great enchantment. Wherefore she smiled upon…

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Excerpt #6, from The Sea

…ARKADINA. You don’t understand. DORN. There is nothing to understand in this case; it is quite clear. MEDVIEDENKO. He ought to give up smoking. SORIN. What nonsense! [A pause.] DORN. No, that is not nonsense. Wine and tobacco destroy the individuality. After a cigar or a glass of vodka you are no longer Peter Sorin, but Peter Sorin plus somebody else. Your ego breaks in two: you begin to think of yourself in the third person. SORIN. It is easy for you to condemn smoking and drinking; you have known what life is, but what about me? I have served in the Department of Justice for twenty-eight years, but I have never lived, I have never had any experiences. You are satiated with life, and that is why you have an inclination for philosophy, but I want to live, and that is why I drink my wine for dinner and smoke cigars, and all. DORN. One must take life seriously, and to take a cure at sixty-five and regret that one did not have more pleasure in youth is, forgive my saying so, trifling. MASHA. It must be lunch-time. [She walks away languidly, with a dragging step] My foot has gone to sleep. DORN. She is going to have a couple of drinks before lunch. SORIN. The poor soul is unhappy….

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Excerpt #7, from Vision and Design, by Roger Fry

…and the Betrayal. These belong to the same group, though they are not necessarily by the master of the Crucifixion himself. As we proceed along the nave, still keeping to the upper series, we come upon another distinct personality, whose work is typified in the Deception of Isaac. In certain qualities this master is not altogether unlike the master of the Crucifixion. Like him, he replaces the purely schematic linear rendering of drapery by long streaks of light and dark paint, so arranged as to give the idea of actual modelling in relief. But he does this not only with greater naturalism, but with a greatly increased sense of pure beauty. The painting is not hieratic and formal, as the Byzantine would have made it, nor has it that overstrained attempt at dramatic vehemence which we saw in the Crucifixion. The faces have remarkable beauty, and throughout there is a sense of placid and dignified repose which is rare in mediæval work. It is, in fact, decidedly classical, and classical, too, in a sense different from the vague reminiscences of classic origin which permeate early Christian art, and were faintly echoed in the Crucifixion. Rachel especially, with her full, well-rounded eyes, wide apart and set deep in their sockets, her straight nose and small mouth, might almost have come straight from a Pompeian picture. The hair, too, instead of being in tangled masses, as in the…

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Excerpt #8, from Emma, by Jane Austen

…abstained. She was quite determined not to utter a word that should hurt Jane Fairfax’s feelings; and they followed the other ladies out of the room, arm in arm, with an appearance of good-will highly becoming to the beauty and grace of each. CHAPTER XVII When the ladies returned to the drawing-room after dinner, Emma found it hardly possible to prevent their making two distinct parties;—with so much perseverance in judging and behaving ill did Mrs. Elton engross Jane Fairfax and slight herself. She and Mrs. Weston were obliged to be almost always either talking together or silent together. Mrs. Elton left them no choice. If Jane repressed her for a little time, she soon began again; and though much that passed between them was in a half-whisper, especially on Mrs. Elton’s side, there was no avoiding a knowledge of their principal subjects: The post-office—catching cold—fetching letters—and friendship, were long under discussion; and to them succeeded one, which must be at least equally unpleasant to Jane—inquiries whether she had yet heard of any situation likely to suit her, and professions of Mrs. Elton’s meditated activity. “Here is April come!” said she, “I get quite anxious about you. June will soon be here.” “But I have never fixed on June or any other month—merely looked…

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Excerpt #9, from Science in Short Chapters, by W. Mattieu Williams

…considerable quantity of earth and stones adhering to their roots: this explains the upright position of the trees in the lake. Such trees falling into water of sufficient depth to enable them to turn over must sink root downwards, or float in an upright position, according to the quantity of adhering soil. The difference of depth would tend to a more rapid penetration of water in the lower parts, where the pressure would be greatest, and thus the upright or oblique position of many of the floating trunks would be maintained till they absorbed sufficient water to sink altogether. It is generally assumed that fossil trees which are found in an upright position have grown on the spot where they are found. The facts I have stated show that this inference is by no means necessary, not even when the roots are attached and some soil is found among them. In order to account for the other surroundings of these fossil trees a very violent hypothesis is commonly made, viz., that the soil on which they grew sank down some hundreds of feet without disturbing them. This demands a great strain upon the scientific imagination, even in reference to the few cases where the trees stand perpendicular. As the majority slope considerably the difficulty is still greater. I shall presently show how trees like those immersed in Aachensee may have become, and are now becoming, imbedded in rocks similar to those of the Coal Measures….

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Excerpt #10, from The Prince, by Niccolò Machiavelli

…men-at-arms he has subordinated to others, for, being as they are so accustomed to fight along with Switzers, it does not appear that they can now conquer without them. Hence it arises that the French cannot stand against the Switzers, and without the Switzers they do not come off well against others. The armies of the French have thus become mixed, partly mercenary and partly national, both of which arms together are much better than mercenaries alone or auxiliaries alone, but much inferior to one’s own forces. And this example proves it, for the kingdom of France would be unconquerable if the ordinance of Charles had been enlarged or maintained. [3] Charles VII of France, surnamed “The Victorious,” born 1403, died 1461. [4] Louis XI, son of the above, born 1423, died 1483. But the scanty wisdom of man, on entering into an affair which looks well at first, cannot discern the poison that is hidden in it, as I have said above of hectic fevers. Therefore, if he who rules a principality cannot recognize evils until they are upon him, he is not truly wise; and this insight is given to few. And if the first disaster to the Roman Empire[5] should be examined, it will be found to have commenced only with the enlisting of the Goths; because from that time the vigour of the Roman Empire began to decline, and all that valour…

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Excerpt #11, from Discoveries Among the Ruins of Nineveh and Babylon, by Austen Henry Layard

…cavalry, sent out by the Pasha to escort me into the city. Nor did the governor’s kindness end with this display of welcome. After winding for nearly an hour through orchards and gardens, whose trees were bending under the weight of fruit, and then through the narrow and crowded streets, we were led to his serai or palace, which, such as it was, had been made ready for our use, and where his treasurer was waiting to receive us. Notwithstanding the fast, an abundant breakfast of various meats and sweet messes, cooked after the Turkish fashion, had been prepared for us, and we soon found repose upon a spacious divan, surrounded by all the luxuries of Eastern life. [Illustration: Kurds of Wan.] CHAPTER XVIII. MEHEMET PASHA.–DESCRIPTION OF WAN.–ITS HISTORY.–IMPROVEMENT IN ITS CONDITION.–THE ARMENIAN BISHOP.–THE CUNEIFORM INSCRIPTIONS.–THE CAVES OF KHORKHOR.–THE MEHER KAPOUSI.–A TRADITION.–OBSERVATIONS ON THE INSCRIPTIONS.–THE BAIRAM.–AN ARMENIAN SCHOOL.–THE AMERICAN MISSIONS.–PROTESTANT MOVEMENT IN TURKEY.–AMIKH.–THE CONVENT OF YEDI KLISSIA. Mehemet Pasha was living during the fast of Ramazan in a kiosk in one of the gardens outside the city walls. We had scarcely eaten, before he came himself to welcome us to Wan. He was the son of the last Bostandji-Bashi…

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Excerpt #12, from Guide to Fortune Telling, by Dreams, by Anonymous

…destroy all copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in your possession. If you paid a fee for obtaining a copy of or access to a Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work and you do not agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement, you may obtain a refund from the person or entity to whom you paid the fee as set forth in paragraph 1.E.8. 1.B. “Project Gutenberg” is a registered trademark. It may only be used on or associated in any way with an electronic work by people who agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement. There are a few things that you can do with most Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works even without complying with the full terms of this agreement. See paragraph 1.C below. There are a lot of things you can do with Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works if you follow the terms of this agreement and help preserve free future access to Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works. See paragraph 1.E below. 1.C. The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation (“the Foundation” or PGLAF), owns a compilation copyright in the collection of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works. Nearly all the individual works in the collection are in the public domain in the United States. If an individual work is unprotected by copyright law in the United States and you are located in the United States, we do not…

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