January 2010
12 posts
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Looking at an old-time cannon, most people are sure of just one thing: the shot came out of the front end. For that reason these pages are written; people are curious about the fascinating weapon that so prodigiously and powerfully lengthened the warrior’s arm.
- Albert Manucy, Artillery Through the Ages: A Short Illustrated History of Cannon, Emphasizing Types Used in America. (1949) [full...
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The sight brought Hilarius’ thoughts sharply back to the events of the evening before. Wonderful indeed were the judgments of God! A witch - plainly proved to be such - had been struck dead in the midst of her sins; and London, that light-minded, reprobate city, was a heap of graves.
- Michael Fairless (pseudonym of Margaret Barber), The Gathering of Brother Hilarius (1901)
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Norie: “It depends how you qualify ‘wrong.’ I really don’t see that it is ‘wronger’ for a young woman to yield to ‘storgé’ and have a baby out of wedlock than for a man to engender that baby. Society doesn’t damn the man, unless he is a Cabinet Minister or a Cleric; but it does its best to ruin the woman … unless she’s an actress or...
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He rapped out a short command and before I was aware of the circumstance two pairs of hands were running rapidly over my body and in and out of my pockets with the dexterity of men who had served a long apprenticeship under an Artful Dodger. It proved a blank search. I gave a sigh of relief, because had the searchers run their hands over the lower part of my person they would have come across two...
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Fifty years ago, Uncle Sam was almost a stranger on the maps; he hadn’t a friend in the world, apparently, while he had more enemies than he could shake a stick at. Every body snubbed him, and every body wanted to lick him. But Sam has now grown to be a crowder; his spunk, too, goes up with his resources, and he don’t wait for any body to “knock the chip off his hat,” but...
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I kisse, I clap, I feele, I view at will, Yett dead he lyes, not thinking good or ill. “Unhappie me,” quoth shee, “and wilt’ not stand? Com, lett me rubb and chafe it with my hand!”
- Thomas Nash, The Choise of Valentines Or the Merie Ballad of Nash His Dildo (c.1593) [full text]
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The silver light of early morning was filling the room, making the various objects appear of less bright colour than usual, and giving to everything a pearl-grey neutral tint. In this cold but clear light he saw seated in the wicker chair the figure of a man. In the first violent shock of so terrifying a discovery, he could not appreciate such details as those of features, dress, or appearance....
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