A Tale of Two Cities (1859) Charles Dickens

"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times; it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness; it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity; it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness; it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair; we had everything before us, we had nothing before us; we were all going directly to Heaven, we were all going the other way."

 

A Tale of Two Sitters (2008) Dr. Gregg Carb
"It was a time of progress, it was a time of regress; it was the age of athleticism, it was the age of sedentarianism; it was the epoch of wellness, it was the epoch of illness; it was the season of stance, it was the season of slouch; it was the spring of mobility, it was the winter of immobility; we had information to help us, we had inattention to hurt us; we were all going to improve our form, we were all going to become deformed."