He examined his hand carefully, vainly trying to find blood on it.
I tried vainly to put them together.
Arsenius went so far as to excommunicate the emperor, who, having vainly sought for pardon, took refuge in false accusations against Arsenius and caused him to be banished to Proconnesus, where some years afterwards (according to Fabricius in 1264; others say in 127 3) he died.
Hamilton (Discussions, p. 197) allows greater sagacity to Collier than to Berkeley, on the ground that he did not vainly attempt to enlist men's natural belief against the hypothetical realism of the philosophers.
This success turned the tide of war against Don Carlos, who vainly attempted a raid towards Madrid.
