Hoyt & Roberts, comps. Hoyt’s New Cyclopedia of Practical Quotations. 1922.
Amusements
It was an old, old, old, old lady,
And a boy who was half-past three;
And the way they played together
Was beautiful to see.
H. C. Bunner—One, Two, Three.
So good things may be abused, and that which was first invented to refresh men’s weary spirits.
Burton—Anatomy of Melancholy. Pt. II. Sec. II. Mem. 4.
I am a great friend to public amusements; for they keep people from vice.
Samuel Johnson—Boswell’s Life of Johnson. (1772).
Play up, play up, and play the game.
Sir Henry Newbolt—Vital Lampada.
Hail, blest Confusion! here are met
All tongues, and times, and faces;
The Lancers flirt with Juliet,
The Brahmin talks of races.
Praed—Fancy Ball. St. 6.
Where is our usual manager of mirth?
What revels are in hand? Is there no play,
To ease the anguish of a torturing hour?
Midsummer Night’s Dream. Act V. Sc. 1. L. 35.
We cry for mercy to the next amusement,
The next amusement mortgages our fields.
Young—Night Thoughts. Night II. L. 131.