Lusty Juventus http://www.umm.maine.edu/faculty/necastro/drama/juventus.txt (1557)
“[From Reginald Clinton]: I do not believe that the heart is turned from the Creator by enjoying his works. Of what avail is the sweet breath of the rose, the morning song of the lark? The pleasure they impart is not matter of necessity, and yet we delight in both. The soul of the poet is as much His gift as the fragrance of the flower, or the lay of the bird; and the page where inspired words record heroic deed, touching sorrow, or natural loveliness, is one of those pleasures for which we should be thankful. I, for my part, believe most devoutly in the Almighty mercy, when I see how much that is beautiful and gladdening has been scattered over our pilgrimage here.”
Heath's book of Beauty, 1833 (1832)
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Letitia Elizabeth Landon 785
English poet and novelist 1802–1838Related quotes
Three Steps to Yes: The Gentle Art of Getting Your Way
—H. L. Mencken O

Letter to his wife, Maria Bicknell (20 April 1821); as quoted in Leslie Parris and Ian Fleming-Williams, Constable (Tate Gallery Publications, London, 1993), p. 28
1820s

“We enjoy no pleasure so much as we do tormenting ourselves.”
The Monthly Magazine

Source: Julian and Maddalo http://www.bartleby.com/139/shel115.html (1819), l. 14
Poem Matin Song http://www.bartleby.com/101/205.html