Washington was fond of cards, and in bad weather even records “at home all day, over cards.”  How much time must have been spent in this way is shown by the innumerable purchases of “1 dozen packs playing cards” noted in his ledger.  In 1748, when he was sixteen years old, he won two shillings and threepence from his sister-in-law at whist and five shillings at “Loo” (or, as he sometimes spells it, “Lue”) from his brother, and he seems always to have played for small stakes, which sometimes mounted into fairly sizable sums.  The largest gain found is three pounds, and the largest loss nine pounds fourteen shillings and ninepence.  He seems to have lost oftener than he won.

Billiards was a rival of cards, and a game of which he seems to have been fond.  In his seventeenth year he won one shilling and threepence by the cue, and from that time won and lost more or less money in this way.  Here, too, he seems to have been out of pocket, though not for so much money, his largest winning noted being only seven shillings and sixpence, and his largest loss being one pound and ten shillings.

In 1751, at Barbadoes, Washington “was treated with a play ticket to see the Tragedy of George Barnwell acted:  the character of Barnwell and several others was said to be well perform’d there was Musick a Dapted and regularly conducted.”  This presumptively was the lad’s first visit to the playhouse, but from that time it was one of his favorite amusements.  At first his ledger shows expenditures of “Cash at the Play House 1/3,” which proves that his purse would bear the cost of only the cheapest seats; but later he became more extravagant in this respect, and during the Presidency he used the drama for entertaining, his ledger giving many items of tickets bought.  A type entry in Washington’s diary is, “Went to the play in the evening—­sent tickets to the following ladies and gentlemen and invited them to seats in my box, viz:—­Mrs. Adams (lady of the Vice-President,) General Schuyler and lady, Mr. King and lady, Majr.  Butler and lady, Colo Hamilton and lady, Mrs. Green—­all of whom accepted and came except Mrs. Butler, who was indisposed.”

Maclay describes the first of these theatre parties as follows:  “I received a ticket from the President of the United States to use his box this evening at the theatre, being the first of his appearances at the playhouse since his entering on his office.  Went The President, Governor of the State, foreign Ministers, Senators from New Hampshire, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, M.[aryland] and South Carolina; and some ladies in the same box.  I am old, and notices or attentions are lost on me.  I could have wished some of my dear children in my place; they are young and would have enjoyed it.  Long might they live to boast of having been seated in the same box with the first Character in the world.  The play was the ‘School for Scandal,’ I never liked it; indeed, I think it an indecent representation before ladies of character and virtue.  Farce, the ’Old Soldier.’  The house greatly crowded, and I thought the players acted well; but I wish we had seen the Conscious Lovers, or some one that inculcated more prudential manners.”