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The ancients now made principal account of the
moral impression, and therefore preferred that fashion of
the antique music which was grave and least affected.
Therefore the Argives are said to have punished deviation
from the ancient music, and to have imposed a fine upon
such as first adventured to play with more than seven strings,
and to introduce the Mixolydian mood.1 Pythagoras, that
grave philosopher, rejected the judging of music by the
senses, affirming that the virtue of music could be appreciated only by the intellect. And therefore he did not judge
of music by the ear, but by the harmonical proportion, and
thought it sufficient to fix the knowledge of music within
the compass of the diapason.
1 See note on Chapter XXXIV.
Plutarch. Plutarch's Morals. Translated from the Greek by several hands. Corrected and revised by. William W. Goodwin, PH. D. Boston. Little, Brown, and Company. Cambridge. Press Of John Wilson and son. 1874. 1.
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