Cleinias:  I know of none.

Athenian:  Then in a city which has good laws, or in future ages is to have them, bearing in mind the instruction and amusement which are given by music, can we suppose that the poets are to be allowed to teach in the dance anything which they themselves like, in the way of rhythm, or melody, or words, to the young children of any well-conditioned parents?  Is the poet to train his choruses as he pleases, without reference to virtue or vice?

Cleinias:  That is surely quite unreasonable, and is not to be thought of.

Athenian:  And yet he may do this in almost any state with the exception of Egypt.

Cleinias:  And what are the laws about music and dancing in Egypt?

Athenian:  You will wonder when I tell you:  Long ago they appear to have recognized the very principle of which we are now speaking—­that their young citizens must be habituated to forms and strains of virtue.  These they fixed, and exhibited the patterns of them in their temples; and no painter or artist is allowed to innovate upon them, or to leave the traditional forms and invent new ones.  To this day, no alteration is allowed either in these arts, or in music at all.  And you will find that their works of art are painted or moulded in the same forms which they had ten thousand years ago;—­this is literally true and no exaggeration,—­ their ancient paintings and sculptures are not a whit better or worse than the work of to-day, but are made with just the same skill.

Cleinias:  How extraordinary!

Athenian:  I should rather say, How statesmanlike, how worthy of a legislator!  I know that other things in Egypt are not so well.  But what I am telling you about music is true and deserving of consideration, because showing that a lawgiver may institute melodies which have a natural truth and correctness without any fear of failure.  To do this, however, must be the work of God, or of a divine person; in Egypt they have a tradition that their ancient chants which have been preserved for so many ages are the composition of the Goddess Isis.  And therefore, as I was saying, if a person can only find in any way the natural melodies, he may confidently embody them in a fixed and legal form.  For the love of novelty which arises out of pleasure in the new and weariness of the old, has not strength enough to corrupt the consecrated song and dance, under the plea that they have become antiquated.  At any rate, they are far from being corrupted in Egypt.

Cleinias:  Your arguments seem to prove your point.

Athenian:  May we not confidently say that the true use of music and of choral festivities is as follows:  We rejoice when we think that we prosper, and again we think that we prosper when we rejoice?

Cleinias:  Exactly.

Athenian:  And when rejoicing in our good fortune, we are unable to be still?