(9,5) τῶν δὲ ἄλλων οἱ μακρόθεν μάλιστα προσῄεσαν πρὸς αὐτόν, ἀπὸ τῆς Ἰωνίας 
τε καὶ Σικελίας καὶ Ἰταλίας ὅσοι παρῆσαν καὶ τῶν ἐκ Λιβύης τινὲς καὶ τῶν ἐκ 
Μασσαλίας καὶ ἀπὸ Βορυσθένους, οὗτοι δὴ πάντες ἰδεῖν βουλόμενοι μᾶλλον
αὐτὸν καὶ βραχύ τι ἀκοῦσαι λέγοντος, ὡς ἔχοιεν ἀπαγγέλλειν ἑτέροις, ἢ βελτίους 
γενέσθαι. 
(9,6) ἐδόκει γὰρ ἱκανὸς εἶναι λοιδορῆσαι καὶ τοῖς ἐρωτῶσιν ἀποκρίνασθαι πρὸς 
ἔπος. ὥσπερ οὖν τοῦ Ποντικοῦ μέλιτος γεύεσθαι ἐπιχειροῦσιν οἱ ἄπειροι, 
γευσάμενοι δὲ παραχρῆμα ἐξέπτυσαν δυσχεράναντες, ὅτι πικρόν ἐστι καὶ ἀηδές, 
οὕτως καὶ τοῦ Διογένους ἀποπειρᾶσθαι μὲν ἤθελον διὰ πολυπραγμοσύνην,
ἐλεγχόμενοι δὲ ἀπεστρέφοντο καὶ ἔφευγον. 
(9,7) καὶ ἄλλων μὲν ἥδοντο λοιδορουμένων, αὐτοὶ δὲ ἐφοβοῦντο καὶ ἀνεχώρουν. 
καὶ εἰ μὲν ἔσκωπτέν τε καὶ ἔπαιζεν, ὥσπερ εἰώθει ἐνίοτε, ὑπερφυῶς ἔχαιρον,
ἀνατειναμένου δὲ καὶ σπουδάσαντος οὐχ ὑπέμενον τὴν παρρησίαν·καθάπερ 
οἶμαι τὰ παιδία προσπαίζοντα ἥδεται τοῖς γενναίοις κυσίν, ἐπειδὰν δὲ χαλεπήνῃ 
καὶ ὑλάξῃ μεῖζον, ἐξεπλάγη καὶ τῷ δέει τέθνηκε. καὶ τότε ἐκεῖνος ἐποίει ταὐτά, 
οὐδὲν μεταστρεφόμενος οὐδὲ φροντίζων, εἴτε ἐπαινοίη τις αὐτὸν εἴτε καὶ ψέγοι 
τῶν παρόντων, οὐδὲ εἰ τῶν πλουσίων τε καὶ ἐνδόξων ἢ στρατηγὸς ἢ
δυνάστης διαλέγοιτο προσελθὼν ἢ τῶν πάνυ φαύλων τε καὶ πενήτων·
 

As regards other persons, it was those from a distance who visited him chiefly, all 
who came to the festival from Ionia, Sicily, and Italy, and some of those who came 
from Libya, Massilia,  and Borysthenes,  and the motive of all those was to see and 
hear him speak for even a short time so as to have something to tell others rather 
than to get improvement for themselves. 6 For he had the reputation of having a 
sharp tongue and being instantly ready with an answer for his interrogators. 
Accordingly, just as those who know nothing of the Pontic honey  try a taste of it and 
then quickly spit it out because it is bitter and unpleasant in taste, so people in their 
idle curiosity wished to make trial of Diogenes, but on being put to confusion by him 
would turn on their heels and flee. 7 They were amused, of course, (p407) when 
others were railed at, but on their own account they were afraid and so would 
withdraw out of his way. Again, when he jested and joked, as was his wont at times, 
they were pleased beyond measure; but when he warmed up and became serious, 
they could not stand his frankness. The situation was the same, I fancy, as when 
children delight to play with well-bred dogs but are terrified and scared to death 
when they show anger and bark more loudly. At these meetings also he held to the 
same line of conduct, not changing his ways nor caring whether anyone of his 
audience commended or criticized him; no, not even if it was some wealthy and 
prominent person such as a general or ruler who approached and conversed with 
him, or some very humble and poor individual.

Trad. anglaise : J.W. COHOON - H. Lamar CROSBY, Dio Chrysostom.  
 Vol. II. London, Heinemann, 1939