[77-78,10] φέρε, ἐὰν δὲ συμβῇ πρᾶγμα τοιοῦτον ὁποῖόν ποτε συνέτυχε περὶ τοὺς 
Αἰγυπτίους ἰατρούς· ἐκεῖνοι γὰρ ἰώμενοι Δαρεῖον τὸν Πέρσην, ὡς ἔτυχεν αὐτῷ 
πεσόντι ἀπὸ τοῦ ἵππου μεταχωρήσας ὁ ἀστράγαλος, οὐχ οἷοί τε ἦσαν ἰᾶσθαι 
κατὰ τὴν αὑτῶν τέχνην, ἀλλ´ εἰς ἀγρυπνίας τε καὶ ἀλγηδόνας δεινὰς ἐνέβαλον 
αὐτόν, ἕλκοντες καὶ βιαζόμενοι τὸ ἄρθρον. τούτους μὲν οὖν ἐκέλευσε φυλάττειν, 
ὅπως ἀποθάνοιεν στρεβλωθέντες. πυθόμενος δ´ ἐν τοῖς αἰχμαλώτοις εἶναί τινα 
Ἕλληνα ἐπιχειροῦντα ἰᾶσθαι, καλέσας αὐτὸν ὑπὸ ἀμηχανίας ἐκέλευσεν, εἴ τι 
ἔχοι, βοηθεῖν. 
(77-78,11) ἦν δὲ ἄρα Δημοκήδης ὁ Κροτωνιάτης, ὅσπερ ἄριστος ἐδόκει τῶν τότε 
ἐν τοῖς Ἕλλησιν ἰατρῶν· ὃς καὶ παραχρῆμα μὲν καθυπνῶσαι αὐτὸν ἐποίησεν, 
εἶτα καταπλάττων καὶ καταιονῶν καὶ τἄλλα ἐπιμεληθεὶς ὀλίγων ἡμερῶν ὑγιῆ 
ἀπέδειξεν. κελεύσαντος δὲ Δαρείου λαβεῖν ὅ,τι βούλεται, τοὺς ἰατροὺς 
παρῃτήσατο ἀφεῖναι αὐτόν. καὶ μέντοι ἀφείθησαν, ἐκείνου δεηθέντος. πότερον 
οὖν τότε ἐφθόνουν τῷ Δημοκήδει καὶ ἐχθρὸν ἡγοῦντο, ᾗ φησιν Ἡσίοδος ἐπὶ τῶν 
κεραμέων ἢ τεκτόνων, λυσιτελεῖν νομίζοντες αὑτοῖς, εἰ μηδεὶς ἄλλος
ἰατρὸς ἐφάνη βασιλέα ἰασάμενος, ἢ σφόδρα ἠγάπων καὶ χάριν ᾔδεσαν;
 

Again, suppose there should occur some such thing as once befell the Egyptian 
physicians. You see, they tried to cure Darius the Persian — for in falling from his 
horse his ankle bone happened to slip out of place — and they were unable by means 
of their own art to correct the injury, but, instead, they brought upon him insomnia 
and awful pains by pulling the joint and trying to force it into place. So Darius gave 
orders to keep these men in prison, intending that they should be tortured to death. 
But learning that among his captives there was a certain Greek who endeavoured to 
heal people, summoning him in desperation he ordered him to help him if he could. 
11 Now the man was Democedes of Croton, who was considered the ablest of the 
Greek physicians of that day. And he did immediately cause him to fall asleep, and 
then by means of poultices and fomentations and so forth within a few days he made 
him sound and well. But when Darius bade him take as reward anything he pleased, 
he besought him to release the physicians. And, indeed, they were released, because 
Democedes had requested it. 6 Now I ask you whether in such circumstances they 
were jealous of Democedes and regarded him as an enemy, as Hesiod says is true 
with the potters or the joiners, because they believed it to be to their advantage if no 
other physician turned up and cured (p273) the king, or whether they felt a strong 
affection for Democedes and were grateful to him.

Trad. anglaise : J.W. COHOON - H. Lamar CROSBY, Dio Chrysostom. 
London, Heinemann, 1932