[3,45]  τρία γὰρ εἴδη, τὰ φανερώτατα, πολιτειῶν {ὀνομάζεται} γιγνομένων κατὰ 
 νόμον καὶ δίκην μετὰ δαίμονός τε ἀγαθοῦ καὶ τύχης ὁμοίας· μία μὲν ἡ πρώτη
 καὶ μάλιστα συμβῆναι δυνατή, περὶ ἧς ὁ νῦν λόγος, εὖ διοικουμένης
 πόλεως ἢ πλειόνων ἐθνῶν ἢ ξυμπάντων ἀνθρώπων ἑνὸς ἀνδρὸς ἀγαθοῦ 
 γνώμῃ καὶ ἀρετῇ· 
(46) δευτέρα δὲ ἀριστοκρατία καλουμένη, οὔτε ἑνὸς οὔτε πολλῶν τινων, ἀλλὰ 
ὀλίγων τῶν ἀρίστων ἡγουμένων, πλεῖον ἀπέχουσα ἤδη τοῦ δυνατοῦ καὶ τοῦ 
συμφέροντος· {τοῦτο ἔμοιγε δοκεῖ καὶ Ὅμηρος εἰπεῖν διανοηθείς,
 οὐκ ἀγαθὸν πολυκοιρανίη· εἷς κοίρανος ἔστω,
 εἷς βασιλεύς, ᾧ ἔδωκε Κρόνου παῖς ἀγκυλομήτεω.}
(47) τρίτη δὲ πασῶν ἀδυνατωτάτη σχεδὸν ἡ σωφροσύνῃ καὶ ἀρετῇ  δήμου 
προσδοκῶσά ποτε εὑρήσειν κατάστασιν ἐπιεικῆ καὶ νόμιμον, δημοκρατία 
προσαγορευομένη, ἐπιεικὲς ὄνομα καὶ πρᾷον, εἴπερ ἦν δυνατόν.

[3,45] The three most conspicuous forms of government —governments based on law 
and justice and enjoying the favour of heaven and fortune—are expressly named. 
One is the first to come into existence and the most practicable — that which forms 
the subject of the present address—where we have a city, or a number of peoples, or 
the whole world, well ordered by one good man's judgment and virtue; 
second, the so-called " aristocracy," where not one man, nor a considerable number of 
men, but a few, and they the best, are in control—a form of government, at length, 
far from being either practicable or expedient. It seerns to me that Homer too had 
this in mind when he said : " The rule Of the many is not well. One must be chief 
In war, and one the king, to whom the son Of Cronus, crafty in counsel, the sceptre 
doth give." 
Third, possibly the most impracticable one of all, the one that expects by the 
self-control and virtue of thecommon people some day to find an equitable 
constitution based on law. Men call it " democracy " —a specious and inoffensive 
name, if the thing were but practicable.

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