καὶ τοίνυν ὅσα μὲν ἀναγκαῖα καὶ χρήσιμα τῶν κτημάτων,  οὐ πάντως ἡδονήν 
τινα ἔχει τοῖς κεκτημένοις· ὅσα δὲ τερπνά, οὐκ εὐθὺς διὰ τοῦτο καὶ συμφέροντα· 
τοὐναντίον γὰρ (92) πολλὰ τῶν ἡδέων ἀξύμφορα ἐξελέγχεται. αὐτίκα τείχη μὲν 
καὶ ὅπλα καὶ μηχανήματα καὶ στρατόπεδα τῶν ἀναγκαίων ἐστὶ κτημάτων 
 τοῖς κρατοῦσιν· ἄνευ γὰρ τούτων οὐχ οἷόν τε σώζεσθαι τὴν ἀρχήν· 
(93) τέρψιν δὲ οὐχ ὁρῶ ποίαν δίχα γε τῆς ὠφελείας ἔχει. καλὰ δὲ ἄλση καὶ οἰκίαι 
πολυτελεῖς καὶ ἀνδριάντες καὶ γραφαὶ τῆς παλαιᾶς τε καὶ ἄκρας τέχνης καὶ 
χρυσοῖ κρατῆρες καὶ ποικίλαι τράπεζαι καὶ πορφύρα καὶ ἐλέφας καὶ ἤλεκτρος 
καὶ μύρων ὀσμαὶ καὶ θεαμάτων παντοίων καὶ ἀκουσμάτων τέρψεις διά τε φωνῆς
 καὶ ὀργάνων, {πρὸς δὲ αὖ τούτοις γυναῖκες ὡραῖαι καὶ παιδικὰ ὡραῖα} 
 ξύμπαντα ταῦτα οὐδεμιᾶς ἕνεκα χρείας, ἀλλ´ ἡδονῆς εὑρημένα φαίνεται.

[3,90] Once more, necessary and useful possessions donot in all cases afford their 
owner some pleasure, nor does it follow that because a thing is pleasing it is 
also profitable. On the contrary, many pleasant things prove to be unprofitable. 
Fortifications, for example, arms, engines, and troops are possessions necessary for a 
ruler, since without them his authority cannot be maintained, but I do not see what 
gratification they afford—at least, apart fom their utility ; and on the other hand, 
beautiful parks, costly residences, statues, paintings in the exquisite early style, 
golden bowls, inlaid tables, purple robes, ivory, amber, perfumes, everything to 
delight the eye, delightful music, both vocal and instrumental, and besides these, 
beautiful maidens and handsome boys —all these evidently subserve no useful 
purpose whatever, but are obviously the inventions of pleasure.

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