(14,13) ‘Ἀλλὰ μὴν ἑνὶ λόγῳ συλλαβόντα χρὴ ἀποφήνασθαι ὡς ὅτῳ μὲν
ἔξεστιν ὃ βούλεται πράττειν, ἐλεύθερός ἐστιν, ὅτῳ δὲ μὴ ἔξεστι,
δοῦλος’. οὐ δὴ ἐπὶ τῶν πλεόντων οὐδὲ τῶν καμνόντων οὐδὲ τῶν
στρατευομένων οὐδὲ τῶν μανθανόντων γράμματα ἢ κιθαρίζειν ἢ
παλαίειν ἢ ἄλλην τινὰ τέχνην ἐρεῖς αὐτό· οὐ γὰρ ἔξεστι τούτοις
πράττειν ὡς αὐτοὶ ἐθέλουσιν, ἀλλ´ ὡς ὅ τε κυβερνήτης καὶ ἰατρὸς 
καὶ διδάσκαλος προστάττει. οὐ τοίνυν οὐδὲ τοῖς ἄλλοις ἔξεστιν
ἃ ἐθέλουσι ποιεῖν, ἀλλ´ ἐάν τις παρὰ τοὺς νόμους τοὺς κειμένους
πράττῃ, ζημιώσεται. 
(14,14) Οὐκοῦν ὅσα μὴ ἀπείρηται ὑπὸ τῶν νόμων
μηδὲ προστέτακται, ὁ περὶ τούτων ἔχων αὐτὸς τὴν ἐξουσίαν τοῦ
πράττειν ὡς βούλεται ἢ μὴ ἐλεύθερος, ὁ δὲ τοὐναντίον ἀδύνατος
δοῦλος. Τί δέ; οἴει σοι ἐξεῖναι, ὅσα μὴ ἀπείρηται μὲν ὑπὸ τῶν
νόμων ἐγγράφως, αἰσχρὰ δὲ ἄλλως δοκεῖ τοῖς ἀνθρώποις καὶ ἄτοπα· 
λέγω δὲ οἷον τελωνεῖν ἢ πορνοβοσκεῖν ἢ ἄλλα ὅμοια πράττειν;
Οὐ μὰ Δία φαίην ἂν οὐδὲ τὰ τοιαῦτα ἐξεῖναι τοῖς ἐλευθέροις.
καὶ γὰρ περὶ τούτων ἐπίκειται ζημία τὸ μισεῖσθαι ἢ δυσχεραίνεσθαι 
ὑπὸ τῶν ἀνθρώπων.  

13 — But surely we may put the matter briefly and declare that whoever has the 
power to do whatever he wishes is free, and that whoever has not that power is a 
slave. 
(Dion)  No, you cannot say this in the case of those on board ship nor of the sick 
either, nor of those serving in the field, nor of those learning to read and write or to 
play the harp or to wrestle or to acquire any other art; for these have not the right to 
follow their own preferences, but must act as the captain, physician, or teacher, as the 
case may be, instructs. If that is so, then men in general are not allowed to do what 
they wish, but if they violate the established laws, they will be punished. 
14 — Then I say that the man who has the power to act or not, just as he pleases, in 
regard to those matters which are not forbidden by the laws or enjoined by them, is 
free, and that the man who on the contrary lacks that power is a slave. 
(Dion)  Well then, do you think that it is permitted to you to do all things, which, 
while they are not expressly forbidden by the laws, yet are regarded as base and 
unseemly by mankind? I mean, for example, collecting taxes, or keeping a brothel, or 
doing other such things. 
— O no, indeed. I should say that it is not permissible for the free to do such things 
either. And (p135) indeed for these acts the penalty fixed is to be hated or 
abominated by men.

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