[7,150] ὡς τά γε γυναικῶν, αὐτῶν σχεδόν τι τῶν ἐλευθέρων καὶ παρθένων, ἐφάνη ῥᾴδια καὶ οὐδεὶς πόνος θηρῶντι μετὰ πλούτου τὴν τοιάνδε θήραν· οὐδὲ ἐπὶ τὰς πάνυ σεμνὰς καὶ σεμνῶν τῷ ὄντι γυναῖκας καὶ θυγατέρας ὅστις ἂν ἴῃ σὺν τῇ τοῦ Διὸς μηχανῇ, χρυσὸν μετὰ χεῖρας φέρων, οὐ μήποτε ἀποτυγχάνῃ. (7,151) Ἀλλ´ αὐτά που τὰ λοιπὰ δῆλα παρὰ πολλοῖς γιγνόμενα. Ὁ γὰρ ἄπληστος τῶν τοιούτων ἐπιθυμιῶν, ὅταν μηδὲν εὑρίσκῃ σπάνιον μηδὲ ἀντιτεῖνον ἐν ἐκείνῳ τῷ γένει, καταφρονήσας τοῦ ῥᾳδίου καὶ ἀτιμάσας τὴν ἐν ταῖς γυναιξὶν Ἀφροδίτην ὡς ἕτοιμον δή τινα καὶ τῷ ὄντι θῆλυν παντελῶς ἐπὶ τὴν ἀνδρωνῖτιν μεταβήσεται, τοὺς ἄρξοντας αὐτίκα μάλα καὶ δικάσοντας καὶ στρατηγήσοντας ἐπιθυμῶν καταισχύνειν, (7,152) ὡς ἐνθάδε που τὸ χαλεπὸν καὶ δυσπόριστον εὑρήσων τῶν ἡδονῶν εἶδος, τοῖς ἄγαν φιλοπόταις καὶ οἰνόφλυξι ταὐτὸ πεπονθὼς πάθος· οἳ πολλάκις μετὰ πολλὴν ἀκρατοποσίαν καὶ συνεχῆ οὐκ ἐθέλοντες πιεῖν αὐχμὸν ἐξεπίτηδες μηχανῶνται διά τε ἱδρώτων καὶ σιτίων ἁλμυρῶν καὶ δριμέων προσφορᾶς.

[7,150] Yes, the seduction of women — especially, one might almost say, of the freeborn and virgins — has been found easy and no task for a man who pursues that kind of game with money; and even against the highly respected wives and daughters of men really respected, the libertine who attacks with the device of Zeus and brings gold in his hands will never fail. 151 But the further developments, I presume, are perfectly evident, since we see so many illustrations. The man whose appetite is insatiate in such things, when he finds there is no scarcity, no resistance, in this field, will have contempt for the easy conquest and scorn for a woman's love, as a thing too readily given — in fact, too utterly feminine — and will turn his assault against the male quarters, eager to befoul the youth who will very soon be magistrates and judges and generals, 152 believing that in them he will find a kind of pleasure difficult and hard to procure. His state is like that of men who are addicted to drinking and wine-bibbing, who after long and steady drinking of unmixed wine, often lose their taste for it and create an artificial thirst by the stimulus of sweatings, salted foods, and condiments.