3-6:1
Πάλιν δὴ οὖν,ὠ Κένταυρε, ἐξ ἀρχῆς διαλεγώμεθα. θείᾳ ἐπιστήμῃ τὰ ὄντα φατὲ γεγονέναι, ἢ οὔ;Ὦ βάλε, λέξουσιν, οὐδαμῶς. Ἀλλ ἀπὸ τῶν στοικείων ἢ ὕλης ἢ στηριγμάτων, ἢ ὅπως ταῦτα βούλεσθε ὀνομάζειν οὐδὲν γὰρ διαφέρει)· τούτων ἀγενήτως προϋφεστηκότων καὶ πλημμελῶς φερομένων ὁ θεὸς διακρίνας τὰ πάντα, ὥσπερ ἀγαθὸς ζωγράφος ἀπὸ πολλῶν χρωμάτων μίαν τεχνησάμενος ἰδέαν
Again, then, O Centaur, let us argue from the beginning. Do you say that existing things came to be by divine knowledge, or not? — 'O nonsense!' they will say, 'by no means.' — But from the elements, or matter, or supports, or however you wish to name these (for it makes no difference): these subsisting beforehand uncreated and moving disorderly, God, distinguishing all things, like a good painter fashioning a single image out of many colours...
那麼，人馬怪啊，讓我們再從起初來辯論。你說現存的萬物是藉著神聖的知識而生成的麼，還是不？——他們會說：「呵，胡說！斷不是的。」——倒是從諸元素、或物質、或某些根基（或隨你怎麼稱呼這些，都無所謂）：這些既預先非受造地存在著、又雜亂無章地運動著，神就將萬物分別開來，如同一位高明的畫家從許多顏色中製成一個圖像……
3-6:2
Οὐδὲ τοῦτο. πάντως γὰρ ἀποφεύξονται ὁμολογῆσαι καθ ἑαυτῶν, ἵνα μὴ τῆς διακρίσεως καὶ τῆς μεταμορφώσεως τὴν ὕλην συγχωροῦντες ἀρχὴν ἐσχηκυῖαν, ἀναγκασθῶσι τῷ λόγῳ κατὰ πάντα τὸν θεὸν ἠρκθαι τοῦ διοικεῖν λέγειν καὶ κατακοσμεῖν τὴν πρότερον ἄμορφον οὐσαν ὕλην
Not this either. For they will assuredly shun confessing against themselves, lest, by conceding that matter—being subject to distinction and transformation—had a beginning, they be compelled by the argument to say that in all respects God was sufficient for ordering and adorning the matter that was formerly without form.
這也不是。因為他們必定要躲避作出於己不利的承認，免得他們既承認那物質——既受分別與變化所支配——曾有一個開端，便被這論證所逼，不得不說神在各方面都足以治理並妝點那先前無形的物質了。