The Instructor 2.9.78

We must not, then, be eager about these things. Their use is not forbidden to those who have them, but anxious pursuit of them is prevented; for happiness does not lie in them. On the other hand, it is Cynic vanity to make a point of sleeping like Diomedes, “and under him was spread the hide of a field-dwelling ox,” unless circumstances compel. Odysseus propped up the limping leg of his bridal bed with a stone. Such frugality and self-help were practiced not only by private persons but also by the leaders of the ancient Greeks. And why speak of them? Jacob slept on the ground, and a stone was his pillow; and then he was counted worthy to see the vision beyond human sight. We, following the Word, should use a simple and plain bed, suitably giving relief: in summer, shelter; in winter, warmth. Let the bed be unelaborate, with smooth feet; for elaborate turnings sometimes become tracks for creeping things, which wind around the grooves of the carving and do not slip off. Above all, the softness of the bed should be moderately hardened. For sleep should not be a complete dissolving of the body, but a relaxing. So I say it should be taken not for idleness but for rest from our activities. We should doze, then, in a way that keeps us ready to wake.