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Book I Chapter 49 · I.49.44.66–I.49.44.67
Ancient Greek
p. 130244.66
“Δέσποτα” δὲ ἔλεγε “καὶ τοῦ καινοῦ τούτου κόσμου τεχνῖτα καὶ κρυπτὸν ἐν θεοῖς καὶ σεβαστὸν ὄνομα μέχρι νῦν ἅπασιν ἀνθρώποις, μέχρι πότε, ὦ δαῖμον, ἄθεον καταλεῖψαι τὸν θνητῶν βίον προαίρεσιν ἔχεις; ἀνάτειλον ἤδη σεαυτὸν χρηματίζοντι τῷ κόσμῳ καὶ τοῦ βίου τὸ ἄγριον μύησον εἰρήνῃ· χάρισαι νόμους τῷ βίῳ, χάρισαι νυκτὶ χρησμούς· πλήρωσον καλῶν ἐλπίδων πάντα·
44.67
φοβείσθωσαν ἄνθρωποι τὴν ἀπὸ θεῶν ἐκδικίαν καὶ οὐδεὶς ἁμαρτήσει· ἐπαξίους ἁμαρτημάτων μισθοὺς ἂν ἀπολάβωσι, φυλάξονται οἱ λοιποὶ τὸ ἀδικεῖν, φοβηθήσονται ὅρκους καὶ οὐδὲ εἷς ἔτι ἀνόσιον φρονήσει· μαθέτωσαν εὐεργετηθέντες εὐχαριστῆσαι, ἵνα χαῖρον παρὰ λοιβαῖς [παρὰ θυσίαις] ὑπηρετήσω [τὸ πῦρ], ἵν᾽ εὐώδεις ἀτμοὺς ἀπ᾽ ἐσχάρας προπέμψω σοι. μιαίνομαι γάρ, ὦ δέσποτα, μέχρι νῦν καὶ ὑπὸ τῆς τῶν γενομένων ἀνθρώπων ἀθέου τόλμης σάρκας ἀναγκάζομαι αἴκειν, οὐκ ἐῶσί τε μένειν εἰς ὃ πέφυκα, παραχαράσσοντες οὐ καθηκόντως τὸ ἄφθαρτον.”
Stobaeus, Volume I: Book I Chapter 49
p. 130344.66 · Fire asks for divine presence and laws
“Master,” Fire said, “craftsman of this new cosmos, a name hidden among gods and revered until now by all human beings: how long, divine spirit, do you intend to leave mortal life without a god? Reveal yourself now like a rising light to the existing cosmos, and initiate the savagery of life into peace. Grant laws to life; grant oracles to night; fill everything with good hopes.1577
44.67 · Fire asks to serve gratitude rather than cruelty
Let human beings fear retribution from the gods, and no one will transgress. If they receive recompense worthy of their offenses, the rest will guard against wrongdoing, fear oaths, and no longer entertain an impious thought. Let those who receive benefits learn gratitude, so that I may gladly serve at libations [at sacrifices], [Fire], and send fragrant vapors up to you from the hearth. For until now, master, I am polluted; the godless boldness of the humans who have come into being forces me to torture flesh. They do not let me remain in the state for which I was born, but improperly debase what is incorruptible.”1578
Socrates
Reading Stobaeus, Volume I · Book I Chapter 49 · I.49.44.66–I.49.44.67
Ask about a concept, passage, contradiction, or connection.
Socrates will begin with this book and its sources.About This Reading Edition
Stobaeus gathered Greek philosophy and poetry for his son Septimius. Volume I presents the dedication testimony, On Arithmetic, Book I through chapter 60, and the ancient contents of all four books. This complete bilingual edition includes an introduction and 2,117 explanatory notes.
Historical Text and Translation
The Greek follows Curt Wachsmuth’s 1884 Volume I, checked against the supplied scan. Gaps, lost-chapter headings, and uncertain attributions remain visible. Chapter 2 includes a labeled proposed reconstruction. The appendix outlines Books I–IV; the full texts of Books II–IV are outside this volume. Reader pages preserve the companion PDF’s numbering.
About Diotimos Editions
Diotimos Editions prepared this independent English translation directly from the Greek. Prose and verse retain their distinct forms, with mixed passages preserving their quoted verse. Every passage is paired with its Greek and identified by the edition’s reference number. All 2,117 notes remain linked to their passages, with continuous numbering across the introduction and text.
Rights
Stobaeus’s ancient Greek work and Wachsmuth’s 1884 printing are in the public domain. The independent English translation, introduction, and explanatory notes are © 2026 Diotimos Editions. The complete supplied edition is available as PDF, EPUB, Word, and Markdown. The PDF retains the fixed page locations used by the companion lexicon.