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Book I Chapter 49 · I.49.45.5–I.49.45.6
Ancient Greek
p. 132245.5
Καταπέμπονται δὲ ἐκεῖθεν εἰς τὸ βασιλεύειν διὰ δύο ταῦτα αἱ ψυχαί, ὦ τέκνον. Αἱ γὰρ καλῶς καὶ ἀμέμπτως δραμοῦσαι τὸν ἴδιον αἰῶνα καὶ μέλλουσαι ἀποθεοῦσθαι, ἵνα κἂν τῷ βασιλεύειν τὴν τῶν θεῶν προγυμνασθῶσιν ἐξουσίαν· αἱ ⟨δὲ⟩ θεῖαί τινες ἤδη οὖσαι καὶ ἐπὶ μικρῷ τινι παραθεμιστεύσασαι τὸν ἔνθεον γνώμονα, ἵνα [μὴ] κόλασιν μὲν ἐν τῷ σεσωματῶσθαι ὑπομένωσι, δι᾽ ἀδοξίαν ⟨δὲ⟩ καὶ φύσιν μηδὲν ὅμοιον ταῖς ἄλλαις πάσχωσιν ἐνσωματισθεῖσαι, ἀλλ᾽ ὅπερ εἶχον λελυμέναι, τοῦτο καὶ δεθεῖσαι ἔχωσιν.
45.6
Αἱ μέντοι περὶ τὰ ἤθη τῶν βασιλευόντων γιγνόμεναι διαφοραὶ οὐκ ἐν τῇ τῆς ψυχῆς κρίσει κρίνονται, πᾶσαι γὰρ θεῖαι· ἀλλ᾽ ἐν τῇ τῶν δορυφορησάντων αὐτὴν καταστάσει ἀγγέλων καὶ δαιμόνων. Αἱ γὰρ τοιαῦται καὶ ἐπὶ ⟨τὰ⟩ τοιαῦτα κατερχόμεναι δίχα προπομπῆς καὶ δορυφορίας οὐ κατέρχονται. Οἶδε γὰρ ἡ ἄνω Δίκη τὴν ἀξίαν ἑκάστῃ νέμειν, κἂν ἐκ τῆς εὐημερούσης χώρας ἀπωθῶνται.
Stobaeus, Volume I: Book I Chapter 49
p. 132345.5 · Two reasons for a royal embodiment
Souls are sent down from there to kingship for these two reasons, my child. Those that have run their own course well and blamelessly and are about to be made divine are sent so that, through ruling as kings, they may at least train beforehand in the authority of the gods. ⟨But⟩ some, already divine, have in some small matter transgressed the divine rule: they are sent so that they may [not] endure punishment in being embodied, ⟨but⟩, as regards dishonor and natural condition, suffer nothing like the other souls when embodied; instead, what they possessed when free they may also possess when bound.1598
45.6 · The escort of a royal soul
The differences that arise in the characters of reigning kings, however, are not determined by a distinction between their souls, for all these souls are divine, but by the disposition of the angels and daimons that have escorted it. Souls of this kind, descending to ⟨such⟩ tasks, do not descend without an advance escort and a guard. For Justice above knows how to allot each its due honor, even when they are driven from the region of blessedness.1599
Socrates
Reading Stobaeus, Volume I · Book I Chapter 49 · I.49.45.5–I.49.45.6
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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.