Diotimos Library · Greek Antiquity Collection · Bilingual Edition
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Facing Pages · Branch 23 of 879
Book I Chapter 1 · I.1.12c–I.1.13b
Ancient Greek
p. 4212 Κλεάνθους (γʹ)
13a ⟨Ἀδεσπότου τραγικοῦ⟩
13b ⟨Ἀδεσπότου τραγικοῦ⟩
Stobaeus, Volume I: Book I Chapter 1
p. 4312 Cleanthes (3)
Instead, senseless, they rush, each toward a different evil: some driven by a bitter rivalry for reputation, some turning to profit with no sense of order, others to ease and the body’s pleasant pursuits; … they are carried this way and that toward different ends, eager that the very opposite of these things should come to pass.39 But Zeus, giver of all, dark-clouded lord of thunder, rescue human beings from their wretched ignorance. Dispel it from the soul, Father, and grant us a share in the judgment on which you rely to govern all with justice, so that, honored by you, we may repay you with honor, continually singing of your works, as befits a mortal; for neither mortals nor gods have any greater prize than always, in justice, to hymn the common law.
13a ⟨An unidentified tragic poet⟩
When God wills it, everything turns out well.40
13b ⟨An unidentified tragic poet⟩
What could not happen if God ⟨indeed⟩ gave Fortune leave?
Socrates
Reading Stobaeus, Volume I · Book I Chapter 1 · I.1.12c–I.1.13b
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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.