Diotimos Library · Greek Antiquity Collection · Bilingual Edition
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Facing Pages · Branch 647 of 879
Book I Chapter 49 · I.49.44.53–I.49.44.54
Ancient Greek
p. 129044.53
ῥίζας φυτῶν ἀνασκάψουσιν ἄνθρωποι καὶ ποιότητα ἐξετάσουσι χυλῶν, λίθων φύσεις ἐπισκοπήσουσι καὶ διὰ μέσου ἀνατεμοῦσι τῶν ζῴων τὰ ἄλογα οὐ μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἑαυτούς, ὡς ἐγένοντο ἐξετάζειν θέλοντες, τολμηρὰς ἐκτενοῦσι χεῖρας καὶ μέχρι θαλάσσης καὶ τὰς αὐτοφυεῖς ὕλας τέμνοντες μέχρι καὶ τῶν πέραν διαπορθμεύσουσιν ἀλλήλους ἐπὶ ζήτησιν, καὶ τίς ἐνδοτέρω τῶν ἱερῶν ἀδύτων φύσις ὑπάρχει, τὰ μέχρις ἄνω διώξουσι, παρατηρῆσαι βουλόμενοι τίς οὐρανοῦ καθέστηκε κίνησις.
44.54
ἔτι μέτρια ταῦτα· λείπει γὰρ οὐδὲν ἔτι πλὴν γῆς τόπος ἔσχατος. ἀλλὰ καὶ τούτων τὴν ἐσχάτην τῷ θέλειν ἐρευνήσουσι νύκτα. μηδὲν οὖν ἐμπόδιον ἔχουσιν οὗτοι, ἀλλὰ τῷ τῆς ἀλυπίας ἀγαθῷ μυηθῶσι καὶ τοῖς χαλεποῖς μὴ βιασθέντες τοῦ φόβου κέντροις ἀμερίμνῳ βίῳ τρυφήσουσιν; εἶτα οὐ καὶ μέχρις οὐρανοῦ περίεργον ὁπλισθήσονται τόλμαν οὗτοι; οὐκ ἀμερίμνους ἐκτενοῦσιν ἐπὶ καὶ τὰ στοιχεῖα τὰς ψυχὰς αὐτῶν;
Stobaeus, Volume I: Book I Chapter 49
p. 129144.53 · Plants, anatomy, navigation, and the heavens
Human beings will dig up the roots of plants and examine the properties of their juices; they will investigate the natures of stones and cut open not only irrational animals but also themselves, wishing to examine how they came into being. They will stretch their daring hands even to the sea and, cutting naturally grown timber, ferry one another across to the lands beyond in pursuit of discovery. And what nature lies within the sacred inner sanctuaries: they will pursue things even to the heights, wishing to observe what movement has been established in heaven.1564
44.54 · The danger of a life without fear
These things are still moderate, for nothing remains but earth’s furthest place. Yet by sheer willing they will investigate even the uttermost night of these things. Do they then have no obstacle, but are to be initiated into the good of freedom from grief and, uncoerced by the harsh goads of fear, luxuriate in a life without care? Will they not then arm themselves with meddlesome boldness reaching even to heaven? Will they not stretch out their carefree souls even toward the elements?1565
Socrates
Reading Stobaeus, Volume I · Book I Chapter 49 · I.49.44.53–I.49.44.54
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.