[12,37] εἰ μέχρι τοῦ ᾄδειν αὐτοῖς τὸ σοφὸν ἦν, ἀλλὰ μὴ τοὺς θεοὺς ἡμῶν ἀφῃροῦντο καὶ ἀπῴκιζον, ἐξελαύνοντες ἐκ τῆς αὑτῶν πόλεώς τε καὶ ἀρχῆς, ἐκ τοῦδε τοῦ κόσμου παντός, εἴς τινας χώρας ἀτόπους, καθάπερ ἀνθρώπους δυστυχεῖς εἴς τινας νήσους ἐρήμους· τάδε δὲ τὰ ξύμπαντα φάσκοντες ἀγνώμονα καὶ ἄφρονα καὶ ἀδέσποτα καὶ μηδένα ἔχοντα ἄρχοντα μηδὲ ταμίαν μηδὲ ἐπιστάτην πλανᾶσθαι εἰκῇ καὶ φέρεσθαι, μηδενὸς μήτε νῦν προνοοῦντος μήτε πρότερον ἐργασαμένου τὸ πᾶν, μηδὲ ὥσπερ οἱ παῖδες τοὺς τροχοὺς αὐτοὶ κινήσαντες εἶτα ἐῶσιν ἀφ´ αὑτῶν φέρεσθαι.

[12,37] if their cleverness went only as far as singing, and they did not attempt to take our gods from us and send them into banishment, driving them out of their own state and kingdom, clean out of this ordered universe to alien regions, even as unfortunate human beings are banished to sundry uninhabited isles ; and all this universe above us they assert is without purpose or intelligence or master, has no ruler or even steward or overseer, but wanders at random and is swept aimlessly along, no master being there to take thought for it now, and no creator having made it in the first place, or even doing as the boys do with their hoops, which they set in motion of their own accord, and then let them roll along of themselves.

[12,38] ταῦτα μὲν οὖν ἐπεξῆλθεν ὁ λόγος καθ´ αὑτὸν ἐκβάς· τυχὸν γὰρ οὐ ῥᾴδιον τὸν τοῦ φιλοσόφου νοῦν καὶ λόγον ἐπισχεῖν, ἔνθα ἂν ὁρμήσῃ, τοῦ ξυναντῶντος ἀεὶ φαινομένου ξυμφέροντος καὶ ἀναγκαίου τοῖς ἀκροωμένοις, οὐ μελετηθέντα πρὸς ὕδωρ καὶ δικανικὴν ἀνάγκην, ὥσπερ οὖν ἔφη τις, ἀλλὰ μετὰ πολλῆς ἐξουσίας καὶ ἀδείας. οὐκοῦν τό γε ἀναδραμεῖν οὐ χαλεπόν, ὥσπερ ἐν πλῷ τοῖς ἱκανοῖς κυβερνήταις οὐ πολὺ παραλλάξασι.

[12,38] Now to explain this digression—my argument is responsible, having turned aside of itself; for perhaps it is not easy to check the course of a philosopher's thoughts and speech, no matter what direction they may take ; for whatever suggests itself to his mind always seems profitable, nay indispensable, for his audience, and my speech has not been prepared to "suit the water-clock and the constraint of court procedure," to use somebody's expression, but allows itself a great deal of license. Well, it is not difficult to run back again, just as on a voyage it is not difficult for competent steersmen who have got a little off their course to get back upon it.