Chapter 6. METROCLES
(c. 300 B.C.)
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Metrocles of Maroneia was the brother of
Hipparchia. He had been formerly a pupil of Theophrastus the
Peripatetic, and had been so far corrupted by weakness that, when
he made a breach of good manners in the course of rehearsing a
speech, it drove him to despair, and he shut himself up at home,
intending to starve himself to death. On learning this Crates came
to visit him as he had been asked to do, and after advisedly making
a meal of lupins, he tried to persuade him by argument as well that
he had committed no crime, for a prodigy would have happened if he
had not taken the natural means of relieving
himself. At last by reproducing the action he succeeded in
lifting him from his dejection, using for his consolation the
likeness of the occurrences. From that time forward Metrocles was
his pupil, and became proficient in philosophy.
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Hecato in the
first book of his
Anecdotes tells us he burned
his compositions with the words
1 :
Phantoms are these of
dreams o' the world below.
Others say that when he set fire
to his notes of Theophrastus's lectures, he added the line :
Come hither, Hephaestus, Thetis now needeth
thee.
He divided things into such as are procurable for
money, like a house, and such as can be procured by time and
trouble, like education. Wealth, he said, is harmful, unless we put
it to a worthy use.
He died of old age, having choked
himself.
His disciples were Theombrotus and Cleomenes :
Theombrotus had for his pupil Demetrius of Alexandria, while
Cleomenes instructed Timarchus of Alexandria and Echecles of
Ephesus. Not but what Echecles also heard Theombrotus, whose
lectures were attended by Menedemus, of whom we shall speak
presently. Menippus of Sinope also became renowned amongst
them.