Lives and Opinions of Eminent Philosophers

​Metrocles of Maroneia was the brother of Hipparchia. Having formerly attended the lectures of Theophrastus the Peripatetic, he had become so enfeebled that, having once let out a fart by accident while rehearsing a speech, he shut himself up at home out of despondency, intending to starve himself to death. When Crates learned of this, he went in to him at the family's request, having deliberately eaten lupines, and tried to persuade him with words that he had done nothing disgraceful; for it would have been a prodigy if the wind had not been discharged according to nature. In the end, by letting out a fart himself, he restored his spirits, comforting him by the likeness of their actions. From that time on Metrocles became his pupil and turned out to be an able man in philosophy.

​This man, as Hecato says in the first book of his *Anecdotes*, used to recite when burning his own writings: "These are phantom dreams of the underworld," [that is, nonsense]. Others say that he recited, while burning the lecture notes of Theophrastus: "Hephaestus, come hither, Thetis hath need of thee!" He used to say that of things, some may be bought with money, such as a house, while others require time and care, such as education. He said too that wealth is harmful unless one uses it worthily. He died in old age by suffocating himself. His pupils were Theombrotus and Cleomenes; the pupil of Theombrotus was Demetrius of Alexandria; the pupils of Cleomenes were Timarchus of Alexandria and Echecles of Ephesus. Echecles, however, also attended the lectures of Theombrotus; and his pupil was Menedemus, of whom we shall speak. Menippus of Sinope also became distinguished among them.