The supposed story of Metrocles' conversion to
Cynicism is reported by
Diogenes Laërtius. Metrocles had apparently
farted while practicing a speech, and became so upset that he shut himself up in his home, attempting to commit suicide by
starving himself.
Crates visited him and made him a dinner of
lupines, explaining to him that what he had done was according to nature and therefore nothing to be ashamed of. When Crates himself farted to demonstrate how natural it was, Metrocles was persuaded to let go of his shame. Whether or not this story is true, the
symbolism for the Cynics is that it demonstrated the worthlessness of Metrocles' education up until that time. As a pupil of
Theophrastus he may have learned a lot of information, but he was still obsessed with social conventions and good manners, to the point of being ready to die from embarrassment. With Crates' help he was able to let go of his old ways and embrace a Cynic life free from convention, and find true
happiness. Equally significant is a passage preserved in the writings of
Teles, who tells how Metrocles as a young student of the
Lyceum and the
Academy could not keep up with the extravagant life-style requirements: When he was studying with Theophrastus and Xenocrates, although many things were being sent to him from home, he was in constant fear of dying from hunger and was always destitute and in want. But when he later changed over to Crates, he could feed even another person though nothing was sent from home. For in the former case he had to have shoes,... then a cloak, a following of slaves, and a grand house; for the common table he had to see that the breads were pure, the delicacies above the ordinary, the wine sweet, the entertainment appropriate, so that here there was much expense. For among them such a way of life was judged to be 'liberal.' According to
Hecato of Rhodes, Metrocles burned all his writings, but others said it was only the notes he took in the school of Theophrastus that he burned. It may have been via Metrocles that his sister
Hipparchia met Crates, whom she later married, thus also becoming a Cynic.
Plutarch represents Metrocles as sleeping in the winter amongst
sheep, and in the summer in the porches of
temples. He apparently knew the
Megarian philosopher
Stilpo and disputed with him, and Stilpo wrote a dialogue called
Metrocles. In his biography of Metrocles, Diogenes Laërtius seemingly lists a number of his pupils, Metrocles died at a great age, and is said to have deliberately
suffocated himself. ==Writings==