A Dictionary of Greek and Roman biography and mythology. By various writers. Ed. by William Smith. Illustrated by numerous engravings on wood.

1070 M ETRODOR US. METRODORUS.
aJs), was a great favourite of the dictator Sulla. who is quoted more than once by Pliny. He was
(Plut. Sull. 2, 36.) the instructor of Hippocrates and Anaxarchus.
METROCLES (MPr'potchxS), of Maroneia, a (Diog. Ladrt. ix. 58; Suidas, s. vv.,71/JMKpLTos,
brother of Hippaichia, was at first a disciple of I u'iov; Fabric. Bibl. Graec. vol. ii.p. 660; Voss.
Theophrastus, but afterwards he entered the school de Hist. Graeeis, pp. 54, 470, ed. West.)
of Crates, and became a cynic. He seems to have 4. A distinguished Greek philosopher, a native,
been a man of great ability, and having reached an according to some accounts (Strab. xiii. p. 589;
advanced age, he drowned himself. He wrote Cic. Tusc. Disp, v. 37. ~ 109), of Lampsacus;
several works, all of which he is said to have burnt; according to others (Diog. Lairt. x. 22, though the
one: of them bore the title of Xpeat, of which a line text in that passage seems to be corrupt), of
is preserved in Diogenes Lairtius (vi. 6; comp. Athens. This is to some extent confirmed by the
vi. 33, ii. 102; Stob. Serm. tit. 116. 48). [L, S.] fact that his brother, Timocrates, was an Athenian
METRODO'RUS (MvTrp6&wpos), an officer of citizen of the deme Potamus, in the tribe Leontis
Philip V. of Macedon, with whom, in B. C. 202, [TIMOCRATES]; but the former account seems to:the Thasians capitulated on condition that they be supported by the best authority. Metrodorus
should not be required to receive a garrison, nor to was the most distinguished of the disciples of Epipay tribute, that they should have no soldiers bil- curus, with whom he lived on terms of the closest
leted on them, and should retain their own laws. friendship, never having left him since he became
Philip, however, broke this agreement and reduced acquainted with him, except for six months on one
them to slavery. (Polyb. xv. 24.) We learn occasion, when he paid a visit to his home. He
from a'fragment of Polybius that Metrodorus died in B. c. 277, in the 53d year of his age, seven
greatly excited Philip's displeasure, but by what years before Epicurus, who would have appointed
conduct, or on what occasion, does not appear. him his successor had he survived him. He left
(Polyb. Frepag. rist. xxxii.; Suid. s. v.'Ava-r- behind him a son named Epicurus, and a daughter,,ress,.) It was perhaps the same Metrodorus who whom Epicurus, in his will, entrusted to the guar-'is mentioned by Polybius as an ambassador from dianship of Amynomachus and Timocrates, to be
Perseus to the Rhodians, in B. C. 168. (Polyb. brought up under the joint care of themselves and
xxix. 3, 5.) [E. E.] Hermachus, and provided for out of the property
METRODO'RUS (Mr'pdS6opos), literary. 1. which he left behind him. In a letter also which
Of Cos, the son of Epicharmus, and grandson of *he wrote upon his death-bed, Epicurus commended
Thyrsus. Like several of that family he addicted the children to the care of Idomeneus, who had
himself partly to the study of the Pythagorean married Batis, the sister of Metrodorus. The
philosophy, partly to the science of medicine. He 20th of each month was kept by the disciples of
*wrote a treatise -upon the works of Epicharmus, in Epicurus as a festive day in honour of their master
which, on the authority of Epicharmus and Pytha- and Metrodorus. Leontium is spoken of as the
goras himself, he maintained that the Doric was wife or mistress of Metrodorus.
the proper dialect of the Orphic hynins. Metro- The philosophy of Metrodorus appears to have
dorus flourished about B. C. 460. (lamblich. Vit. been of a more grossly sensual kind than that of
P2ytls. c. 34. p. 467, ed. Kiessling; Fabric. Bibl. Epicurus. (Cic. de Nat. Deor. i. 40, Tusc. Disp.
-Graec. vol. i. p. 852; Bode, Gesch. der Hellen. v. 9, de Fin. ii. 28. ~ 92, 30. ~ 99, 31. ~ 101.)
Diehtkunst, vol. i. p. 190.) Perfect happiness, according to Clcero's account,
2. Of LAMPSACUS, a contemporary and friend he made to consist in having a well-constituted
of Anaxagoras. He wrote on Homer, the leading body, and knowing that it would always remain
feature of'his system of interpretation being that so. He found fault with his brother for not adthe deities and stories in Homer were to be under- mitting that the belly was the test and measure of
stood as allegorical modes of representing physical every thing that pertained to a happy life. Of the
powers and phenomena. He died B. c. 464. (Plat. writings of Metrodorus Diogenes Laertius mentions
Ion, c. 2. p. 530, c; Diog. Lagrt. ii. 11; Tatian. the following: 1. Hpos Teis oiaTpoes, in three
Asyrr in oratL. BoIb "EAAnrtr, vt, ] i V, i-, books; 2. IIspl citt0jasrNWV addressed to Timocrates
Bib. ].e. V. 4. p. AM. Y7: Voss. de list. Graecis, i[C. de Nlt. Dt80'.. 19 ) | J. [ ispl M htu/ouXlutts
p. -180, ed. West.) 4. rIlEpt T7Si'EiruKOupo J dP#WrTias; 56. UIpds TrS
3. Of CRIos, a disciple of Democritus, or, ac- 6iahKTov S es; 6. HIpds'oOs cotpOs-ras, in nine
cording to otheraccounts, of Nessus of Chios. He books; 7. 1IEpl'rs arl oo(pqiav reopEsas; 8. Ispl
flourished about B. c. 330. He was a philosopher T'as Js7aCohToA; 9. Is6pl r XoT'ov; 10. rIp3s:of considerable reputation, and professed the doc- ausdO'Kptr~ov; 11. lispl esyeJeslas. But besides
trine of the sceptics in their fullest sense. Cicero these, Metrodorus wrote: 12. lIsp1 lIoTqrwv, in,(Acad. ii. 23. ~ 73) gives us a translation of the which he attacked Homer. (Plut. Moral. p. 1087,
first sentence of his work lIepal peswr: "Nego a. 1094, d.) 13. IIpsa T1aUapXov (Plut. adv. Colot.
scire nos sciamusne aliquid' an nihil sciamus: ne id p. 1117, b); and 1 4. fIepl ovvnOefas (Athen. ix.'ipsum quidem nescire aut sire; nec omnino sitne p. 391, d.) Athenaeus (xii. p. 546, f.) also menaliquid, an nihil sit." The commencement of the tions his letters, and quotes a passage from one
same work is quoted in Eusebius'(Praep. Evang. addressed to Timocrates. These letters may posxiv. p. 765). Athenaeus (iv. p. 184, a) quotes sibly consist of or include some of the treatises above:from a work by Metrodorus, entitled Tpwi'cd. A enumerated. The passage which Athenaeus quotes
work, Ispl orToplar, is cited by the scholiast on is similar in import to what Cicero refers to (de
Apollonius (iv. 834) as the production of a man Nat. Deor. i. 40). The treatise IIepi tsXoaoopias,
namned Metrodorus; but we have no means of de- mentioned by Plutarch (adv. Colot. extr.), is
termining which of the name is referred to. Me- perhaps the same as the seventh in the preceding
trodorus did not confine himself to philosophy, but list. (Diog. Lairt. x. 22, &c., wTith the notes of
studied, at least, if he did not practise, medicine, Menagius; Fabric. Bibl. Graec. vol. iii. p. 606;
on which he wrote a good deal. It is probably he. Bode, Gesch. der Hellen. Dichtkunst, vol. i. p. 11. )