You must not conceive, however, that he rushed
into these matters with unwashen feet, as the saying
goes: he was brought up on the poets and knew
most of them by heart, he was a practised speaker,
his acquaintance with the schools of philosophy was
not secured either in a short time or (to quote the
proverb) “with the tip of his finger,” he had trained
his body and hardened it for endurance and in
general he had made it his aim to require nothing
from anyone else. Consequently, when he found out
that he was no longer sufficient unto himself, he volun-
tarily took his departure from life, leaving behind
him a great reputation among Greeks of culture.