homines in insulam relegari rescripsit."

There is no doubt that the Emperor's Reflections--or his Meditations, as
they are generally named--is a genuine work. In the first book he speaks
of himself, his family, and his teachers; and in other books he mentions
himself. Suidas (v.[Greek: Markos]) notices a work of Antoninus in
twelve books, which he names the "conduct of his own life;" and he cites
the book under several words in his Dictionary, giving the emperor's
name, but not the title of the work. There are also passages cited by
Suidas from Antoninus without mention of the emperor's name. The true
title of the work is unknown. Xylander, who published the first edition
of this book (Zürich, 1558, 8vo, with a Latin version), used a
manuscript which contained the twelve books, but it is not known where
the manuscript is now. The only other complete manuscript which is known
to exist is in the Vatican library, but it has no title and no
inscriptions of the several books: the eleventh only has the
inscription, [Greek: Markou autokratoros] marked with an asterisk. The
other Vatican manuscripts and the three Florentine contain only excerpts
from the emperor's book. All the titles of the excerpts nearly agree
with that which Xylander prefixed to his edition, [Greek: Markou
Antôninou Autokratoros tôn eis heauton biblia ib.] This title has been
used by all subsequent editors. We cannot tell whether Antoninus divided
his work into books or somebody else did it. If the inscriptions at the
end of the first and second books are genuine, he may have made the
division himself.

It is plain that the emperor wrote down his thoughts or reflections as
the occasions arose; and since they were intended for his own use, it is
no improbable conjecture that he left a complete copy behind him written
with his own hand; for it is not likely that so diligent a man would use