e 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
Antoninou Autokratoros ton 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
the labor of a transcriber for such a purpose, and expose his most
secret thoughts to any other eye. He may have also intended the book for
his son Commodus, who however had no taste for his father's philosophy.
Some careful hand preserved the precious volume; and a work by Antoninus
is mentioned by other late writers besides Suidas.

Many critics have labored on the text of Antoninus. The most complete
edition is that by Thomas Gataker, 1652, 4to. The second edition of
Gataker was superintended by George Stanhope, 1697, 4to. There is also
an edition of 1704. Gataker made and suggested many good corrections,
and he also made a new Latin version, which is not a very good specimen
of Latin, but it generally expresses the sense of the original, and
often better than some of the more recent translations. He added in the
margin opposite to each paragraph references to the other parallel
passages; and he wrote a commentary, one of the most complete that has
been written on any ancient author. This commentary contains the
editor's exposition of the more difficult passages, and quotations from
all the Greek and Roman writers for the illustration of the text. It is
a wonderful monument of learning and labor, and certainly no Englishman
has yet done anything like it. At the end of his preface the editor says
that he wrote it at Rotherhithe near Lo