Philosophus. - The Emperor M. Aurelius Antoninus was commonly called the philosopher, because he was entheusiastically addicted to philosophical pursuits, and had that sentiment of Plato constantly on his lips, which expresses an opinion that "The state would flourish if either philosophers governed or Emperors were philosophised." It is to be observed, however, that neither monetal legends nor lapidary inscriptions of any kind take the least notice of this imputed denomination of Aurelius, though some writers have mistaken the epithet for his surname.