When, therefore, we remember that Aurelius knew little of the Christians, that the only mention of them in the _Meditations_ is a contemptuous reference to certain fanatics of their number whom even Clement of Alexandria compares for their thirst for martyrdom to the Indian gymnosophists, and finally that the least worthy of them were doubtless the most prominent, we cannot doubt that Aurelius was acting unquestionably in the best interests of a perfectly intelligible ideal. He was "Roman in resolution and repression, Roman in civic nobility and pride, Roman in tenacity of imperial aim, Roman in respect for law, Roman in self-effacement for the service of the State" (G. H. Rendall). _Philosophy._--The book which contains the philosophy of Aurelius is known by the title of his _Reflections_, or _Meditations_, although that is not the name which he gave to it himself ([Greek: Tà eis heauton]). Of the genuineness of the work no doubts are now entertained. It is believed that he wrote also an autobiography, which has perished. The _Meditations_ were written, it is evident, as occasion offered--in the midst of public business, and on the eve of battles on which the fate of the empire depended--hence their fragmentary appearance, but hence also much of their practical value and even of their charm. It is believed by many critics that they were intended for the guidance of Aurelius's son, Commodus (q.v.); at all events they are generally considered as one of the most precious of the legacies of antiquity. Renan even called them "the most human of all books," and they are described by J. S. Mill in his _Utility of Religion_ as almost equal in ethical elevation to the Sermon on the Mount.