Again, a modern reader must never forget the context of Boethius' work: he is in a desperate position, striving for a dollop of happiness amidst misery.

CHRONOLOGICAL TABLE A.D 470 Anicius Manlius Severinus Boethius, born of most distinguished family. The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Consolation of Philosophy, by Boethius This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. The accusations against him were baseless but Boethius knew he was going to be executed anyway.

Summary.

He says "I who once composed with eager zest/Am driven by grief to shelter in sad songs." Having enjoyed a life of privilege, honour and comfort, Boethius found himself imprisoned for treason. The Consolation of Philosophy was a sixth-century Latin work and is considered one of the most important works of philosophy from the Middle Ages. 1-2 (Bryn Mawr College, Bryn Mawr, PA 19010-2899, ($10.00) ISBN 0-929524-37-3 (2 vol.)) Boethius' Consolation of Philosophy is one of the essential works of Western philosophy and literature. During his detention Boethius wrote the work for which he is most remembered, De consolatione philosophiae (The consolation of philosophy), which argues

Translation by W.V. I first read the . THE CONSOLATION OF PHILOSOPHY … themselves have no being, do not exist as humans. Philosophy (personified) … In another of his works, the preface to the Old English translation of Gregory the Great's Pastoral Care, Alfred decries the lack of people who could read Latin in his kingdo… Boethius had been sentenced to death for treason against Theodoric the Great (a king of Italy after the Roman Empire ended), most probably because of perjured testimony by his enemies. For some 400 years across the European Middle Ages, one philosophy book was prized above any other. For some 400 years across the European Middle Ages, one philosophy book was prized above any other. Boethius and The Consolation of Philosophy. In this highly praised new translation of Boethius’s The Consolation of Philosophy, David R. Slavitt presents a graceful, accessible, and modern version for both longtime admirers of one of the great masterpieces of philosophical literature and those encountering it for the first time. Boethius' Consolatio Philosophiae, edited, with a commentary, by James J. O'Donnell, published in: Julia Haig Gaisser and James J. O'Donnell, Series Editors, Bryn Mawr Latin Commentaries Vols. A translation associated with Alfred's reign would be consistent with his avowed aims to circulate translations of the Consolation and other philosophical and historical works for the education of his people. Book I of The Consolation of Philosophy begins with a poem which explains why the writer has begun this work. Boethius seems to strain for orthodoxy at times, but that doesn't make the philosophy any less brilliant, or the "consolation" any less real. Cooper (J.M. Dent and Company, London, 1902.