The Consolation of Philosophy is perhaps unique in the nature and extent of its influence on Western thinking.
An eminent public figure under the Gothic emperor Theodoric, Boethius (ca. AD 475-525) was also an exceptional Greek scholar, and it was to the Greek philosophers that he turned when he fell from favor and was imprisoned in Pavia. Written in the period leading up to his brutal execution, The Consolation of Philosophy is a dialogue of alternating prose and verse between the ailing prisoner and his 'nurse', Philosophy, whose instruction on the nature of fortune and happiness, good and evil, fate and free will, restore his health and bring him to enlightenment.
The clarity of Boethius's thought and his breadth of vision made this work hugely popular throughout medieval Europe, and his ideas suffused the thought of Chaucer and Dante. This translation makes it accessible to the modern reader while losing nothing of Boethius's poetic artistry and philosophical brilliance.
Translated with an Introduction by V.E. Watts
About the Author
Anicius Manlius Severinus Boethius (ca. AD 475-525) was born in Rome to an eminent aristocratic family whose members included two Roman emperors. When his father died, Boethius was adopted by the powerful, cultured, and noble family of Symmachus. He gradually ascended to political power, with the political pinnacle occurring with his appointment as Magister Officiorum or "Master of Offices." Shortly after his appointment, Boethius was tried and found guilty in absentia for treason. He was put to death, not before, however, having finished the work for which he is most famous.
