BOETHIUS (Boetius) Anicius Manlius Severinus -, c. 480-524 A.D., Roman statesman and philosopher, was son
of Flavius Manlius Boetius, after whose death he was looked after by several men, especially Memmius Symmachus. He married Symmachus's daughter, Rusticiana, by whom he had two sons. All three men rose to high honours under
Theodoric the Ostrogoth, but Boethius fell from favour, was tried for treason, wrongly condemned and imprisoned at Ticinum (Pavia), where he wrote his renowned De Consolatione Philosophiae, until he was put to death in 524, to the great remorse of Theodoric. Boethius was revered as if he were a Saint and his bones were removed in 996 to the Church of S. Pietro in Ciel d'Oro, and later to the Cathedral. The tower in Pavia where he was imprisoned is still venerated. Boethius was author of Latin transla- tions of Aristotle, of commentaries on various philosophical works, of original works on logic, of five books on music (for long a text-book in the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge), and other works. His De Consolatione Philosophiae is the last example of purely literary Latin of ancient times a mingling of alternate dialogue and poems. We include also the
Theological Tractates in this volume.