The Consolation of Philosophy

PROEM

He served as the sole Consul in 510 A.D. and was ultimately raised by Theodoric to the dignity of Magister Officiorum (Master of Offices), or the head of the entire civil administration. He was equally fortunate in his domestic life, in the virtues of his wife, Rusticiana, and in the bright future promised by his two sons, Symmachus and Boethius. He was also happy in the company of a refined circle of friends. Noble, wealthy, accomplished, and universally esteemed for his virtues while holding high favor with the Gothic King, he appeared to everyone as a perfect example of how merit and good fortune could coexist.

His happiness seemed to reach its peak in 522 A.D., when, by a special and extraordinary favor, his two sons—young as they were for such an exalted honor—were appointed joint Consuls. They rode to the senate house accompanied by a crowd of senators and the cheers of the public. Amidst the general applause, Boethius himself delivered the standard public speech in the King's honor. Within a year, however, he was a solitary prisoner at Pavia, stripped of his honors, wealth, and friends. He faced the threat of death, and a terror even worse than death: the fear that those dearest to him would be caught up in the consequences of his downfall. It is in this situation that the opening of The Consolation of Philosophy introduces us to Boethius. He represents himself as...