Boethius

Anicius Manlius Severinus Boethius (c.480-524) was a prominent figure in late ancient Rome, a high minister of state, consul, and philosopher. In 510, he was made master of offices, which controlled the civil service. But his outspoken character made him a pawn in rival political and religious court intrigues, and in 524, he was accused of treason and condemned to death. Imprisoned and in chains, he wrote his On the Consolation of Philosophy. Ever since his death, he has been regarded as a consummate martyr of conscience who, fallen from political grace, rose above his personal agony to an impersonal magnanimity that shamed his murderers by its example. On the Consolation of Philosophy is his most influential work, and the only ancient work translated into every stage of the English language.