741 



BOETHIUS, ANNIUS MANLIUS. 



BOGERMAN. 



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senate. Theodoric answered in obliging terms, and promised never to 

 encroach upon the privileges of the Senate. In the eighteenth year of 

 Theodorio, Boethius was advanced a second time to the dignity of 

 consul. In the same year he wrote his ' Commentary upon the 

 Predicaments, or the Ten Categories of Aristotle.' He also wrote an 

 explanation of that philosopher's ' Topics,' in ei^'ht books ; another 

 of his ' Sophisms ' in two books ; and commentaries upon many other 

 parts of his writings. He translated the whole of Plato's works ; 

 wrote a commentary, in six books, upon Cicero's ' Topics ; ' commented 

 also upuu Porphyry's writings ; published a diacoure on Rhetoric, in 

 one book ; a treatise on Arithmetic, in two books ; and another, in 

 five books, upon Music ; he also wrote three books upon Geometry, 

 the last of which ia lost ; translated Euclid, and wrote a treatise upon 

 the quadrature of the circle, neither of which performances is now 

 extant; and published translations of the works of Ptolemaeus of 

 Alexandria, and of the writings of Archimedes, besides several treatises 

 upon theological and metaphysical subjects, which are extant. The 

 acutene.is and profound erudition displayed in such a diversity of 

 works, upon all subjects, acquired for Boethius a great reputation, not 

 only among big countrymen, but with foreigners. Gondebald, king of 

 the Burgundiaus. who had married a daughter of Theodoric, came to 

 Kavenna on a visit to his father-in-law, and thence went to Rome, not 

 only with a view to see the beauties of the city, but that he might 

 have the pleasure of conversing with Boethius. The philosopher showed 

 him several curious mechanical works of his own invention, particu- 

 larly two time-keepers, one of which pointed out the sun's diurnal and 

 annual motion in the ecliptic, upon a moveable sphere ; and the other 

 (a clepsydra) indicated the hours of the day by the dropping of water 

 from one vessel into another. Goudebald was so well pleased with 

 these contrivances, that upon his return home he despatched ambassa- 

 dors to Theodoric, praying that he would procure for him the two 

 wonderful time-pieces which he had seen at Home. 



During the course of these transactions Boethius lost his wife Elpis, 

 but married a second time Kuaticiana, the daughter of Symmachus, 

 along witli whom, in the year 522, he was a third time elected consul. 

 It was during this consulship that he fell under the displeasure of 

 Theodoric. Theodoric was an Arian ; and Boethius, who was a Catho- 

 lic, published about this time a book upon the unity of the Trinity, 

 in opposition to the Arians, Neatorians, and Eutychiaus. This treatise, 

 which was universally read, ma le him many enemies at court, who 

 insinuated that Boethius wanted not only to destroy Ariauism, but to 

 effect a change of government, and deliver Italy from the dominion of 

 the Goths. Theodoric, unmindful of his former friendship, directed 

 the prosecution of Boethius upon the evidence of three persons of 

 infamous reputation. The offences laid to his charge, as we are 

 informed in the 6rst book of the ' Consolation of Philosophy,' were, 

 " Tiiat he wished to preserve the Senate and its authority ; that he 

 hindered an informer from producing proofs which would have con- 

 victed that assembly of treason ; and that he formed a scheme for the 

 restoration of the Human liberty." In proof of the last article the 

 witnesses produced forged letters, which they averred had been written 

 by Boethius. For these supposed crime!), as we learn from the same 

 authority, he was, unheard aud undefended, at the distance of five 

 hundred miles, proscribed and condemned to death. Theodoric, 

 conscious that his severity would be blamed, contented himself for 

 th" time with confiscating his effects, banishing him to Pavia, and 

 there confining him in prison. 



Soon after this, Justin, the Catholic emperor of the east, finding 

 himself thoroughly established upon the throne, published an edict 

 against the Arians, depriving them of all their churches. Theodoric 

 being highly offended at this edict, obliged Pope John I., together 

 with four of the principal senators of Home (among whom was Sym- 

 maclius, the father-in-law of Boethius), to go on au embassy to Con- 

 stantinople, to persuade Justin to revoke his edict against the Arians. 

 The embassy was unsuccessful, and Theodoric was so incensed that 

 on the return of Pope John and his colleagues he threw them into 

 prison at Kavenna. Boethius was at the same time ordered into 

 stricter confinement at Pavia. Though confined in prison, and 

 deserted by the world, Boethius preserved his vigour and composure 

 of mind, and wrote during his confintment, in five books, his excellent 

 treatise on the ' Consolation of Philosophy,' the work upon which his 

 fame chieHy rests, lie had scarcely concluded this work, or, accord- 

 ing to some of his commentators had not concluded it, when, Pope 

 John being famished to death in prison, and Symmachus and the 

 other senators put to death, Theodoric ordered Boethius to be be- 

 headed. His execution took place in prison, October 23, 526. His 

 body was interred by the inhabitants of Pavia, in the church of St. 

 Augustine, near the steps of the chancel, where his monument existed 

 till the last century, when that church was destroyed. The tomb had 

 been erected to him by Otho III. in 996. Theodorio, who did not 

 long survive Boethius, ia said in hi* last hours to have repented of 

 his cruelty. 



The most celebrated production of Boethius, 'Do Consolatione 

 Philosophise,' has always been admired both for the style aud senti- 

 inents. It is an imaginary conference between the author and philo- 

 sophy personified, who endeavours to console and soothe him in his 

 afflictions. The topics of consolation contained in this work are 

 deducted from the tenets of Plato, Zeuo, and Aristotle, but without 



any notice of the sources of consolation which are peculiar to the 

 Christian system, which circumstance has led many to think him more 

 of a Stoic than a Christian. It is partly in prose and partly in verse ; 

 and was translated into Saxon by King Alfred, and illustrated with a 

 commentary by Asser, bishop of St. David's. Two manuscripts of an 

 English version of this work made by John Walton, canon of Oseney 

 (commonly called John of Oseney) in 1410 are preserved among the 

 Harleian manuscripts in the British Museum. Chaucer aud Queen 

 Elizabeth were also translators of Boethius's treatise ' De Consolatione ;' 

 with George Colville, or Coldewel, Richard (Graham) Viscount Preston, 

 W. Causton, the Rev. Philip Ridpath, and B. Duncan of Edinburgh. 

 King Alfred's translation into Saxon was published at Oxford in Svo, 

 1698, by Mr. Christopher Rawlinson, and again with an English version 

 from it by J. S. Cardale, Svo, Loud., 1829. Other English versions 

 have been published. A translation into French by Jean de Meun, 

 was printed at Paris by Verard in 1494. Few books were more 

 popular in the middle ages than this treatise ; and few have passed 

 through a greater number of. editions in almost all languages. The 

 best edition of Boethius's whole works is that ' cum cotuiuentariis, 

 enarrationibus, et notis Jo. Murmelii, Rodolphi Agricola;, Gilberti 

 Porreta;, Henrici Lorriti Glareani, et Martiaui Kotae,' printed in 2 vols. 

 folio, at Basel in 1570. 



(Life prefixed to Ridpath's translation of the Treatise De Consola- 

 tione, Svo, Lond., 1785 ; Fabricius, Bibl. Lat. 4to, Ven., 1728, torn. ii. p. 

 146-165 ; Bruckeri, Historia Philos. ; Baillet, Vies des Saints, vol. vii. 

 p. 365, in which work ' Saint Boece ' is included, ' 13 Octobre.') 



BOQATZKY, CARL-HEINRICH, was born in 1690 at Jaukowa 

 in Silesia, and died at Halle, in Saxony, in 1774. He published a largo 

 number of religious works, but is chiefly known in this country by the 

 work called ' Bogatzky's Golden Treasury,' which is a translation of 

 his ' Tiigliches Hausbuch der Kinder Gottes,' and was first published 

 in London in Svo, in 1754, with the title of ' The Christian's Guide, or 

 Golden Treasury for the Children of God.' It was formerly very 

 popular among the stricter sects of English protestants ; it has been 

 frequently reprinted in various forms, and is still in circulation. 



BOGDANOVITCH, HIPPOLYTUS THEODOROVITCH, waa 

 born December 3rd, 1743, in the town of Perevolotchna in Little 

 Russia, where his father practised as a physician. When eleven years 

 old he was sent to Moscow to be educated in the College of Justice, 

 where he soon began to display a passionate fondness for poetry and 

 the drama. So greatly was he for a time captivated by the drama, 

 that at the age of fifteen he determined to make the stage his pro- 

 fession, and for that purpose presented himself to Khcraskov, the 

 author of the Hossiada, and at that time the director of the Moscow 

 theatre, who regarding the application as a boyish freak, exhorted 

 Bogdauovitch to pursue his studies, and proffered his assistance and 

 instruction iu literary composition. Bogdauovitch had the good sense 

 to adopt this friendly counsel, and forthwith began to apply himself 

 diligently to the acquirement of foreign languages and the perusal of 

 the best authors. His own industry was seconded by the judicious 

 advice and good taste of Kheraskov, with whom he had now taken 

 up his abode ; and he began to try his pen iu some pieces which wore 

 published in the University Journal entitled ' Polesnoe Uveselenie ' 

 (Profitable Recreation). 



In 1761 he was appointed inspector at the University of Moscow, 

 and also translator ia the foreign office ; but in less than two years 

 he went with Count Bieloselsky as secretary of legation to Dresden. 

 During his residence in that city he commenced his delightful poem 

 entitled ' Dushenka,' which was not published till 1775. It is upon 

 those three cantos that his reputation rests, and they earned for him 

 celebrity and favour on their first appearance. The Empress Catherine 

 was charmed with a production, so unlike anything that had preceded 

 it in the language ; and it almost immediately became a favourite 

 with all classes. Its author became the idol of the court and the 

 public ; but this excessive popularity chilled his invention. Although 

 he afterwards wrote much, he never attempted anytbing else in the 

 same vein, nor produced anything that was calculated to win a second 

 wreath for the author of 'Dushenka.' In this work, the fable of 

 which is the mythological story of Psyche, the poet bestowed upon 

 the narrative all the captivating graces of style iu a language which, 

 although it could boast of many productions marked by the lofty 

 eloquence of poetry, did not, until then, contain any finished model 

 of playfulness of language and refined vivacity. It is not to be 

 wondered at therefore that it should have obtained such unbounded 

 admiration. 



Notwithstanding his early predilection for the stage, Bogdanovitch 

 wrote only two dramatic pieces, one of them a comedy iu verse 

 entitled the ' Joy of Dusheuka." Except many short poetical produc- 

 tions and other contributions to various journals, by far the greater 

 part of his remaining publications consist of translations. In 1795 

 he retired from St. Petersburg with the salary of president of the 

 archives continued to him as a pension, and passed his latter years iu 

 the peaceful solitude of Little Russia, where he died on the 8th of 

 December 1803, leaving a name which has yet obtained no rival or 

 associate in that particular species of poem with which he was the 

 first to adorn the literature of his country. 



BOGEHMAN, who signed himself Johannes Bogertnauus Pastor 

 Eculesio) Leowardensis, Synodi Dortrechtana) Primes, was born in 



