or BORTIUS (Flavius Anicius Manlius Torquatus Severinus), a prose as well as poetical writer of the 6th century, born of one of the noblest families of the city of Rome. The time of his birth is related to have been about that period in the Roman history when Augustulus, whose fears had induced him to a resignation of the empire, was banished, and Odoacer king of the Heruliains began to reign in Italy, viz., in the year of Christ 476, or somewhat after. The father of Boetius dying while he was yet an infant, his relations undertook the care of his education and the direction of his studies. His excellent parts were soon discovered; and, as well to enrich his mind with the study of philosophy as to perfect himself in the Greek language, he was sent to Athens. Returning young to Rome, he was soon distinguished for his learning and virtue, and promoted to the principal dignities in the state, and at length to the consulate. Living in great affluence and splendor, he addicted himself to the study of theology, mathematics, ethics, and logic; and how great a matter he became in each of these branches of learning, appears from those works of his now extant. The great offices which he bore in the state, and his consummate wisdom and inflexible integrity, procured him such a share in the public councils, as proved in the end his destruction; for as he employed his interest with the king for the protection and encouragement of deserving men, so he exerted his utmost efforts in the detection of fraud, the repressing of violence, and the defence of the state against invaders. At this time Theodoric the Goth had attempted to ravage Campania; and it was owing to the vigilance and resolution of Boetius that that country was preserved from destruction. At length, having murdered Odoacer, Theodoric became king of Italy, where he governed 33 years with prudence and moderation, during which time Boetius possessed a large share of his esteem and confidence. It happened about this time that Jutlin, the emperor of the east, upon his succeeding to Anastasius, made an edict condemning all the Arians, except the Goths, to perpetual banishment from the eastern empire; in this edict Hormisdas bishop of Rome, and also the senate, concurred. But Theodoric, who, as being a Goth, was an Arian, was extremely troubled at it; and conceived an aversion against the senate for the share they had borne in this proscriptio. Of this disposition in the king, three men of profligate lives and desperate fortunes, Gaudentius, Ophilo, and Basilus, took advantage. Having entertained a secret desire of revenge against Boetius, for having been instrumental in the diminution of the latter from a lucrative employment under the king, they accused him of several crimes; such as the flinging a charge, the end whereof was to involve the whole senate in the guilt of treason; and an attempt, by dethroning the king, to restore the liberty of Italy; and, lastly, they suggested, that, to acquire the honours he was in possession of, Boetius had had recourse to magical art. Boetius was at this time at a great distance from Rome; however, Theodoric transmitted the complaint to the senate, enforcing it with a suggestion that the safety, as well of the people as the prince, was rendered very precarious by this supposed design to exterminate the Goths. The senate, perhaps fearing the resentment of the king, and having nothing to hope from the success of an enterprise which, supposing ever it to have been meditated, was now rendered abortive, without summoning him to his defence, condemned Boetius to death. The king, however, apprehending some bad consequence from the execution of a sentence so flagrantly unjust, mitigated it to banishment. The place of his exile was Ticinum, now the city of Pavia, in Italy; being in that place separated from his relations, who had not been permitted to follow him into his retirement, he endeavoured to derive from philosophy those comforts which that alone was capable of affording to one in his forlorn situation, sequestered from his friends, in the power of his enemies, and at the mercy of a capricious tyrant; and accordingly he there composed that valuable discourse, intitled, De Consolatione Philosophiae. About two years after his banishment, Boetius was beheaded in prison by the command of Theodoric. His tomb is to be seen in the church of St Augustine, at Pavia, near the steps of the chancel.

The extensive learning and eloquence of this great man are conspicuous in his works, which seem to have been collected with great care; an edition of them was printed at Venice, in one volume folio, in 1499. In 1570, Glareanus, of Basil, collated that with several manuscripts, and published it, with a few various readings in the margin. His chief performance is that abovementioned, De Consolatione Philosophiae; a work well known in the learned world, and to which the afflicted have often applied. In particular, our Saxon king Alfred, whose reign, though happy upon the whole, was attended with great vicissitudes of fortune, had recourse to it at a time when his distresses compelled him to seek retirement; and that he might the better impress upon his mind the noble sentiments inculcated in it, he made a complete translation of it into the Saxon language, which, within these few years, has been given to the world in its proper character. And Camden relates, that queen Elizabeth, during the time of her confinement by her sister Mary, to mitigate her grief, read and afterwards translated it into very elegant English. But it deserves also particular notice, that he is the most considerable of all the Latin writers on music; and that his treatise De Musica supplied for some centuries the want of those Greek manuscripts which were supposed to have been lost.