Book I Summary

Boethius is sitting in his jail cell writing a poem bewailing his suffering. He is surrounded, literally, by the Muses who inspire him in his writing. He is interrupted by a beautiful woman, who seems tall enough that, if if she stood up straight, her head would penetrate into the heavens. For Boethius' sake—and, therefore, the philosopher in general—she bends low to the ground to make herself accessible. Her face is youthful, but her bearing shows how ancient she truly she is; it is obvious she is not a product of Boethius' time or, perhaps, any time. On her dress is stitched the Greek letter Pi and, slightly above it, the letter Theta. They stand for practice and theory, respectively, and there is a stitched staircase between them. She tells the Muses not to distract Boethius, for...