Boethius, boh EE thee uhs, Anicius Manlius Severinus (A.D. 480?-524?), was a Roman philosopher. He was best known for Consolation of Philosophy, a book he wrote in prison awaiting execution for treason. The work is a dialogue between Philosophy, in the form of a woman, and Boethius. She teaches him that the highest good is the contemplation of God, which also reconciles a person to misfortune on earth. The book became popular during the Middle Ages and the Renaissance.