Boethius imprisoned, On the Consolation of Philosophy Italy, 1385 MS Hunter 374 (V.1.11), folio 4r

This edition of King Alfred's ninth-century translation of Boethius' De Consolatione Philosophiae is presented as a synoptic text, with King Alfred's Old English text running alongside Sedgefield's 1899 translation into modern English, which was published to commemorate the thousand years that had passed since King Alfred's death. King Alfred's translation of the text is the oldest translation found in the Bibliotheca Polyglotta. 

Due to King Alfred's extensive alterations of the Latin original, it has not been possible to present these synoptically; however, for the Latin original text running alongside several more faithful translations, click here. Included are, chronologically, Notker Teutonicus' translation into Allemanic Old High German (ca. 1000 AD), Jean de Meun's translation into continental Old French (ca. 1300 AD), Geoffrey Chaucer's translation into Middle English (late 1300s AD), as well as Queen Elizabeth's 1593 translation into early modern English. For more introductory or general information about this text as well as bibliographies and references, see the introduction written for these editions of the text here.